Yogyakarta - Boutiques, Street food & Cafe at Jalan Cenderawasih

Just a 3 minute walk from Tigalima Homestay is Jalan Cenderawasih. It is a stretch that has all that you need to fully satisfy your desire to: 1. Shop where the hip locals shop 2. eat where the locals eat 3. chill where the locals chill.

Shop where the hip locals shop

Jalan Cenderawasih is filled with little boutiques, each carrying its own unique line of clothings, shoes, bags and accessories by local fashion designers. Each boutique is tastefully decorated and exemplifies the immense creativity of the artist. Prices ranges from IDR 12,000 for a tee-shirt to IDR 25,000 for a dress- of great design and quality material. This place is very much like Haji Lane in Singapore, sans the pricey price tag.

Eat where the locals eat

Amidst the hip boutiques at Jalan Cenderawasih are very down-to-earth street food stalls that fill the tummies of the locals. Food is freshly prepared from a wooden cart- ingredients neatly laid out; soup perpetually boiling on a charcoal stove. Soto Ayam is an interesting mix of rice, vermicelli, chicken shreds and beansprouts in a rich chicken stock. Lime and chili is added to enhance the flavour of the soup. The Soto Ayam at Jalan Cenderawasih is very, very homely, just like what your mummy will cook for you when you're sick in bed, and you'll get revitalized immediately! The bowl cost IDR 7,000 while the home-made ice tea is IDR 2,000.

Next to the Soto Ayam stall at Jalan Cendreawasih is a stall selling meatball noodles- Mee Bakso. Mee Bakso is another staple food for the locals. Other than meatballs and noodles, the bowl is also filled with taupok, crisps and fried dumpling. The beef balls are juicy and bouncy, the soup rich in flavour, and the crisps remain crispy in the soup! This wholesome bowl of goodness is IDR 11,000. Galen and I think that this stall at Jalan Cenderawasih has the best Mee Bakso in Yogyakarta!

Chill where the locals chill

Lagani Coffee is among the boutiques and street food stalls along Jalan Cenderawasih. It is definitely a good place to rest your feet in between the shopping and a perfect place to spend a lazy afternoon. The cafe is fully air-conditioned and has a very good wi-fi connection. There is a wide and interesting selection of hot and cold coffees, with price ranging from IDR 12,000 to IDR 19,000. The java chip mocha and red velvet smoothie did not disappoint us, and were good companions as we read and surf in Lagani Coffee for an entire afternoon.

Jalan Cenderawasih is an eclectic stretch that engages all your senses. Be it the sight of juxtaposed shops; the taste of homely soups, the smell of artisan coffee;  the buzz of incessant traffic; the blend of old and new- you can find it all here.

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Barokah Soto Ayam

RRI Mee Bakso

Address: Corner of Jalan Cenderawasih and Jalan Affandi (Gejayan), Yogyakarta

Lagani Coffee

Address: 4 Jalan Cenderasih, Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta - Seafood Suka Mampir: A Review

Street food, like street art, tells stories of a place. Yogyakarta's street food taught Galen and I three things: 1. We are big eaters; 2. There's no need for variety if you're good at what you do; 3. It is perfectly safe.

A majority of our meals in our 9 days in Yogyakarta was spent at street food carts or street food stalls. We ate what the locals eat, alongside the locals. We wandered around alot on foot, and chanced upon this magical stall:

Yes! Seafood! Galen could not let any chance of seafood pass - and of course we had to try eating seafood at a street food stall!

With the help of my Indonesian-English dictionary app, we managed to decipher the menu. Or so we thought. We went: 'Kepiting' is crab; 'rebus' is the 'rebus' from 'mee rebus' so it must mean crab with spicy sauce. Okay, kepiting rebus then!

Er, this was totally not what we expected! It turned out that 'Kepiting Rebus' means steamed crab and at this point, we thought, crap, steamed food at street food stall- would it be okay? It was wayyyyy more than okay! The crab was really fresh and sweet! The flesh was tender and juicy with a hint of ginger. Galen proudly proclaimed it as one of the best crab he's ever had as a seafood connoisseur!

And so the squid came steamed too, and not with the spicy sauce that we thought it would be. This did not disappoint too. We could literally taste the sea!

On subsequent days, we kept going back to try different dishes- cumi goreng tempur (fried squid) and udang goreng tempur (fried prawn). They were all really awesome!

Our favourite was still the steamed crab- Kepiting Rebus! We went back for it almost every other night, so much so that the stall owners recognised us and would give us the thumbs up whenever we go!

The standard was consistent each time we went. Our appetites grew more and more insatiable, and we even did take-away on a few occasions to enjoy the crabs in the comfort of our homestay.

Seafood Suka Mampir is highly recommended to all- whether or not you are a seafood lover. It is truly an experience having your meals on the streets, what more seafood! The steamed crab, Kepiting Rebus is a must-have at this stall. Try it, and fall in love with it like we did.

Yogyakarta Food Blog Review by Kumory

☁☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Seafood Suka Mampir

Along Jalan Dr. Wahidin, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Yogyakarta - Kraton, Taman Sari and Water Castle Cafe

 Yogyakarta was the Indonesian capital during the Indonesia National Revolution (1945 to 1949) after Jakarta fell into the hands of the Dutch. Due to its significant contribution at that time, Yogyakarta was given the status of Special Administrative Region. This makes Yogyakarta the only region headed by a monarchy in Indonesia.

