CAFÉ BATAVIA JAKARTA

First of all, Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!
I am back after six weeks of travelling and ready to kick-start this blog again.

Here is a photo from my trip …
I had bitterballen at a famous restaurant called Café Batavia, in Jakarta, Indonesia.

I was only interested in the building because of its colonial history. Café Batavia is located at Kota Tua (translation: Old Town), otherwise known as Old Batavia or Oud Batavia in Dutch. Right here was the centre of the Dutch East India Company’s colonial administration, founded by the Dutch in 1619.
The present two-storey structure was constructed between 1805 and 1950. Over the years, it has been used for different purposes such as a residence, warehouse, office, coffee (café) shop and an art gallery. The upper floor, The Grand Salon, is constructed entirely with Javanese teak wood. It features large shuttered windows in the gallery, overlooking Fatahillah Square and the other colonial buildings surrounding it. The interior of the café is furnished with a 1930s theme,  decorated with vintage photographs of celebrities and royalty. Their Winston Churchill bar was once named “The World’s Best Bar” by Newsweek International in 1996. Café Batavia is dated but oozes charms.

I was not hungry but thought I should order something ‘Dutchy’ for the fun of it. On the menu, “Bitterballen” (68K Rupiah / €4.10) was listed as an appetizer and “Erwtensoup” or Pea Soup (80K Rupiah / €4.80) under soup.

So, this was it!
“Bitterballen – Deep fried Dutch’s meatball, mustard and cocktail sauce”

Not the real deal. Naturally!