Jakarta Dessert Week (JDW) returns to the capital from 1–20 September 2026, bringing together pastry chefs, restaurants, emerging dessert makers and creative brands across the city. This year, however, the festival is looking beyond the dessert plate. Its chosen theme: Dangdut, turns one of Indonesia’s most recognisable musical traditions into a broader conversation about culture, creativity and collaboration.
Among the festival’s collaborations is a meeting with SEMAJA, the modern Indonesian restaurant from lifestyle group ISMAYA, where nostalgia takes a more polished form.
Together, JDW and SEMAJA are presenting an exclusive dining experience centred on Es Doger Elevated, followed by SEMAJA’s culinary journey with Treasures of the Archipelago: Treasure of the Land.
The result is a celebration that moves between sound, memory, landscape and flavour, with Indonesian identity as its common thread.
When Dangdut Meets Dessert
JDW’s decision to put dangdut at the centre of its 2026 edition is more than a visual concept. The festival sees the genre as an example of how Indonesian culture has remained familiar while constantly evolving.
“Soft power does not grow when every subsector moves independently,” said Gupta Sitorus, Co-Founder of Jakarta Dessert Week. “Music, food, fashion, film, design and other cultural expressions need to connect and strengthen one another.”
That philosophy is reflected throughout this year’s festival. Across 42 participating brands and dozens of outlets, restaurants, bakeries, pastry shops and F&B businesses are creating limited-edition desserts inspired by dangdut, translating its character into flavour, texture, presentation and experience.
Rather than confining JDW to a single venue, the City Takeover format turns Jakarta itself into the festival. For dessert lovers, it means three weeks of hopping between different interpretations of the theme.
For those looking to discover newer names, Dessert Markt at fX Sudirman offers another entry point, bringing emerging dessert and pastry brands together under one roof. Workshops and demonstrations will add to the weekend programme, giving visitors a chance to meet the people behind some of the city’s rising culinary businesses.
JDW x SEMAJA: An Elevated Es Doger
At SEMAJA’s Menteng restaurant, the JDW collaboration takes a more intimate approach.
The centrepiece is Es Doger Elevated, a contemporary interpretation of the Indonesian iced dessert traditionally associated with colourful toppings, coconut and sweet, nostalgic flavours.
Here, the familiar street-food favourite is transformed into a composed dessert, with unexpected textures and a refined presentation. The idea is not to erase the original character of es doger, but to look at it differently, preserving the memory while allowing it to occupy a more contemporary setting.
It is an approach that fits naturally with JDW’s wider theme: Indonesian culture does not have to remain static to remain recognisable.
SEMAJA’s Treasure of the Land
The collaboration arrives alongside the latest chapter of SEMAJA’s Treasures of the Archipelago series.
Following Treasure of the Sea, the restaurant’s second chapter turns inland with Treasure of the Land, a menu developed by Executive Chef Glenn Erari around the forests, mountains and fertile landscapes of Indonesia.
Fire and smoke take a prominent role, alongside ingredients deeply rooted in regional cooking traditions, including kluwek, Pelawan mushrooms, Balinese spices, Padang curry and Indonesian coconut honey.
The menu begins with Tomahawk Rimba Nusantara, charcoal-grilled and paired with a rich jus made from wild Pelawan mushrooms from the forests of Bangka and Indonesian kluwek, alongside smoked serundeng butter and seasonal vegetables.
The journey continues with Sizzling Tendon & Kikil, slow-braised beef tendon and kikil finished on a hot plate with a concentrated Padang curry sauce and aromatic Indonesian spice smoke.
Then comes Rawon Iga & Sumsum, SEMAJA’s interpretation of the East Javanese classic. Twelve-hour braised beef ribs meet a rich kluwek broth and roasted bone marrow, accompanied by fresh bean sprouts, salted-egg sambal, aromatic herbs and steamed jasmine rice.
The menu moves further east and south through Half Bebek Betutu, a duck marinated for 24 hours in traditional betutu spices, wrapped in banana leaves and slowly cooked before being finished over charcoal.
Closing the collection is Iga Bakar Madu, slow-braised beef ribs glazed with Indonesian coconut honey and caramelised over charcoal, served with house-made pickles, sambal and fragrant jasmine rice.
Together, the dishes tell a story of Indonesia through its land rather than simply its recipes, connecting ingredients and techniques to the places from which they emerged.
A Festival Built Around Connection
That sense of connection is ultimately what brings JDW and SEMAJA together.
JDW has grown beyond a dessert festival into a meeting point for food, design, business, culture and creative communities. Its 2026 programme includes the City Takeover, Dessert Markt, Industry & Media Gathering and Golden Swirl Awards, reinforcing its role as both a consumer festival and an industry platform.
For SEMAJA, Treasure of the Land offers another expression of the same idea: that Indonesian cuisine can honour its past while continuing to evolve.
For those wanting to experience the collaboration, or simply eat their way through Jakarta’s dessert scene.
Jakarta Dessert Week 2026
From 1–20 September
About Semaja
Located in the upscale neighborhood of Menteng, SEMAJA offers a warm, character-filled atmosphere where traditional elements meet contemporary craftsmanship with two exclusive VIP rooms and a bar that serves drinks inspired by Indonesia’s rich diversity of spices and tropical fruits, crafted into mocktails and cocktails.
Reserve your table for your business dinner or private celebration by contacting SEMAJA
via WhatsApp on +62 811-272-723.
Jl. Gereja Theresia No.41, Menteng – Jakarta
Phone: +62 811-272-723
Instagram: @semaja_id
