Cafes: Comfortable weekend places for all

Asniar Sahab, Contributor, The Jakarta Post

Cafes have been growing fairly rapidly in Jakarta recently and have become a lifestyle choice. They are popping up most noticeably at shopping centers.

Malls are no longer just shopping venues but also gathering places for teenagers, who go there to enjoy the atmosphere of cafes instead of shopping. There are a variety of cafes, which offer various delicacies besides coffee and tea from different countries.

When and how did cafes at malls first appear and proliferate? Shopping-center cafes began at Pasar Raya Blok M around 1988, when a cafe was opened on the corner of its porch facing the road. Its French interior design with glass panels enabled visitors to eat and drink while chatting and watching passersby outside the mall.

Croissant de France, as the cafe was named, began thriving after several months, with guests mostly comprising models, artists, fashion journalists and public figures. Considered a prestigious rendezvous for selected groups, this cafe became famous and recorded full houses almost daily. Now it has moved to the basement along with other new cafes.

When Plaza Indonesia Mall was erected in the early 1990s, a cafe, Olala, also became part of it, right under the stairs leading to the basement, near the corner of the room. A modest place with white iron chairs, this cafe emerged as the second choice and soon gained popularity, offering snacks and coffee at reasonable prices for the middle class and students.

Later, other malls began to appear, from Blok M Plaza, Pondok Indah, Plaza Senayan, Taman Anggrek to Kelapa Gading, also with cafes in various interior styles. These mall cafes now serve as family hangouts during vacations, teeming with visitors at weekends. We need only to choose between the one with special foods or the other with coffee, tea and snacks. Expresso, found at all malls, for instance, offers just spaghetti and sandwiches, but its fresh ground coffee has a typical flavor.

Roti, at Pondok Indah Mall, is a cafe most frequented by teenagers. Every afternoon or weekend, youths pack this cafe for its cappuccino and bread at relatively low prices. Pula Toraja is the mall's other cafe flaunting its genuine Toraja coffee.

Several cafes on the floors of Plaza Senayan Mall have various groups of visitors, from teenagers, adults, executives, legislators to entrepreneurs. Among the cafes are Victoria, Nanini with its pasta and Wien on the top floor with its special interior design. The middle-eastern style Turkish cafe opened only six months ago and has different kinds of kebabs on its special menu.

On the far right, in the mall's Sogo area, is Palem Teras Cafe, with a porch-like interior and palm decorations. Its glass panels allow views outside the building, which gives it a special atmosphere and a feeling of comfort and peace, particularly in the afternoon or evening. Its separate room is suitable for discussions or meetings, but its menu is limited, with coffee, cappuccino and snacks being the main picks.

Club is yet another cafe at the tip of the building's rear. It has a three-division interior featuring Arabian and porch designs, while retaining an ethnic style and wooden furniture. Club's coffee is imported from various countries, including mochaccini, cappuccino and Colombian supreme. Designed for all ages, this cafe also serves grilled tiger prawns and spaghetti as visitors' favorites.

Plaza Indonesia has been constantly developing, with recent cafes like Dome and Boutique, the latter having applied the boutique concept and is decorated with white sofas. They are in a different class with fairly expensive menus, creating an exclusive air for executives and the rich. La Moda, also on the ground floor, often serves as a place for fashion shows and Metro TV shoots. It has an open interior with white umbrellas, where visitors enjoy food with piano accompaniment.

So many cafes are therefore available for relaxing in after a hard day at work. What in fact do we seek there apart from dining and drinking? It is, of course, the atmosphere, as by savoring coffee, tea or food we also enjoy some comfort and watch attractive sights and people. Malls all over Jakarta now serve as weekend hangouts for families as well as fashion-crazed teenagers.