Toko Oen, a nostalgic Dutch rendezvous in Semarang

Suherdjoko The Jakarta Post/Semarang

Dozens of senior citizens were enjoying lunch on century-old wooden chairs with rattan seats. The room was cooled by several large fans, keeping at bay the sweltering heat of the coastal city of Semarang.

The diners, all from the Netherlands, were entertained by a music group playing old Dutch, English and Javanese songs.

This was the scene at Toko Oen, a building with a tall arched roof on Jl. Pemuda in Semarang, Central Java. Toko Oen has become a nostalgic rendezvous point for its patrons, including many Dutch citizens.

The restaurant, which first opened in 1922 in Yogyakarta, boasts over 40 flavors of ice cream, a wide assortment of Dutch cookies and snacks and a wide selection of main dishes.

On the menu are fried rice, chicken satay, noodles, foe young hay (meat and vegetable omelet served with sweet and sour sauce), croquettes, beefsteak, cap cay (stir-fried vegetables, meat and fish), salads, soups, barbecue dishes and spring rolls.

"Before the monetary crisis, the Dutch tourists used to come here on three or four buses during their vacation, generally in September. They would spend five days in Semarang and dine here," said Jenny Kalalo, 47, the granddaughter of the restaurant's founder, Oen Tjoen Hok.

Jenny said visitors from the Netherlands included former students of Semarang's Dutch secondary schools returning for reunions at the restaurant, which can seat a 100 guests.

Toko Oen first started as a bread and cake shop in Yogyakarta. Located on Jl. Tugu Kidul (now Jl. Pangeran Mangkubumi), the shop later developed into a restaurant. Patrons included Yogyakarta and Pakualam court officials, as well as Dutch dignitaries.

On April 16, 1936, Toko Oen opened in the Bojong area of Semarang, formerly known as Herenstraat, along what was then the only asphalt road between Tugu Muda and the Dibya Puri Hotel intersection. The area was home to the railway office, Dutch secondary schools, shops, hotels and top eateries, all located along the shady sidewalks.

A cookie seller in the area said he frequently noticed elderly Dutch people strolling with their grandchildren.

"They seem to be telling their grandchildren about life here in the past," he said.

Jenny said Toko Oen also opened branches on what is now Jl. Ir Juanda in Jakarta and on Jl. Kayu Tangan (now Jl. Basuki Rachmat) in Malang, East Java. In 1950, however, the branches in Jakarta and Yogyakarta were closed. "Family members worked abroad and the restaurant business was less profitable in those days."

In Malang the shop was sold but is now preserved as part of Malang's municipal heritage.

Five years ago another Toko Oen opened -- in The Hague (2e Sweelincjstraat 115, 2517 GW). The Netherlands is where Jenny earned her master's degree in architecture. "Our restaurant is an active participant in the Tongtong Fair in Holland and helps spread the word about Indonesia," she said, referring to a cultural fair.

Well-preserved

Toko Oen is known for its old building and unique recipes handed down by Jenny's grandmother. Since 1989, Jenny has been in charge of managing the restaurant.

With her architectural background, she has strived to maintain the original design of the building and its furnishings, despite the costs that this entails. Its ornamented teak walls and windowpanes have been preserved. But its doors and windows can no longer be left open as they were in the past, due to Semarang's hot weather and dusty air. Air conditioners are hidden in wooden cabinets.

Acknowledging her regret at giving up the Yogya branch, Jenny hinted at opening a new Toko Oen in Yogyakarta. "I'll have to find an old building."

The groups of Dutch tourists visiting the restaurant are smaller than those in the 1990s, she said. "Perhaps the traditional customers are already too old to come, while the younger ones, though often touring Semarang, only spend a day at the Dutch Ereveld graveyard in Gajahmungkur before returning to Yogyakarta."

Nonetheless, Toko Oen remains a classy favorite, enjoyed by young and old alike.