Canteen- cafe & wine bar- relaxed ambiance @ Pacific Place Mall, Jakarta

March 22nd, 2011

Located within the extravagantly luxurious Pacific Place Mall in the bustling southern Jakarta business district, the challenge for a stylish dining establishment like CANTEEN is to subtly differentiate itself from the many franchise / food chain brands that share the surrounding floor spaces. It successfully does this by firstly sharing a space with the leading bookseller in Jakarta- Ak’sara, and also by utilising in the interior design a palette of colors and textures that are synonymous with the architectural heritage of Java- the soft, warm reds of terracotta paving tiles, and raw exposed brick walls, the dark brown timbers, and the grey colors of unfinished concrete surfaces. The result is a warm, inviting atmosphere that encourages patrons to linger over a coffee or bottle of wine.

The front wall of both Ak’sara and CANTEEN features the raw red bricks and timber panelling also found within the inner cafe room. A long row of comfortable leather furnished benches extend across both sides of the main entrance and provide a space for those wishing to observe close up the passing throngs in the mall. Inside the entrance to the inner cafe, a solid dark timber “L” shaped bar dominates the entry- and then opens out into a high ceilinged, spacious room, with bench seating along one wall and across the back wall of the room, and tables generously spaced on the cafe floor. Inside the lighting is somewhat dimmed to provide a softer coziness to the room- and the combinations of the red brick walls, terracotta paving tiles and the timber panelled ceiling and wall behind the bar complete the effect.

The kitchen is headed by a local chef who prepares a wide selection of “comfort dining” dishes- with a blend of Western and Asian cuisines- including salads, soups, sandwiches, pizzas and pastas, steaks, crab cakes etc. The desserts are also a specialty- with favourites such as chocolate melt with vanilla ice cream, and tiramisu. For drinks, the bar offers a selection of New World and Italian wines- served by the bottle or glass, and conveniently categorised as either- “CHEAP” , “DECENT” or “GOOD”. Additionally, there are some bottled beers, spirits, and a good variety of cocktails created at the bar. And of course, good quality expresso coffee is served all day..

On weekends, CANTEEN serves a popular “all day” BRUNCH menu- with classic dishes such as “Eggs Benedict” and “Eggs Florentine”.

CANTEEN is a welcome pocket of tranquility and quality eating within the hectic confines of the shopping mall environment. Always good for a glass of wine and coffee whilst perusing your latest book purchases from Ak’sara, or sharing a meal with friends.

There is another branch of CANTEEN located at Plaza Indonesia Mall ( also adjacent to Ak’sara) , and the original cafe within the Ak’sara flagship store in Kemang.