This month, House of Tugu Jakarta brings those lesser-known coastal flavours into its dining rooms along the banks of Kali Besar. Housed within a boutique heritage hotel named one of TIME’s World’s Greatest Places in 2026, the property functions as a museum of sorts, featuring antiques and rare artefacts collected over two decades.
The hotel’s two main culinary venues, Jajaghu, which focuses on modern Indonesian gastronomy, and Babah Koffie by Kawisari, a Peranakan-style coffee house, treat their menus as extensions of that same storytelling instinct.
The star of October’s offering is the Bambu Bakar King Prawn Manggarai. To prepare the dish, king prawns are seasoned with regional coastal spices, packed tightly into fresh bamboo stalks, and roasted until the outer shell darkens. Served alongside a signature regional sambal and a dash of native wild citrus, it introduces a distinct balance of heat and acid.
Shafa Haura, speaking on behalf of House of Tugu Jakarta, shared the team’s playful rationale behind bringing this remote dish to the city:
“Manggarai isn’t usually the first place people think of when ordering dinner and that’s exactly why we wanted to start there! There are still so many delicious corners of Indonesia’s food map that our guests haven’t had the chance to taste yet.”
Celebrating Heritage and National Flavours
The new menu aligns with House of Tugu Jakarta’s participation in Indonesia Restaurant Month 2026. Running through December, this national initiative is organized by Priceless by Mastercard alongside Wonderful Indonesia Gastronomy (WIG), a flagship program under the Ministry of Tourism led by Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana.
Operating under the theme “From Local Roots to Global Recognition,” the festival spans major cultural hubs including Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Solo, and Bali to highlight regional culinary arts.
Showcasing history through food is standard practice for the Tugu Group. Through their Indonesia Cultural Dining Series, dishes are paired with theatrical performances that explore different eras of the archipelago.
Their “Royal Tugudom” experience uses a procession of drummers, dancers, and decorated carriages to recount the 14th-century Majapahit Empire under King Hayam Wuruk. Meanwhile, the “Spice Odyssey” traces how international traders, from early Portuguese sailors to Dutch VOC merchants, shaped local foodways over the centuries.
That same historic curiosity shapes everyday dining at Jajaghu and Babah Koffie by Kawisari, where even the coffee carries deep roots. The coffee served originates from Kawisari, Java’s oldest coffee plantation, established in 1845, where their Robusta recently won the award for world’s best “Medium Dark Roast” by the AVPA in Paris.
Throughout the campaign, guests paying with a physical Mastercard at Jajaghu or Babah Koffie by Kawisari can receive a 20 per cent discount, subject to terms and conditions, making it an accessible moment to explore these newly featured regional dishes.
