Top Spots to Stop on Jl. Cikajang Raya
Jl. Cikajang Raya is located in the leafy Kebayoran Baru neighbourhood, surrounded by the bustling Jl. Prof. Joko Sutono, Jl. Wijaya 1 and the main arterial road Jl. Wolter Monginsidi.
Indonesians who have worked in this area tell us 'Cikajang' has always been known for its delicious local food offerings; and up until five years ago was home to a steady stream of kaki lima food carts and small warungs serving up local comfort foods from the early morning until late at night.
The street is currently undergoing a 'foodie' and 'shopping' resurgence of a modern kind, but it is not that hard to imagine the way it was in times gone by. As we explored and strolled the Jalan for this post; shopping and enjoying coffee in modern spaces, we also experienced the aroma of traditional food cooking at local warungs and waited for food carts and sales people on bicycles to pass by before we could cross the road.
Be sure to stop on Jl. Cikajang some time soon and take part of its laid back village feel. We know you won't leave disappointed! Similar to our previous posts in the 'Top Spots' series, we include all the information you need to prepare to explore and enjoy all that this little enclave has to offer.
Let’s walk you through our favourite places!
BEAU
Talented Indonesian Pastry Chef Talita Setyadi returned to Jakarta in late 2013 and has just celebrated two years since the opening of her bakery / patisserie, ‘BEAU’. Talita’s artisan breads and pastries are free of preservatives, free of shortening and made using only the best available ingredients. Talita likes to give a local twist to her products by using local ingredients wherever possible.
BEAU HQ
Jl. Cikajang No. 29
Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan
Ph: +62-21 27517454
Opening Hours: 10am - 6pm daily
Best for: At Easter time we enjoyed the most delicious Easter buns by Beau. Talita and her team prepared two different recipes: Traditional spiced fruit and Chocolate.
Beau's Almond croissants are delicious as are their Bomba but above all, what keeps us coming back for more is the Bread. Beau’s artisan breads are arguably the best bread available in Jakarta. Beau’s Ciabatta is just perfect and their Seed and Grain Sour Dough is dense, satisfying and tasty.
Ps: Beau also does a great coffee. Jo's pick? The Piccolo.
Other interesting notes: Keep an eye out on ‘A Journey Bespoke’ as we will be chatting with Talita in the next few weeks. We look forward to sharing her story with you!
Fashion First
Fashion First showcases some of the best emerging Indonesian fashion designers, and is conveniently located above Sophie Authentique which is also on our list. Once inside we discovered the shop is divided into the following sections for easy shopping: Edgy, Cultural, Formal and Classic. We spotted a cute leather top and cotton blouse with sheer detail in the Edgy section and some very nice leather clutches.
Jl. Cikajang No. 48
Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan
Instagram: Fashion First
Opening hours: Mon - Sun | 10am - 8pm
Best for: Interesting one of a kind clothing, jewellery and accessories. Next time you're looking for that special piece, why not shop local and support the Indonesian fashion industry and emerging designers.
Other Interesting Notes: Fashion First carries over 30 brands by local designers
KooKoo Nailart and Pedispa
Kookoo NailArt and PediSpa are not new to the Jakarta Beauty Spa scene. Their endurance is a testament to their reputation as a provider of a consistently high quality service by personable technicians in a clean, custom-built salon. Koo Koo’s well-designed interior includes pedicure stations on elevated platforms, each with its own basin. This practical design enables for a more comfortable and more efficient service.
Jl. Cikajang No. 39
Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan
Facebook: Koo Koo Nailart and Pedispa
Best for: As the name suggests, Koo Koo is known for intricate and creative nail art, by highly skilled specialists. But the day Liz and I visited, we were not seeking nail art; instead opted for a basic manicure. Our practitioners were friendly and were keen to ensure we had a positive experience. We could not fault the service and the attention to detail. My hands were in a state of shock afterwards.. they rarely get any attention (the odd slather of hand cream.. if that!) let alone almost an hour of pampering. Do we recommend this service? Hands Down YES!
