Jakarta Food Bazaar Adventure

Bazaar is trending in Jakarta. Mainly dominated by food and fashion, these collection of pop-up markets are taking over the shopping centers. So, on one occasion, I took Dudu to a Mom and Kids Market called Shophoria at Grand Indonesia and going through the food tenants. And this is what we have to say about the unusual yet delicious bazaar food.

What makes bazaar popular is the unique concept offered by the food tenants. Each booth is competing to be the most singular store that everyone would talk about whole year long. Often started with online (mostly instagram) store, these food and beverages concept go offline on the weekend when there are chances to meet their customers personally.

Traffique Coffee

An unnamed building at Hang Tuah street, a stone throw away from Senayan area is Traffique. A coffee shop slash working space slash hangout spot. My first visit here was with an event. Then I came here with Dudu and his homework.

The decoration is nice and homey, we liked it right when we opened the door. Parking is a little problem though, but if you come on Sunday afternoon after lunchtime, then there would be spots open. They have wide variety of cakes, desserts and drinks. The gelato was attractive but we just arrived from a huge lunch so there was no more space.

On our menu:

• Americano
• Butter Croissant
• Banana Bread

We got a spot on the corner by the listening bar. It was quiet and when the rain falls, we can see it through the glass window. There’s a small garden (really small) but was nice if you’re sitting by the patio. The coffee was great and the banana bread was heavenly. Andrew finished his Butter Croissant in no time. Needless to say, as a working space, the wi-fi was smooth.

Curiosity sparked and Andrew got the people behind the counter explained to him about the tall brewing machine. In the afternoon, as we’re about to leave, he got to watch the machine got filled up even though it would take a long time until the coffee comes out at the bottom jar. After finishing his homework, Andrew got to try different earphones, watching movies on gadget while I’m working on my laptop.

Andrew says: “I like the place, it was perfect for doing homework. The croissant is quite good too. I like the coffee machine, it was interesting, but the uncle on the counter said it would take at least a day to finish brewing. I was sad I couldn't see the end result.”

Traffique
Jalan Hang Tuah Raya No. 9, Jakarta Selatan 12120
0878 8984 8004
http://trafiquecoffee.com/

Discovery Hotel and Convention Ancol

Staycation is the answer to the short-period holiday time. Well at least for us. A sudden invitation to stay overnight at Ancol Dreamland brought us to the doorstep of Discovery Hotel and Convention which is located right next door to Dunia Fantasi.

Upon online booking and phone confirmation, we're set to go for a weekend stay with office colleagues. When you book a room at Discovery Hotel and Convention Ancol, they will send you a free entrance pass for two adults and a car to enter Ancol Dreamland for free. But because I came with a colleague, Andrew is extra charge at the gate. 

The room is spacious, large enough for young kids to wander around. A working table at the corner makes it more business-like than family fun. Bed is comfortably, the type you'd wanna go under the blanket right away. It's a little squeaky, I found out because Dudu moves around in his sleep, but doesn't really disturb his sleep. It has Dufan view although the theme park itself is rather hidden by the trees.

Jakarta Toys and Comic Fair 2015

Jakarta Toys and Comic Fair is something we always enjoy. This year we arrived with a specific mission: FINDING ANDREA.

Dudu had been planning since before Chinese New Year, so I've decided to try buying the pre-order ticket at a convinient store. We got a bunch of free drinks vouchers from the store as a bonus. But on the day, the line for pre-order is longer than when you buy on the spot. The difference isn't much but it was enough to cover the parking.

The Heavenly Temples: Candi Gedong Songo

The province of a thousand temples. That’s how we called Central Java. One set of these temples is located close enough to the capital city, Semarang, right on the highlands of Bandungan. It’s called Candi Gedong Songo (9 Temples).

According to literature, the nine temples were built in the 7th century, during the ancient Mataram era. Candi Gedong Songo is categorized as Hindu temples, based on the characteristics found on other Hindu temples in Indonesia. The temple images found here are including different manifestations of Siva, one of Ganesha and one of the Vedic Sage Agastya. The temple was discovered by Joan Gideon Loten, a Dutch serving the East India Colonies in 1740.

Museum Ceria Family Weekend Special: Aku Diponegoro

If you haven’t been to a Museum Ceria event, you probably should. We’ve gone twice on the past three months and each event is equally educational and fun! This time, we visited the temporary “Aku Diponegoro” exhibition at National Gallery, finding clues and learning how to behave in a traditional museum.

Aimed at kids aged 5 to 12, Museum Ceria brings another fun craft, detective game and storytelling to “Aku Diponegoro,” an exhibition held from February 6 to March 8 at the National Gallery. The Special Family Weekend is free of charge and was held four times over two days. We signed up for the one on the morning of March 1st.

How to Have Fun Mall Dates in Jakarta

It’s rainy season and mall seems like the best weekend destination. If you're in Jakarta (or most big cities in Indonesia), going to a mall is unavoidable. Be it for food, movie or checking out the latest sale. Despite the different shopping center selection, we're never that fond of malls. But when we do have to end up in a mall, this is what we do to make an out-of-the-box trip:

1. Takeover Oma’s shopping list. Mama can’t really cook and is clueless when it comes to groceries. So, if we’re going to a mall with a large supermarket, we try to play detective by taking Oma’s shopping list. This was a favorite when Andrew was younger because it’s like a show-and-tell of fruits, vegetables... and seafood.
2. Hit the game center. The gadgets at home are hard to resist but game center doesn’t deprive you from social interaction. At least not for us because once we’re at the game center, we always find something we can both play. We learn to tolerate each other’s preferences because we have to play together. From basketball and bowling to racing and zombie shooting games, game center dates are always awesome! P.S. Challenge yourself with a dancing game.
3. Bring your homework. When it’s hard to concentrate at home, just bring your stuffs out and hit the corner of your favorite cafe in the mall. Set an hour or two only for homework.
4. Bookstore stop. Checking out the latest books and comic collection, English-language publications on sale, or just sit and read for the rest of the afternoon.
5. What’s on. In “winter” some malls like our favorite Pondok Indah Mall has ice skating. Others may offer seasonal attraction as fun as snow fall, mobile planetarium, cartoon shows and different events at different time. So, check out the calendar before starting your car.
6. Sign up for holiday classes. Some malls have playground and kids informal school of some kind. Check out what they have to offer for the holiday and if there's anything that might spark an interest, why not giving it a try?
7. Mix and Match. I did this with Dudu sometimes when there are sale at the department store, where clothes are dumped in large baskets. We have to dig in to see what's available and to prevent Dudu from being bored while waiting for caught-up-on-a-sale-mom, I would give him task such as "find a green shirt." He would be busy treasure hunting and I'd be happy to have another pair of hands searching for the item I wanted.

While we don't go to malls, if we have other places like park, nearby zoo or science museum we can visit any weekend, these places never cease to amaze us. The never-ending attraction, like they're trying their best to win visitors' heart. Some malls are more family-friendly than others, simply because they have labelled themselves as "family mall." 

A research and forecast report released by Colliers.com showed 27 new malls on the pipeline for at least the next three years. Not only Jakarta, shopping centers are expanding to the suburban area of Bogor, Depok, Bekasi and Tangerang. So, hopefully, when these malls are being more creative, we can actually see them as a destination instead of merely an extension of shopping and another branch of stores we have in nearby shopping centers.