A Bit of Oldies Trail in Solo & Jogjakarta

There's no choice except waiting for a long weekend to go on a trip, especially after being employed. Last May I went in a small group, my fun buddies at heart and TUMMY. Yup, a bit different from my adventurous trip, I decided to just enjoy this leisure trip, eat a lot, sightseeing, and eat again. The local foods are amazing so that we directly eat as soon as it's served (goodbye #instagram #foodporn #foodie ). The price is quite cheap too ( obviously if you compare it to the price in Jakarta ).

I'm still amazed how my friends and I talked all the way from Jakarta to Solo ( Surakarta )! ( more than 10 hours on the train,LOL ). The atmosphere in Solo and Jogja are pleasing. You will find that I wrote many words of "lovely","oldies",and "antique". I think those are suitable keywords for snapshots I posted here. Enjoy!

Lovely signage with Javanese writing found on the way to Triwindu Antique Market, Solo 

"Wayang", Indonesian traditional puppet as the decoration at the front building of Triwindu Antique Market

A vintage typewriter. Wish I could have one :) 

Do you remember seeing these TVs in your younger years ?  

A rickshaw rider who kindly posed for me at the alley of Kauman Batik village

Windows wall.
( Sorry for blurry pict, I also regret not checking thoroughly at that time ) :(

Es Dawet, a traditional drink of Indonesian.
It's made from rice powder & pandan leaves, served with palm sugar 

Spinach noodle with chicken mince at Mie Gajah Mas 

A steam train for tourists rides across the street in Solo ( Surakarta ) city 

Happy passengers on the steam train 

Waiting for our train to Jogjakarta at Purwosari Station, Solo 

The train from Jogja to Solo is pretty comfy. It takes just an hour,making it a nice day trip. Unfortunately, the ticket back to Solo was sold out. Plus, I screwed up by leaving my identity card at the hotel. It was used for a guarantee. I have a spare one, but I forgot to bring it :')  

Then, we rent a car along with three new friends we met at the station. They are so friendly to share the recommended dining place in Solo. After all, it turns out to be a laughable moment now, haha.

The ruins of underground mosque, Taman Sari, Jogjakarta 

The beautiful underground mosque at Taman Sari 

 A random graffiti along the way to the ruins of underground mosque

Despite the hot weather, it was fun visiting these two cities. Thanks so much to my friends : Vinca, Vina, Mike and Rendy for being a nice companion on this trip! Things I'm gonna miss the most are definitely the moments and FOOD! 

A Good Lunch at Indische Koffie Jogjakarta

Visiting a modern cafe isn't really in my priority list when wandering off at this cultural city. However, a random act out of the list doesn't hurt, right? After all, I am a type of rule-breaker though. 

It was a hot sunny day and we arrived at Vrederburg Fort just about lunch time. This cafe will be seen on the right side as soon as you pass through the front gate. Such a nice place to see when you were on an-empty-stomach-and-overheated mood, so my friend and I decided to stop by.

Indische Koffie turns out to be a great place to dine in. Its interior is the typical style of Dutch colonial architecture in Indonesia with blue-grey and brown color dominating the building. Furnished with nicely designed lamp and furniture, not to mention the paintings and old photographs on the wall, this cafe gives the classic and elegant impression.

Nice Interior of Indische Koffie 

The cafe has a quite big space for indoor and outdoor. I prefer staying inside with the dim sunlight and artificial lamp illuminating the room. Calm and chilly. Perhaps it's because of the weather, haha.

The serving is quite slow, but it's okay for me personally since I have enough time to see around the cafe. It offers the traditional and western menus. We ordered Tahu Guling, Teh Tarik, pasta, Cream Soup, Orange Punch, and Lime Squash.

I had a nicely plated Tahu Guling. Its broth has savory taste of peanuts sauce with fresh sour flavour of vinegar and citrus.The Tahu (Tofu) is fried slightly, giving a crispy skin texture. The addition of fried onion makes the final touch to its rich flavors. 

Traditional & Western Cuisine in one frame:
Tahu Guling vs Aglio E Olio
Both are yummy!

Orange Punch

Overall, the foods are tasty. Plus, the price isn't as expensive as we expected ( of course, it's a habit to compare to Jakarta's standard ). The soothing oldies songs with "Keroncong" ( Javanese music) style will make you enjoy to stay for a bit longer. A good ambience for drawing, reading or writing. Surely worth to visit!

Morning Tummy Treat at Kopi Luwak, Kuningan City

When weekend is coming and everybody yelling “Thank God!!” , I also do the same thing. Yeah, why not? Who doesn’t love weekend? I started up my day with waking up late and feel like sleepy but I need to boost my energy and give some treats to my tummy.

Then I went to Kuningan City and I stopped at Kopi Luwak to get some booster. Kopi Luwak is located at the Upper Ground Floor. It was the first time I went there, and the impression’s good. The place is comfortable and I chose the nice place near the window, with the light shining on me through the glass window. The interior is pretty, warm and cozy to have some meeting or chitchat with friends and also to enjoy the dish.

Credit: Levina D. Lomena 

Honestly I am not a coffee freak, but I can enjoy drinking coffee. That day, I was craving for a fresh and light beverage so I chose to order Matcha Mambo, a green tea with ice cream on top. When the drink was coming, I was so happy because it looked like the same as in the menu .The taste’s also good for me, not too sweet, not to creamy, fresh and exactly what I expect for Matcha Mambo.

Matcha Mambo

 IDR 35,5k
Credit: Levina D. Lomena 

Actually I can’t eat something big for what I call a breakfast, so I chose Golden pouch to accompany Matcha Mambo. Golden pouch is a shrimp wrapped with wonton wrapper and deep fried a few times until it looks golden brown.

I started picking each golden pouch and dipping it to the sauces. It’s served with vegetables (carrot, corn and green peas) , dipping sauces (tomato and chili sauce), French fries and garnish. The inside is so tasty, soft and delicious and the wrapper is sooo crunchy, totally what I expect and I love it.

Golden Pouch,
IDR 36k 

Credit: Levina D. Lomena

I was so satisfied for both of my dish. Hopefully I will be back to Kopi Luwak and order other menus, their famous coffees and other dishes.

Kopi Luwak

Kuningan City Mall, Upper Ground Floor

Jl. Prof Dr Satrio, Kuningan,

Jakarta