It had been there, but it was invisible to me. I went there many times, but I never once visited the place until September this year. It is Cafe Batavia in Kota Tua. It was invisible because it was just out of my league. I knew since the first time I saw it that it was a fancy restaurant. The ones who go there are mostly foreigners and upper-class people. I remember seeing the restaurant from outside in my high school uniform thinking that I could never go in there. Even though there was a small voice inside of me saying, ‘maybe someday.’
I come from a middle-class family. I mean, my family was literally right in the middle. We were not lower or upper and therefore going to that kind of place wasn”t our top priority. Or to be exact, it was not even on our to-go list. I had heard that the food price there was twice or even three times more expensive than at a regular restaurant. No wonder that the customers were mostly foreigners who, no doubt, had higher currency.
Long story short, the ‘maybe someday’ finally came. After joining a tour to go around Kota Tua, I ended up visiting the cafe. Read my article about the tour on the link below.
I was a little bit shy to enter. (Why should I?)
I think it came out of my introverted side. I’m not used to come to a new place, particularly a restaurant. I always feel like the people sitting inside look at me with a questioning look. I know it’s only on my mind. But I can’t help it. I need to practice more to not care about other people.
Before I forget, I want to tell you first about how I got in. After the tour, Aldi, my husband, and I walked back to the center of Kota Tua from the front of the station. The thing that I didn’t know was that the area was closed at 9 pm. For you who don’t know how Kota Tua is, its shape is square. The center is Fatahillah Museum.
That day, every side of it was closed by crossing ropes that were guided by security officers. I said to one of them at the side right in front of the station that I wanted to go to Cafe Batavia but he said it was closed already. I couldn’t believe it because on Google it was still open. Cafe Batavia closes at midnight. I tried to tell the officer about it but he still said it was already closed.
I didn’t give up. Aldi and I went to the other side. There were some people trying to enter the area but the security officers didn’t let them to. Then I approached one of the officers to tell him I wanted to go to Cafe Batavia. I thought I’d get the same answer as the previous one. But then he let us pass.
I felt exclusive! Aldi and I were the only ones who were let through by the security guards that night. There were some people sitting on the ground inside the area. I have no idea what they were doing and how they could still be there. But aside from it, I got the peaceful vibes like I never had before in Kota Tua! As you know (or if you don’t know) that Kota Tua is always full of people and the street vendors in particular. Can you imagine it without the crowd? Now I can.
When I entered the cafe, I was welcomed by one of the waitresses at the front desk. When I told her, ‘Table for two?’, she escorted me to one of the tables inside. It was a table right at a corner. Oh, wait. I think it was Aldi and I who chose the table. The waitress only showed us which tables were vacant. Apparently, it was not a good spot. There was live music and our view was blocked by a wall. We could still listen but we couldn’t see the band on the stage. Anyway, it was not bad.
The waitress gave us two menus. I had to turn on my flashlight to read because we were surrounded by dim lights.
What a perfect place for a romantic dinner. After several minutes, we ordered Soto Betawi and pineapple juice for Aldi and Tongseng and Bintang Radler for me. While waiting for those, I went to the toilet. I was amazed. The toilet was kind of creepy in a beautiful way. It was old school yet modern as well.
When I got back to the table, the order arrived not long after. They looked yummy! Well, they were.
Aldi loved his Soto Betawi. He said it was one of the best. When I tried it, it was great, but he was exaggerating. My Tongseng also tasted good. Aldi goggled in astonishment. He said the Tongseng was dope. I didn’t quite agree for I thought the Tongseng nearby Istiqlal Mosque was the best. I forgot what’s diner’s name, it was a long time ago when I last ate it. I’ll go there again someday and make sure.
After eating, we smoked. Yes, it was a smoking area. For non-smokers, it’s best to sit on the second floor.
We wanted to stay longer, but Aldi and I were a little bit exhausted after the tour. We left home in the afternoon and it was hot, we were sweaty, and most importantly, we went there by train. It was almost midnight and we were not sure what time the last train was. We also parked the car at Bintaro Jaya Xchange Mall, we were afraid it’d close and we wouldn’t be able to take the car.
The cashier was the same waitress who had been taking care of us since we entered the cafe. Wait. I think it’s better to call it restaurant because ‘cafe’ just doesn’t fit. Anyway, we paid Rp520.300 for everything. Surprised not surprised. I was surprised because I thought it would be more than that and I was not surprised because it was almost the same as what we usually pay in Australia. Slightly cheaper, though. In Indonesia it was quite expensive to spend that amount of money to eat. But in a place like Cafe Batavia, it’s worth it. Everything is expensive in Indonesia nowadays anyway.
When I got out of the Cafe, I was excited to find that it was already so quiet. Literally nobody around. Automatically, I took out my cellphone to take a video. But a guard yelled at me saying that I wasn’t allowed to do so. I mean, what in the world…? Why?! Is it a rule? Would I get fined if I record a video. It wasn’t for commercial thing, it was just for myself and my socials. I don’t get it.
We arrived at the station just in time before the last train departed and it was also right in time before the security guard at the mall left. It was a fun day!
What’s next?!
