Modern design: Serasa Coffeetaria boasts a design that represents its menu and philosophy.(Courtesy of Serasa Coffeetaria)

Serasa is a newly opened coffeehouse that bills itself as a “coffeetaria” — a combination of a cafe and a food-serving cafeteria.

Located in the lively Senopati area in South Jakarta, the establishment opened its doors in December last year and is eager to make a name for itself in the city’s ever-growing coffeehouse cum hangout pad culture.

Founders Reza Sungkono, Wanda Evans and Alghani “Al” Soepono know they have their work cut out for them, if they want to stand out from the pack. And from the early looks of it, Serasa looks and feels promising.

For one thing, it’s also a dining house – one that presents a decidedly-hip, urban-cozy environment with what its founder calls a “nostalgic” culinary treat. The menu is made up of the sorts of meals Indonesians would be familiar with.

“You know, the kind of authentic home-cooked meals made by our mother or grandmother,” said Al.

“Think of homey dishes such as cumi asin petai (salted squid with stinky beans), cumi hitam (black calamari), empal buntut (sweet and spicy oxtail) and bakmi ayam (chicken noodle).”

When invited to the place, the founders explained they thought Jakarta’s culinary scene had grown to where coffee had become a daily ritual, and that Indonesian food enthusiasts were loyal to their home food, even as their taste grew with international flavors — they noticed that “almost every single fusion and Western restaurant has a dedicated Indonesian food selection”.

“Unfortunately, we have to enjoy these two separately, going to a coffee joint for coffee and going to a restaurant or hawker for Indonesian food. Our business instincts told us to pair Indonesian food and coffee and put them together under the same roof,” says Al.

But the three co-founders admit to having had second thoughts initially. Should they have stuck with the reliable-if-cliché conventional coffeehouse format?

“To be very honest, we were nervous. At that point in time we did not know whether the concept was going to work, as we were creating something that is one of a kind, but then, we just had to trust our instincts,” explains Al.

Pairing their food with coffee works well. Not only does the food stand out in taste, it surprisingly feels natural with the coffee and ambience.

Serasa serves both espresso-based coffee and Indonesian style coffee, with the latter feeling like a more natural fit, unsurprisingly. “We are mixing 80 percent arabica and 20 percent robusta and that is why our coffee offers a little bit of everything. It’s kickin’, but with low acidity: it has a hint of dark chocolate. It’s such a nice balance! Isn’t it?” explains Al.

The founders became increasingly confident about the amalgamation of serving modern coffee and Indonesian food.

“Without the presence of coffee at our humble establishment, Serasa Coffeetaria is just another Indonesian restaurant. Without Indonesian food, we are just another coffee joint,” said Al.

It also helps that they brought their own energy and history into the place, giving it that extra sense of personality.

Nostalgic: The menu is made up of authentic Indonesian home-cooked meals, including empal buntut (sweet and spicy oxtail, top right). (Courtesy of El Machote)

“There’s an interesting story behind the making of Empal Buntut. This happened 10 years ago, when I frequently traveled to Jakarta. Whenever I visited Sungkono’s residence he always asked for his favorite Empal Daging,” Al recalled.

“One day, beef was not available anywhere, so his grandmother decided to take a chance on oxtail. Ever since then, he never looked for Empal Daging. Oxtail tastes differently. It is a lot more difficult to cook, but when it’s cooked properly it is a lot more juicy compared to regular beef,” Al says excitedly.

The place’s design is efficient and makes it a comfortable meeting area, with a good mix of greenery and wood ambience to go along with its semi-industrial flourish.

“We are serving Indonesian food! So we were thinking that a modern design would be a nice balance to the menu as well as an ideal representation of our philosophy […],” Al says.

The three know that all those things would mean little if the place doesn’t serve up the appropriate friendliness to go along with its homey ambience. This is why visitors will often see the three taking care of things on their own and chatting with customers.

“We would like to have the same friendly and personal vibe at our establishment and the only way to achieve it is by doing it ourselves. We greet and welcome our customers. We bring cutlery to their table when they forget to take it. We train our staff to do what we do. We want to be a good host and make our customers feel at home.”