The Cafe: South Jakarta

I for one are very suss about restorans of café’s that are located in hotels because, more often than not, they are expensive. It’s not a case of spending money but rather that there are many other places worth having a drink.

However, there is a reasonably priced place in the Hotel Mulia Senayan in South Jakarta called The Café which has reasonable prices and one which I will check out when I get back to Jakarta.

Kurniawan Hari visited The Café:

Long known by executives and professionals for its diverse lunch buffet, The Cafe at Hotel Mulia Senayan is adding some new touches, apparently to attract a younger clientele.

Not many changes, but just small things that enhance the ambience — quite crucial to arouse the appetite.

Unlike its former decor, which featured a predominance of brown, beige and khaki, The Cafe is now adorned with bright primary colors like yellow, red, green and orange.

“We are trying to create a bright ambience for our guests,” director of communications Romy Herlambang said recently.

A dozen yellow boots greet guests as they enter the buffet area. These function as flower vases on the left-hand side. On the right, some bananas, in a metal frame, resemble a banana tree.

The small changes in color composition are not the only adjustment The Cafe has made. It has also decorated the spacious dining room with both new lighting and a food arrangement and, more importantly, the addition of a new fish tank.

According to Romy, the fish tank, much larger than before, will help guests to identify where the “seafood area” is.

A larger tank, of course, means more choice of seafood for guests to savor. Guests may choose from a selection of marlin, swordfish or even stingray.

While the chef grills the fish, guests can browse through the buffet and choose appetizers.

Among the tidbits on offer are chicken shawarma, shrimp toast, Peking duck or tempura. The shrimp toast is very appetizing. The shawarma, although tasty, is perhaps too much for a starter.

Basically, The Cafe welcomes all comers, be they Western, Indian, Japanese, Chinese or Indonesian. They will find many types of cuisine to satisfy their taste buds.

Guests can savor noodles or international dishes. If they crave Indonesian cuisine, they can try something from the Indonesian food section, which will offer a different menu every day.

When I was there, the cafe served Yogyakarta favorite, gudeg (young jackfruit boiled with coconut milk), plus tempe bacem (sweet, fried tempeh).

“We’re trying our best to satisfy our diverse range of customers,” Romy added.

Satrio Widjojo, assistant manager for food and beverage, said that the changes are part of a gradual renovation.

The Cafe, he added, will have a white bathtub at its entrance complete with a counter of edible cosmetics.

“We will have edible cosmetics, like lipstick, nail polish and perfume as gifts for guests to take away. Everything is edible,” he added.

“We hope we shall see more young customers enjoy our food and ambience,” Satrio said.

The Cafe
Hotel Mulia Senayan,
Jl Asia Afrika
South Jakarta

tel: 5747777

Article: Kurniawan Hari