The Kraton, or the Sri's Sultan Palace, is around 2 km from the southern end of Jalan Malioboro. Admission for foreign tourist is IDR 12,500 per person, IDR 1,000 extra for the camera. The fee is inclusive of a guide. The guide that received Galen and I spoke good English, and told us that he has been a guide for the Kraton for 40 years!

Architecture of the Kraton took references from Malay, Indian, Chinese culture, making Yogyakarta truly a centre of cultural influences. The main complex houses a hall area where the Sultan would enjoy his entertainment by musicians and dancers. Surrounding the hall are little houses that served as preparation rooms for them. The hall is very airy and cooling, even in the scorching heat of the Yogyakarta sun, and the structure allows very good acoustics. Talk about royalty treatment!

The Taman Sari (the Water Castle), another 2km away from the Kraton, was built for entertainment purposes too- for the pleasure of first Sultan. One of the pool is specially for the wives and concubines of the Sultan, and he would take his pick while they frolicked in it. Sounds frivolous, ain't it? But the architecture is nothing of frivolity.

Beyond this small, stooping gate was a fascinating network of tunnels and rooms. A place for pleasure and entertainment indeed!

The interior was really cooling and seemed to freeze time once again. We took some time to explore every tunnel and room, though some were dark and looked forbidding.

What's not to be missed on a trip to the Taman Sari is a stop at the Water Castle Cafe. Situated just outside the entrance of the water castle, you can't miss it either.

The Water Castle Cafe serves a variety of hot food and beverages. This was a lunch stop for Galen and I, so we had mains. The Mee Goreng was flavourful with tons and tons of vegetable. What really surprised us was the Gado Gado - it was completely different from what we had in mind! The Singapore version would have rice cakes, beancurd, beansprouts and prawn crackers drizzled in a peanut sauce. The Yogyakarta version was truly refreshing! It was a wonderful basket of freshly boiled vegetables- all still sweet and succulent, and matched really well with the mildy spicy peanut sauce. They had the sweetest baby corn I've ever tasted!

The Water Castle Cafe is a good place to spend the afternoon, away from the sweltering heat. The interior is full of little charming details, and the Indonesian traditional music playing softly in the background transported us way back in time. The owners speak decent English and are really friendly and chatty.

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The Water Castle Cafe

Address: Inside Taman Sari, Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta - Cafes at Jalan Prawirotaman

Littered with homestays, cafes and restaurants, Jalan Prawirotaman in Yogyakarta is the best place to spend a late afternoon. Galen and I walked from the Palace and Water Castle, and it took around 15 minutes.

Streets of Yogyakarta exudes a timeless, nostalgic charm. Galen and I agreed that time seems to tick and tock by slower in Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta allowed us to really slow down, take a closer look at the environment, and pondered about the stories of every crock and nook.

We decided to spend the slow afternoon at Ministry of Coffee. It is a stand-alone 2 storey building with a cafe at the front, and a homestay at the back. The interior of the cafe was cosy and there was a selection of newspapers, magazines and games in the library on the second floor.

We decided on a table at the alfresco area. Ministry of coffee offers a wide variety of coffee and tea, and a selection of sandwiches and hot dishes like pasta. The ice latte was frothy and milky, and was such a huge relief in the sweltering Yogyakarta heat. Yogyakarta newspaper was my company for the afternoon, while Galen embarked on an adventure with Mr Sherlock Holmes.

We moved on to Cafe Viavia for dinner. It was just a 3 minute stroll down Jalan Prawirotaman. We were greeted by this cheery, colourful wall which was an exact replica of its website!

We chose a table on the second storey of the cafe. There was a little kitchen on the second storey too, for cooking lessons! There was a caucasian couple who was busying themselves with Indonesian dishes while we sipped on our traditional drinks - Es soda gimbera and Es dewet.

We watched the sunset from where we sat. The temperature was dropping as the sky turned dark, birds were chirping, and there was some chanting from a distant mosque. Every sunset should be like this, isn't it? And not in a crowded train, packed with fellow minions in monkey suits carrying blank expressions while engaged with their smartphones. Anyway, I digress.

Mains were steak with mushroom sauce and sauteed spinach, and seafood marinara pasta with garlic bread. The steak was a little on the chewy side, but the mushroom and spinach were awesome. The pasta was hearty- the tomatoes were really fresh!

Dessert was passionfruit lemon cheesecake from the Viavia bakery. This was simply lipsmacking. The cheese was smooth and rich, and perfectly balanced with a hint of sourness from the passionfruit and lemon. It was easily one of the best cheesecakes I've ever had!

Plan to spend half a day at Jalan Prawirotaman. The little establishments here have the charm of freezing time and reaching to the little quiet spot in your heart. The spot which you might have neglected.

Yogyakarta Food Blog Review by Kumory

Ministry of Coffee

Address: Jalan Prawirotaman 1/15a, Yogyakarta

Email: management@ministryofcoffee.com

Cafe Viavia Jogja

Address: Jalan Prawirotaman 30, Yogyakarta

Phone: (62) 274 386557