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Weekly 5: Trendy cafés with 'artitude'
JP/Seto WardhanaSeveral cafés in Jakarta offer food and art, a combination that many cannot refuse
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JP/Seto Wardhana
Several cafés in Jakarta offer food and art, a combination that many cannot refuse. One of the pioneers of the concept is KOI Restaurant Bar and Gallery in Kemang, South Jakarta, but the past few years have seen new ones popping up. Here are five of them:
That's Life Coffee
Friendly advice: Once you arrive on Jl. Gunawarman in South Jakarta, pay close attention. People may walk along the street many times, but still miss That's Life Coffee because it is located on the second floor of a clinic building. Hence it has earned itself the moniker 'The Hidden Gem' from some customers.
The café is small but customers do not seem to mind. 'They have a good selection of Indonesian coffee, reasonable prices and a homey vibe to it. I spend at least an hour every time I come here,' said Nia, a customer.
The garage-sized coffee shop transforms into a sophisticated exhibition area once in a while. The latest event was the Mixed Feelings Illustration Exhibition, where 11 digital and five handmade illustrations from five young illustrators were exhibited.
Pop Art Café
Opened to the public in 2013, Pop Art Café in Bintaro, South Jakarta, adds a new spark to the culinary business. Colorful pop art paintings of well-known figures are on every inch of the café's walls, functioning as both the main decorations and main attraction of this café.
The place was originally built as a base camp for the Wedha Pop Art Portrait (WPAP) community. However, members decided to alter their 'home' into a café, which they hoped would be the perfect way to introduce their works to the public.
'We wanted to create a place where artists could show their works to the public,' spokesperson Netty Sofiarin said.
Pop Art Café serves popular Indonesian snacks, such as kue cubit (small pancakes), fried cassava, grilled banana and their signature cakwe (savory churros) with shrimp mayo. There is also a store inside the café where customers can buy pop art merchandise, custom made by the artists of the WPAP community.
'If you're interested and want to learn to make your own pop art piece, we will welcome you wholeheartedly,' Netty said.
Catalyst Art Shop
This 'friendly neighborhood art and coffee shop' is located on the corner of Jl. Kemang Utara in South Jakarta. Targeting young customers, Catalyst Art Shop is the perfect destination for those who love collecting goodies and art merchandise.
'Catalyst Art Shop was established after we did our Kopi Keliling project, an initiative to exhibit art and illustrations made by local illustrators. After that project, we got inspired to build a place where young and talented local artists could show their works to the public. And in 2014, Catalyst was born,' said Patricia Wulandari, Catalyst Art Shop's founder.
Catalyst Art Shop now focuses its business on a Pop Up Art Market, where customers can shop for Catalyst's goodies as well as create an art piece through marbling, calligraphy and painting. The next art market will be on Nov. 28-29, at Kuningan City, Jakarta.
Dia.Lo.Gue
Located in Kemang, South Jakarta, Dia.Lo.Gue describes itself as a common art space where artists, designers and the general public can meet to have creative dialogue.
Cofounded by designer Hermawan Tanzil and designed by architect Andra Matin, the art space café opened in 2010 and has been one of the ultimate destinations for art lovers ever since.
'This is the place where people can gather, chat, or have a dialogue with one another, and our café is the perfect spot for such activities. For those who live and breathe art, our exhibition venue is here to provide that,' said Engel Tanzil, spokesperson for Dia.Lo.Gue.
Engel said the art space had five programs, providing spaces for new artists, traditional crafts, architects and musicians.
Twice a year, Dia.Lo.Gue holds an art market.
2Mad Eatery
A big yellow taxi painted on the wall seems more than enough to give customers a strong New York City vibe when they walk through the door of 2Mad Eatery. Located at Jl. Benda Raya No. 46, this home decor shop and eatery is the perfect option for food lovers as well as furniture hunters.
The unique concept behind 2Mad Eatery comes from the creative mind of its founder, Maggie Hutauruk Eddy. She was inspired to build the place after seeing stores on Madison Avenue in New York years ago.
The store itself is a two-story building dominated by a wooden interior. On the first floor, customers can order Western and fusion meals.
While waiting for their dishes to be served, customers can visit the furniture gallery on the second
floor.
