Wonton noodles in D'Faree.
In the midst of the scorching sun, hanging out in a shady cafe can be a solution to unwind. Especially if there are a variety of refreshing cold drinks available.
But in the middle of a city full of vehicles passing by, it's hard to find a shady cafe that provides comfort. Not only air pollution, noise pollution can also interfere with comfort.
At De Faree cafe located in the center of Bireuen City, Aceh (Indonesia), visitors can get a different atmosphere. Even though it is located on the side of the road, the sound of vehicles is not disturbing. The trees and flowers in front make De Faree cafe feel cooler even though there is no air conditioning inside.
No wonder if at night, De Faree is full even during the Covid-19 pandemic. So far, I have never stopped at De Faree because my friends chose another cafe. However, that afternoon, I myself took my wife and children there. Some of my friends followed later.
Convenience is one thing, so what about food and drink?
There are various types of heavy and light food available here. Various types of seafood are also available. It would be strange if it didn't exist because Bireuen Town was located not too far from the sea. Various types of noodles are also available, including shaken noodle geureugok, one of the well-known local franchise noodles in Bireuen and its surroundings.
I tried the wonton noodles and the original mango juice. The mango taste is not too sweet, but still fresh. Noodle dumplings are not as good as in Apilin which I've posted here before. Apilin's noodle dumplings are located about 500 meters east of De Faree cafe. But the portion of wonton noodles at De Faree is more and the price is cheaper with a taste that in my opinion is not so bad.
Kids ordered nuggets and crab dim sum and prawn dim sum. The taste is also not so bad and can be ordered at a later time. I asked my children's opinion, they also agreed that the dim sum at De Faree is not inferior to the dim sum in Lhokseumawe City which we often enjoy.
I asked Meiji, my best friend, who ordered a cappuccino. According to him, the taste is also good even though he prefers filtered black coffee which is not available here.
We sat there talking about many things. Time passed imperceptibly until darkness began to fall. The sun was starting to dim and the heat was slowly rising.
The lights in De Faree were starting to come on. The atmosphere becomes more beautiful under the light rays. But we have to go soon. We agreed to stop back at De Faree someday. It's not enough to enjoy one afternoon at De Faree.[]
Suatu Sore di De Faree
Di tengah sinar matahari yang meranggas, nongkrong di kafe yang rindang bisa menjadi solusi untuk melepas penat. Apalagi jika tersedia beragam minuman dingin menyegarkan.
Namun di tengah kota yang penuh dengan kendaraan berlalu-lalang, susah mendapatkan kafe yang rindang sekaligus memberikan kenyamanan. Bukan hanya polusi udara, polusi suara juga bisa mengganggu kenyamanan.
Di kafe De Faree yang terletak di pusat Kota Bireuen, Aceh (Indonesia), pengunjung bisa mendapatkan suasana berbeda. Meskipun terletak di pinggir jalan, suara kendaraan tidak sampai mengganggu. Pepohonan dan bunga di depan, membuat kafe De Faree terasa lebih sejuk meski di dalam tidak ada pendingin udara.
Tidak heran jika pada malam hari, De Faree penuh meski di masa pandemi Covid-19. Selama ini, aku belum pernah singgah di De Faree karena kawan-kawan memilih kafe lain. Namun, sore itu, aku sendiri yang mengajak istri dan anak-anak ke sana. Beberapa kawanku menyusul kemudian.
Kenyamanan adalah satu hal, lantas bagaimana dengan makanan dan minuman?
Di sini tersedia berbagai jenis makanan berat dan ringan. Berbagai jenis seafood juga tersedia. Aneh jika tidak ada karena Kota Bireuen terletak tidak terlalu jauh dari laut. Berbagai jenis mie juga ada, termasuk mie kocok geureugok, salah satu mie waralaba lokal yang sudah dikenal di Bireuen dan sekitarnya.
Aku mencoba mie pangsit dan jus mangga original. Rasa mangganya tidak terlalu manis, tetapi masih segar. Mie pangsit tidak seenak di Apilin yang sudah pernah aku posting di sini sebelumnya. Mie pangsit Apilin terletak sekitar 500 meter arah timur dari kafe De Faree. Tapi porsi mie pangsit di De Faree lebih banyak dan harganya lebih murah dengan rasa yang menurutku… not so bad.
Anak-anak memesan nugget dan dimsum kepiting serta dimsum udang. Rasanya juga not so bad dan bisa dipesan di lain waktu. Aku tanya pendapat anak-anakku, mereka juga sepakat kalau dimsum di De Faree tidak kalah dengan dimsum di Kota Lhokseumawe yang sering kami nikmati.
Aku tanya sama Meiji, sahabatku, yang memesan cappuccino. Menurutnya, rasanya juga lumayan meski ia lebih senang dengan kopi hitam saring yang tidak tersedia di sini.
Kami duduk di sana sambil bercerita tentang banyak hal. Waktu berjalan tanpa terasa sampai gelap mulai turun. Sinar matahari mulai meredup dan hawa panas pelan-pelan terangkat.
Lampu-lampu di De Faree mulai dinyalakan. Suasana menjadi lebih indah di bawah siraman sinar lampu. Tapi kami harus segera pergi. Kami sepakat singgah kembali di De Faree suatu saat nanti. Memang tak cukup satu kali menikmati sore di De Faree.[]