Other interesting notes: When consulting the menu of services prior to manicure, I did not read the fine information. In fact, the base manicure (which seemed extremely well-priced at Rp115,000) did not include the cost of nail colour so when we received our bill (Rp185,000 each), we were a little surprised by how much more the price was. However in all reality, you really do pay for what you get. Our Koo Koo manicure lasted a good fortnight (when usually if I have one, it doesn’t last beyond a few days). It is therefore good value for money!
Kopi Kaylan
Kopi Kalyan is another fairly recent addition to Jl Cikajang. The word kalyan (from the sanskrit language) means 'Lucky' and we feel very lucky to have found this cafe. Always a sign of a cafe's popularity is its parking lot. Each time we have visited, the parking space out the front has been noticeably 'penuh'.. 'full'. But once inside, we found the cafe to be very spacious with ample seating, ranging from long communal bar tables to smaller tables for two to four and a comfy lounge area.
Kopi Kalyan use only local beans for their espresso coffee drinks, with beans sourced from Gordi (Jakarta-based online coffee subscription company)
Jalan Cikajang No.61
Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan
Instagram: Kopi Kalyan
Opening hours: Sun-Thurs | 7am - 10pm, Fri-Sat | 7am - 11pm
Best for: Their cafe latte, and take away coffee. The espresso coffees are served on a wooden board which includes a complimentary slice of pandan sponge with a dollop of cream. Enak! and the Kopi Kalyan take away coffee is served in cups with wording such as 'Hallo' 'Hello', 'Apa Kabah' What's News, and 'Sruput' 'Slurp' written on it.
Other interesting notes: The architecture inside the building is really interesting. The look is 'industrial', and the interior finishing includes sections of exposed bricks, concrete floors, large picture windows with black steel frames and dark timber beams. We like that smokers are separated from the main space in a designated smoking area.
Ladies Who Bake
Ladies who bake is the sweetest little shop on Jl. Cikajang, and is an absolute must visit for it’s 'famous cherry crumble' made with quality ingredients. Look out for the pink chairs on their front verandah, and as you walk up to the front door, the prettiest Yogyakarta tiles on the floor.
Jalan Cikajang No. 56
Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan
Instagram: Ladies Who Bake
Email: ladieswhobakejakarta@gmail.com
Delivery number: 0851 1035 1213
Opening hours: Mon - Fri | 10am - 7pm, Sat - Sun | 10am - 9pm
Best for: Their famous cherry crumble! You can purchase just one slice or a whole crumble. You might also like to try their Mandarin Orange Crumble, Apple Crumble or Strawberry Crumble. If you really can't stop by, you can find Ladies Who Bake on the GoJEK GoFood App, Search Ladies Who Bake Cikajang.
Other interesting notes: We've been told Ladies Who Bake is owned by Jakarta actress and presenter Rianti Cartwright who loves to bake and make movies.
Mister Sunday
A few years back I was offered a home made salted caramel brownie to taste by a young man named Fergie at Dialogue Arts Market in Kemang. (it's Liz here) I usually opt for savoury but was quickly sold after the first sweet bite! I purchased a box of salted caramel brownies from Fergie which he then boxed up beautifully, including a card with a message of my choice written by Fergie’s staff in Calligraphy style. I knew then and there that Fergie was onto something! Fast forward to now and Fergie has established what we know as Mister Sunday, the cafe Fergie and his business partner Yusuf own on Jl Cikajang.
We asked Fergie about the choice of name for his cafe. He said he was looking for ‘a name that could capture the whole idea of his food, drinks, cakes and ambiance'. 'Everything should be comforting and casual’, he said, ‘So we decided to use 'Sunday' as a reference to 'easy like Sunday morning'. Mister is us, the two guys, Fergie and Yusuf who run the outlet. It’s is a passion project!’
Jl. Cikajang No.30
Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan
Instagram: Mister Sunday
Web: Mr Sunday
Opening hours: Sun | 8am - 10pm, Mon - Thurs | 9am - 10pm, Fri - Sat | 9am - 11pm
Best for: Coffee! Mister Sunday use only all-Indonesian coffee beans and collaborate with local roasters to create their own private blends which later they will sell in the cafe. They have two blends, the first is from Bali and Bengkulu and the second blend is from Flores and Koerinci. They are currently working together with a local roaster to create more.
