Indonesia, as a travel destination, is certainly a place that cannot be missed when traveling. Before going there, my impression of Indonesia was that of a tropical island. Just as the lyrics go, “If you don’t want to spend the winter, fly to a tropical island to swim.” Besides, Indonesia also has a honeymoon and vacation destination – Bali. After visiting, I found that the reason why Indonesia has become a popular travel destination is also due to its cultural elements and – its cuisine.
Let’s talk about Indonesia first. Indonesia spans the equator and is composed of over ten thousand large and small islands between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. What a concept of over ten thousand islands! These islands combined make it the largest country in Southeast Asia in terms of area and the largest island nation in the world. It enjoys blue skies, white clouds and sunshine all year round.
Because of its fertile soil and rich vegetation, which remain green all year round, when viewed from the sky, the entire Indonesian archipelago looks like a string of emeralds hanging on the equator. Although there are over ten thousand, nearly twenty thousand large and small islands, the entire island group of Indonesia is divided into four groups: the Sunda Islands, Nusa Tenggara Island, the Maluku Islands and Iri-Anchaya Island. Among them, the famous Sumatra and Java Islands are both located in the Sunda Islands, while the resort Bali is in the Nusa Tenggara Islands.
These islands exist separately throughout Indonesia, and their capital is Jakarta. In 1610, the Dutch established the first trading port in Java and named it “Batavia”, which is now Jakarta. Jakarta is located on the northwest coast of Java Island, close to the equator. It enjoys abundant sunshine and rainfall throughout the year, with flowers blooming all year round. Due to the influence of local culture, it is full of tropical charm and cultural appeal. Even in the interior decoration of restaurants, the imprints of Indonesian culture are constantly presented.
It was precisely because of the rich cultural atmosphere that when I walked into a restaurant in the capital Jakarta, I thought I had entered a fake one.
The entire restaurant is filled with Indonesian-style furnishings and items. As soon as you step in, you are immediately enveloped in a strong Southeast Asian atmosphere. I thought it was an antique store or some kind of home furniture store.
The wall is covered with ancient photos, with traces of other countries. Even in some places, the decoration feels a bit like the style of the ancient Qing Dynasty, like a small historical story museum. It is also filled with some auspicious items from Southeast Asia and Buddhist elements.
Later, when he realized that this was actually a restaurant, he was also extremely astonished. In such an archipelago country, it is indeed rare to incorporate cultural elements into the regular scenes of life while retaining cultural elements beyond modern ones.
Of course, Jakarta has many modern-decorated restaurants or hotels, but to some extent, they all incorporate elements of Southeast Asian style and are not entirely modern. This also reflects their spiritual pursuits, doesn’t it?
This museum-like restaurant full of exotic charm is called Dapoer Babah. Both its decoration and food are very local. The waiters are very enthusiastic and the dishes are very rich. Most importantly, this Southeast Asian-themed restaurant has been rated as the best restaurant of the year by many institutions for several consecutive years.
Of course, the last thing to do is to stay and taste the delicious food. The taste is indeed excellent. The restaurant is also accompanied by very melodious and gentle music, and candles are lit all over the table. Such a dining environment is really like being in a museum, and it’s a historical and cultural museum at that. I promise that if I come to eat alone at night, I’ll probably start crying while eating.
However, the warm service can reduce the sense of time travel brought by this kind of decoration. The price is also good, with an average of less than 15 dollar per person, making it highly cost-effective.
If you have the chance to visit Jakarta, go and experience the dining experience of this museum-like ancient residence. The taste of the food is truly amazing.