First thought popped-up? Sooo Indonesian and I was totally impressed by the name assigned by the owner. Some might wonder if the name would be catchy or not, but it's surely a brave decision to go with it as it might have nothing to do with coffee and it might not sound like 'millenials-kind-of-phrase', which tended to be more Westernized. Nonetheless, two thumbs up and I did find it as a breakthrough in coffee shop industry.
Harapan Djaya actually had had their trial opening before, some time around last month if I recalled correctly. It was just for very short period of time, which I guessed having the purpose of 'testing the water' as well as observing what the market really demanded. Yeah, I guessed with the recent hype of cafes, this was smart tactics to avoid wrong decision making and to have more sustainable business. Finally now, it's opened permanently for public, but still at the first phase, as mentioned by the crew. So there would be more exciting stuffs coming forward!
In a glance, Sana and Harapan Djaya might look quite similar with the same grey walls they had in front. The key differences were Sana looked more green with those hanging plants on top, while Harapan Djaya at the same location had its hugely written names; pretty easy guide to identify which was which.
I wouldn't mention the space as tiny without any particular reason. At least for now, I guessed the capacity would be only for 10 people at maximum, already counting in both the indoor and outdoor areas. They're all set up for individuals as they took the setting of long bench with small round tables, each for one, being attached to the long bench. Next to it was just the narrow alley for people walking in and out.
Having gotten the details from me, I guessed you could picture how packed it looked like especially if many guests were coming. Anticipating the crowd, I went there early Sunday morning (also because I could just make it LOL). It's not full-house, yet quite many people were there enjoying their weekend caffeine doze.
Despite that it's just there this year, they tried to deliver the historical concept in the design theme; such as showing the year of establishment under the name, using old Indonesian spelling for the name (though I'm still wondering why it's Harapan Djaya instead of Harapan Djaja ;) ), till putting vintage decorative stuffs all over the venue. Not to forget, the nationalist value was also emphasized. As one simple example, at the first trial opening day, any guest who could mention Pancasila completely without cheating, would get complimentary black coffee from the house! What an innovative idea!
Hot Piccolo (IDR 23k)
Intentionally having light breakfast prior to coming to the venue, I was expecting to have light bites or pastries to accompany my morning cups. Sadly the barista mentioned that they would only be available by noon time :(. So I guessed I might only be able to have those traditional snacks they offered at my next visit.
I didn't know if it's just me or it's indeed the actual case, but I felt this Piccolo cup was slightly bigger than common one. For sure it's not a complaint, and I was indeed happier, paying almost similar price with more portion. The coffee was aromatic, spreading indulging fragrance at the time it was landed on our table. Extra happiness delivered for me, with this more generous size, the coffee flavor stayed very bold. Though there's slight touch of acidity in the cup, it's still at the acceptable level to my palate and I really enjoyed the thick body presented.
Es Pisang Susu Coklat (IDR 29k)
As Katy Perry sang, cold should come after the hot one and this was my pick for this lower-temperature drink. Called as the signature invention of Harapan Djaya, absolutely I wouldn't want to miss it. Please don't imagine that you would get chocolate banana milkshake in that thick texture, as it's far from that. Nevertheless, as a banana lover, I would say it didn't lose any single point to that original mixture. So basically this beverage was made of local banana milk syrup, then blended with chocolate. I wasn't sure if the chocolate was initially in small chunks or in granule format, but I loved how I could still have the tiny pieces at the bottom to be chewed once I sipped the drink. The nice thing about this drink was every single element complemented each other and none of them overpowered the rest so at each sip I could feel all flavors on my taste bud. Regardless it's a pretty simple combination, I did like the taste so much. Since it used syrup instead of the real banana fruit, the texture was pretty light, allowing you to leave more spaces in the tummy for something else.
Final words, as what its name told, I did hope Harapan Djaya would be a successful cafe so that it could flourish our beloved country's name for its high-quality products <3. Good luck for the next phases!
Taste: 8/10
Place: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Price: 8/10
Thanks for reading! :)
HARAPAN DJAYA
Address: Jl. Panglima Polim V No. 36, Jakarta
Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 8am - 10pm
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