Yogya organic cafe opens doors

Tarko Sudiarno, Yogyakarta

Stay healthy in style is the motto of Sobo Cafe, which is located across Puro Pakualaman, Yogyakarta, the palace residence of the Paku Alam royal family.

Although the cafe is just two weeks old, it has already had the honor to entertain the family of Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and scores of ambassadors and ministers. Culinary expert William Wongso has also dropped by to sample Sobo's specialties.

The cafe owes its popularity to its vintage ambience and healthy cuisine. Sobo is owned by a joint venture, which include Indonesia's "King of Monologue" Butet Kartaradjasa and a former member of the Bengkel Theater, Iskandar Waworuntu.

"We built this cafe in response to the lifestyle of the upper class in Yogyakarta. But in the future, we will also target gourmands from the middle class, so a gastronomic experience could be had here at just Rp 15,000 (US$1.60)," said Butet.

So here we are, a group of cafe regulars, sipping cups of nasgitel tea -- a strong, sugary tea that is served piping hot -- and carrot-pineapple cake on a terrace at Sobo on a fine evening. The cafe is in an old house that was built in the 1850s, boasting many well-preserved antique interiors and furniture.

Suddenly, hundreds of white storks fly from all directions and perch on an old banyan tree nearby, making us aware of the dusk. White storks are a rare sight in downtown Yogyakarta, and perhaps in other big cities elsewhere across the country.

"I just noticed that the storks have nested in the tree. They are cool," quipped Butet, who had recently returned from a month- long European tour.

Iskandar, who also accompanied us for evening tea, explained that the cafe used organic ingredients and served non-alcoholic drinks. He said Sobo was likely the only cafe that offered such a menu.

"From the raw ingredients to how they are cooked and served, the cuisine is health-oriented. We take basic ingredients like rice, veggies and fruits from an organic farm that cultivates food without using any chemical fertilizers," said Iskandar, who spent 20 years developing the farming method.

In processing bean curd, for example, he said, "We make our own bean curd from soya beans grown on our farm. We are against imported soya beans, although they look good and are cheaper. Beancurd and tempeh made from local soya beans are actually very tasty."

Iskandar said he made snacks, such as kue okara -- which literally means "explosive cake" -- and plain bread from residual products of bean curd processing. In some parts of Java, the bean curd residue is usually used to make tempe gembus, a poorer substitute to real tempeh, yet still rich in nutrients.

The list of organic ingredients in Sobo's cuisine is seemingly endless, and the cafe uses even homemade organic cooking oil made from coconuts. Another plus is that Sobo does not use monosodium glutamate.

For rice, the cafe uses the fragrant, organically grown rojo lele, which is pounded before it is cooked.

"Our rice's aroma and color are different from those sold at the market. Our rice looks rather off-color, compared to the stark white rice that we expect to see. To tell you the truth, the reddish color of our rice is the color of healthy, natural rice," said Iskandar.

The cafe also offers dessert and pastries specially made with bread fruit and oat flour.

The artists-turned-cafe entrepreneurs use organic foods as a medium, imbued with the elegance of their performances, to show us simply that healthy food is good food.