DestinAsian

INSIDE TRACK

HADI ISMANTO, A MEDIA ENTREPRENE­UR AND FOUNDER OF ONLINE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE MANUAL JAKARTA, SHARES HIS INSIGHTS ON INDONESIA’S IRREPRESSI­BLE CAPITAL.

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Hadi Ismanto dishes on his favorite spots in Jakarta.

EAT For Indonesian cuisine, you can’t go wrong with

Kaum ( kaum.com) by the Potato Head Group—order the wagyu sate maranggi and anything with seafood or fish. The seasonal cocktails are interestin­g too; I recently tried the Cici Petak 9, a gin-based concoction inspired by Glodok, Jakarta’s Chinatown. For home-style Peranakan food, Restoran Trio ( Jl. R.P. Soeroso No. 29A) in the Menteng area is a classic. It’s been around for more than 70 years and the service, music, and decor hasn’t changed in decades. Hunter and Grower ( fb.com/hunter andgrower) in Kemang is a new venue that repackages traditiona­l recipes into something modern; its deconstruc­ted sayur asem salad tastes very authentic.

SHOP The store at Kemang’s Dia.lo.gue ( dialogue-art space.com) gallery stocks a wide range of clothes by high-quality local brands. One of my favorites is Sejauh Mata Memandang ( sejauh.com), which has turned batik into something more casual and relevant. Another is Sukkha Citta ( sukkhacitt­a.com), an up-and-coming fashion brand that works with village craftswome­n to create really beautiful pieces that stay true to Indonesia’s woven heritage. As for home decor, local ceramicist Ayu Larasati has collaborat­ed with Canaan, a concept store from Bali, to create Unearth ( Jl. Gandaria 1 No. 63) in a space above One Fifteenth Coffee. You’ll find everything from clothes and napkins to tableware, candles, and body soap.

DO It’s an easy walk from the MRT station at Blok M to M Bloc Space ( Jl. Panglima Polim No. 37), a disused banknote printing plant that has been transforme­d into a den of independen­t stores and eateries. It’s a great alternativ­e to the mall and accessible to people from all walks of life. If you want to explore a traditiona­l neighborho­od, go to Glodok. I’ve been to Chinatowns all over the world and Glodok is really something special; start out at Kopi Es Tak Kie ( kopiestakk­ie.com), a kopitiam famous for its iced coffee and mixed pork rice. Elsewhere in town, pop-up markets have really been thriving. One of the newest and fastest-rising is Semasa ( instagram .com/semasa_di). With a well-curated selection of lesserknow­n makers, it is held every few months in beautiful but underappre­ciated heritage buildings, places most people wouldn’t normally go.

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 ??  ?? Clockwise from top left: A hand-thrown cup by Ayu Larasati; the entrance to M Bloc Space; batik pouches by Sukkha Citta; Semasa, a pop-up market, at the Bank Indonesia Museum; Hunter and Grower’s sayur asem salad; the main dining room at Kaum.
Clockwise from top left: A hand-thrown cup by Ayu Larasati; the entrance to M Bloc Space; batik pouches by Sukkha Citta; Semasa, a pop-up market, at the Bank Indonesia Museum; Hunter and Grower’s sayur asem salad; the main dining room at Kaum.

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