Cakes and brownies. Their moist home made Nutty Carrot cake with walnuts and cream cheese icing is delicious and you know how I feel about their brownies, particularly the salted caramel which is crunchy on the outside yet very moist inside.
Other interesting notes: We love the architecture of this building and the modern scandi style decor. The architect of the building is Willis Kusuma and the bar chairs are from local homewares shop Elements. Finally, all the Mister Sunday baked treats are made on the level above the cafe.
Whole cakes are available for delivery. Order one day ahead. Whatsapp: 081286873131
Sophie Authentique
The original Authentique bakery is in my neighbourhood (it's Jo here!). In fact, this petit establishment is one of the reasons that we live in the charming village-style suburb of Kemang (in particular the *’Dalams’ of Kemang). I recall sitting in the window at Authentique bakery, looking out onto the street as the orange bajajs (this is before the blue ones were on the road), chugged up and down the street. Interspersed were giggling local school children as well as the odd *bule riding their push bike.
Inside the cafe, I could hear a multitude of languages being spoken: in particular Bahasa Indonesia, French and English (with an array of accents). I felt excited by this dynamic, colourful and authentic neighbourhood with its little bakery and knew then and there that this was the right place for me and my family to call ‘home’. Approximately 2 months later, we officially moved to Jakarta and into a home not far from this bakery. Here we remain!
Since this day, Authentique has been rebadged as Sophie Authentique and has expanded with quite a few outlets across Jakarta (see below for details). Luckily for us, the quality of the breads, pastries and other menu items has remained of a consistently high standard.
Sophie Authentique
Jl. Cikajang No. 48
Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan
Instagram: Sophie Authentique
Opening hours: See Instagram above
Best for: Absolutely their irresistible Canele (Check out our Canele post dedicated to this amazing French cake from Bordeaux), as well as their Pumpkin and Feta Quiche, Lemon Tart, Wholemeal Croissants and Swiss Chocolate Tart (and others!)
Other interesting notes: The little bakery in my neighbourhood is about close its doors and my heart feels heavy in this knowledge. However, Sophie and her team assure me that the ‘replacement’ cafe, which will be bigger and more convenient on Jl. Kemang Raya will still have the same quality products, service and friendly, laid-back atmosphere. Keep an eye on their Instagram for more details.
Titan Baking
My closest Titan Baking shop used to be the one on Jl. Fatmawati in South Jakarta.. that was until the MRT development turned this road into a ‘No-Go Zone’ due to continuous traffic delays and re-directing of traffic. Fortunately as the old adage goes, ‘there are not problems, only solutions’ - and this situation made me look for another Titan outlet. Hence we found Titan on Jl. Cikajang,
Titan Baking
Jl. Cikajang No. 34
Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan
Instagram: Titan Baking
Web: Titan Baking
Opening hours:
Monday - Saturday 8.00am - 7.30pm | Sunday and Public Holidays 8.00am - 4pm
Best for: All your baking needs. Titan is (probably) Jakarta’s Number 1 baking shop, stocking a large range of baking ingredients, utensils and equipment. Also, Titan has a range of dried fruit and nuts, seeds (eg: Chia) and other grocery lines. During my recent visit, I was also looking for party supplies and was particularly excited to find that Titan has quite a selection of party merchandise.
Our recommendation? Make the time to visit Titan Baking and explore what they have to offer. This really is an important shop if you like to bake!
Other interesting notes: You can buy online. Visit their website to view their products and place your order.
*At the time of posting the details on each Top Spot was accurate. We suggest checking social media channels before visiting.
*dalams - the word ‘dalam’ means ‘inside’ in Bahasa Indonesia. Many suburbs have streets called ‘dalam’, referring to the fact that these streets are located in the heart of the suburb
*bule - refers to a foreigner, in particular one with fair skin (not generally considered a derogatory term)
You might also like from the 'Top Spots to Stop' series
Top Spots to Stop in the Senopati area
Top Spots to Stop on Jl Kemang Timur
Top Spots to Stop on Jl Cipete Raya South Jakarta
Top Spots to Stop on Jl Terogong Raya
Words: Liz McClean and Jo Stevens Photography: a journey bespoke, Fashion First and Mister Sunday