Tummy Prosperity: SIKU Dharmawangsa

Elbow?? *Hmmm* If that’s the first thing coming into your name when hearing of this name, you might shoo away those thoughts as this was another ‘Siku’. Well, I did make my guesstimate only, but I was definitely more confident with this justification. In my thinking, Siku would be the representation of the position of the outlet itself, which was precisely at a hook located in Dharmawangsa area. Yep, if your mind had read it correctly since the beginning the way I did, it would be pretty easy to find the place since you just needed to go to the end of the road.

Taking the hook was not a coincidence for sure, as there’s an intention behind that. Oops, or perhaps I should correct my prior statement. It could actually be either the founder did purposely take the hook to realize the concept I was about to tell you right after this, or because of getting the hook space then the founder invented this particular concept that you would get exposed to real soon. OK, no need to take longer time, basically the theme I kept talking about before was picnic ambiance, with the cafe providing a small green yard at one of the corners. Mat seating, short table, open-air space; the natural feeling which you might rarely have in recent days as people have shifted to the lifestyle where the entertainment places were mostly shopping malls. It’s doubtlessly a lovely concept, bringing back the strong boundary and high quality time.

Nevertheless, for you who still preferred sitting in a full air-conditioned room, you needn’t worry as your wish was still the command here. You would certainly get what you demanded and even the indoor area was actually more sizable. The interior wasn’t less competitive to the outdoor space, with colorful homy concept. I did love the idea of featuring ceramics as it made the overall venue looked classy and elegant, while still cheerful due to the combination of colors. I couldn’t hold myself from snapping another one picture as each spot did have its own distinctive point.

Not only the decoration that’s lovely, the service did deserve thumbs-up. Starting from the very first time you opened the door, the waiters and waitresses had been able to show their professionalism in greeting with warm welcome, directing to the table, and assisting with the order placement. Some recommendations popped up from them to give me a clue in making my final choice on what should be landed on the table. Having a studio at the same physical building, I did hear that Siku also served some Ketogenic dishes to satisfy the palate of the ‘Keto fighters’.

Seafood Cakwe (IDR 48k)

Not few choices were provided for the appetizer group and honestly there were some capturing my attention, before I finally picked this cakwe. Featuring the ‘title’ seafood there and being valued with this price tag, I honestly expected more than what I saw delivered on my table. Well the batter was indeed blended together with some seafood like prawn particularly which tasted the strongest among others, but still it didn’t reflect that level of price yet in my blunt opinion. I didn’t say that it’s not good, as I did love how it’s being crispy and not greasy, and I did fall for the sweet and spicy dipping sauce. My only ‘hate’ part in this love-hate relationship with the dish was the fact that it’s overpriced.

Grandma’s Chocolate Cake (IDR 38k)

If you loved chocolate as much as I did, you would surely be hitched by this particular dessert when skimmed through the menu. Yeah, it’s pretty much self-explanatory when you knew that it featured chocolate mousse, chocolate truffle, and chocolate sauce. It’s like 3-in-1 with all chocolate elements.

When it’s delivered from the kitchen, my first impression (which might match to your current thought as well) was like ‘Oh it’s quite mini’. Nonetheless, I couldn’t lie that the presentation made the Cake looked tempting for me, especially that generous chocolate sauce and my other favorite ingredient, cookie crumbles, which’s there on the plate as well.

Having the premiere bite, it was good, balancing sweetness and bitterness from its different chocolate components; but my fussy taste bud still expected something beyond.

Sunshine (IDR 35k)

Nothing has been able to beat the cuteness of this mocktail. Called as Sunshine, I guessed it’s not only the color that looked similar to the name, but its gorgeous looking was such a true wake-up call. The glass mixed the common quartet of orange juice, pineapple juice, lime juice, and macadamia syrup; but further added one extra ingredient, which for my palate immediately took the spotlight as the taste turned out to be the boldest. I wished this additional element of Kaya jam wasn’t only unique but also tasted luscious, yet my taste bud seemed to disagree. There’s particular smell that I guessed coming from the Kaya spread, which didn’t suit that well into the combination of other ingredients. If only I could have the rest without it, perhaps I would enjoy it at its fullest.

Hot Piccolo (IDR 35k)

Having the coffee afterwards, somehow this cup came as the savior, serving medium to strong roasted beans. Though the after-taste was slightly bitter, but it’s still a decent one, at the level that’s acceptable to my preference. A bold and aromatic cup to satisfy my caffeine craving.

In general, offering a cozy and nicely designed space, Siku hasn’t only added one more option to the list of cafes in South Jakarta area, but also has landed one additional line on the flourishing list of cafes offering picnic concept.