Eyebrows arched in amusement, voices tinged with something between doubt and disbelief, the Singapore residents formerly known as The Grizzled Former Expats of Jakarta offered similar refrains when told I was planning a short trip to their oft-maligned former home.
“Oh, huh… you’re going to Jakarta? What for? Well, there’s not much to see. Oh, no, I like it. Liked living there, but… for tourists, well, I don’t know. There’s not much to see. You can’t really walk anywhere. And the traffic…”
Fair enough; it only took three days to see that everything they said was true. It’s not a particularly pedestrian-friendly city, and by “particularly” I mean watch out for the gaping potholes in the sidewalks, when you can find one that isn’t blown to rubble, that is. As for proper “sights,” if you get an early start you can probably fit them all into one day. And yes, the traffic is most impressive; a friend mentioned the “record time” his wife once experienced to travel five kilometers is 2.5 hours. He may have been exaggerating, but not by much.
Oh, one other thing: it only took three days in Jakarta for me to fall for it. I kind of love Jakarta; noisy, dusty, sprawling, ugly, traffic-clogged Jakarta.
Surely it’s not for everyone, but this is my kind of Southeast Asian town, for so many reasons that I won’t be getting into here because I’m supposed to be espousing about ice cream. For now, let’s leave it at if you like Bangkok for all the right reasons – and those who do will get what I’m saying – give Jakarta a chance. I’ve never been anywhere that reminded me as much of Bangkok, in certain ways, as this town does.
Jakarta might be the most underrated “major” destination in Southeast Asia, and I’m not just saying this because of the Dipping Bar at Magnum Café, located in the trendy part of Grand Indonesia shopping mall – or maybe I am. Yes, there is an entire restaurant dedicated to those fantastic fucking Magnum ice cream bars, and yes, its Dipping Bar is every bit as glorious as it sounds.
Here’s how it works: choose your Magnum size (mini or regular), pick your fresh chocolate dip (milk chocolate or dark chocolate), and have it drenched in your choice of toppings, a large selection that ranges from the predictable to the not-so-much, like wasabi powder and chili flakes. For good measure, it’s all topped with an extra swizzle of chocolate and an extra chocolate button or two, all for the tidy price of about US$3.50.
As far as I can recall, the only ice cream bar I’ve had that was more delicious than my dark chocolate-dipped Magnum topped with pistachios and wasabi was the one finished with pistachios and chili flakes. Mmhmm, we went twice in three days, and this is coming from somebody who generally resists such empty calorie blasts, if only because I know how much effort it takes to burn ‘em off.
Believe me, though, just like a trip to Jakarta, a visit to Magnum’s Dipping Bar is well worth it.
Magnum Cafe is located at Grand Indonesia Shopping Town, Level 6, Jalan MH Thamrin No. 1. Open daily 10am – 10pm. Ice cream bars from the dipping station are 35,000 rupiah.
