My friend's wedding. This picture was taken by my Samsung Galaxy A53
Couple days ago I went to my coworker's wedding. The venue is in North Jakarta, while I live in South Jakarta. Under normal traffic conditions, the trip from my place to the venue takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. But because it was Thursday and the ceremony started at 8 a.m. (yes, Indonesians, especially Muslims, usually held wedding ceremony at very early in the morning), the roads were jammed with people heading to work. My coworkers (and former coworkers) and I had to leave at 6 a.m.
I'm definitely not a morning person. The night before, my housemate and I stayed up until 2 a.m. I only had less than four hours of sleep. I was really tired and sleepy.
Fortunately, wedding ceremonies in Indonesia (especially Muslim ones) are relatively short. Usually, the traditional ceremony is the longest. My friend held a traditional ceremony in the afternoon at a different location, and I only attended the wedding ceremony. By 9 a.m., the entire ceremony was over.
"Let's go to Sayap Suci," said one of my friends, Gerry.
I laughed. Back then, the term "Sayap Suci" was how we called Holywings, a famous bar and nightclub, without using its real name. Holywings was incredibly popular. For those who didn't want to be seen going to a nightclub (because it's Indonesia, we don't have drunk culture), we usually just used "Sayap Suci" instead of Holywings.
Nine in the morning, going to a bar and nightclub? Of course, we all laughed.
Well, it's literally Sayap Suci haha, the renovation is still on going but they already reopened. This picture was taken by my Samsung Galaxy A53
And he didn't lie. I was kinda surprised to find out that the famous Holywings is already rebranding as Sayap Suci coffee shop. I was also surprised that the infamous nightclub changed to a family-friendly coffee shop, as I find several family and kids in this place.
Several years ago, there were several conflicts involving Holywings. As far as I recall, all Holywings branches in Jakarta were closed because they were found to lack a license to sell alcoholic beverages.
In Indonesia, there are quite strict regulations regarding the sale of alcoholic beverages. To sell alcoholic beverages in minimarkets or restaurants, a special permit is required. As far as I know, the Indonesian government divides alcoholic beverages into three categories: class A (alcohol content below 5%); class B (alcohol content 5%-20%); and class C, which contains alcohol content above 20% up to 55%. These alcoholic beverages are not allowed to be sold near places of worship, educational institutions, or hospitals/clinics.
Of these categories, supermarkets and hypermarkets are only allowed to sell category A alcoholic beverages. Meanwhile, category B and C alcoholic beverages can only be sold in stores with a "Duty Free Shop" license and hotels, restaurants, or bars that have a special permit. All Holywings branches were closed for not having this permit, and I haven't followed up on the news since.
I thought Holywings would simply renew its business license, not rebrand itself. So I was quite surprised when it rebranded itself as Sayap Suci coffee shop. From a nightclub to an aesthetic family-friendly cafe, quite interesting.
The banner said "Hei, you, the angel without wings! USE YOUR WINGS! Choose, wear it, take a picture, and uploaded it!". This picture was taken by my Samsung Galaxy A53
I love how they provide a dedicated photo area. They offer a wide selection of angel costumes and various wings that can be used as props. The photo area is quite spacious. When I arrived, there were a group of families trying on these costumes with their young children.
The inside is very spacious, with a circular green area in the center. From above, the building might look like a donut. The green area was recently built and renovated.
North Jakarta is notoriously hot. Jakarta, as a whole, is one of the 10 hottest cities in Indonesia, in my opinion. Imagine, the hottest city in a tropical country. And North Jakarta is the hottest part of the city. It was only 9 a.m. and I'd only been outside for a few minutes, walking from the parking lot to the Sayap Suci area, but I was already sweating like I'd run a marathon.
And thankfully, despite the large open area and the large windows, it was very cool inside. The central air conditioning worked very well. It wasn't too cold, but it wasn't hot either. Just enough.
The inner garden is still on progress. This picture was taken by my Samsung Galaxy A53
This place is divided into several areas. Upon entering, you'll immediately see the kitchen and the food ordering area. Besides the photo area, there's also a dining area overlooking the inner garden, the outer garden, and an outdoor area.
Deepening further inside, there's a play area. It's equipped with arcade games and claw machines! I'm a huge fan of arcades and claw machines. I almost spent more money playing there.
There's also a coffee exhibition area. They have several different types of coffee, sourced exclusively from various regions in Indonesia. Although the coffee beans are the same, the flavors can differ depending on where they were grown (such as the acidity level of the soil, the surrounding plants, the altitude, and many other factors), and also the roasting method of the harvested beans.
Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, has a unique advantage when it comes to crop diversity, especially coffee. Here, they showcase their coffee collection. Four or five main coffees are available for order, and the grounds are placed in a perfume-like bottle. So before ordering, we can try to smell the aroma first.
My Tiramisu Latte. This picture was taken by my Samsung Galaxy A53
But what I ordered was a Tiramisu Coffee! I was actually initially interested in trying their signature dish: a Coffee Latte with Wijsman Butter. In Indonesia, Wijsman Butter is incredibly popular because of its incredibly high price. A fantastic price is usually associated with extraordinary quality, right?
This Dutch-made butter is commonly used in various cakes and breads in Indonesia. It can also be used as a base for sauces that require a rich, creamy texture. I'd never tried a coffee butter latte, especially one with Wijsman, so I was intrigued. But since this menu is only available in the hot version, I ordered something else.
The Tiramisu Latte I ordered was served cold, with not too many ice cubes, but still very cold. It was topped with thick whipped cream sprinkled with cocoa powder and topped with a single ladyfinger.
The ladyfingers were quite thick, but not hard. They were soft and easily crumbled in the mouth. The taste wasn't too sweet, with a slight bitterness from the dark cocoa powder sprinkled on top. I tried these ladyfingers with whipped cream, and they were okay.
The whipped cream was very thick. I'm not going to lie, it was really thick. I had to scoop it quite deep to get it to my coffee, haha. The whipped cream was sweet and very creamy, but not the kind that leaves a greasy residue on the roof of my mouth. I like this kind of whipped cream.
The whipped cream was actually delicious, but boring. But when I tried it with the ladyfingers, the flavor became more interesting. It was just sweet and slightly bitter, but there was a faint hint of savory flavor that I assumed came from the ladyfingers. I could be wrong, but I think there was a hint of cream cheese in it.
The coffee wasn't very sweet, which was a good thing since the topping was already sweet. On its own, the texture was very light, but the coffee flavor was still dominant, though not too bitter. When I mixed the whipped cream evenly with the coffee, it became much creamier, thicker, but still light in my mouth. The dark chocolate powder added a pleasant bitterness, paired with the coldness of the ice. I love this cold, bittersweet flavor. It really feels like drinking tiramisu.
I love the sink! Do you know what character is it? This picture was taken by my Samsung Galaxy A53
After enjoying coffee and chatting for hours, I had time to go to the restroom. Rather than a restroom, it's more like an art installation! So beautiful!
The sink is incredibly quirky! Honestly, I was a little confused about where I was supposed to stand when using their sink, haha. It felt wrong no matter where I stood, but it was beautiful. I also had a bit of trouble finding the right mirror because each mirror was at a different height!
Although it was strange, I loved the experience. I think this is the most quirky sink I've visited this year. And it seems like they have a collaboration with a certain brand, because the large bear statue in the middle of the sink looks like a famous icon. Brown LINE, perhaps?
My friends in the tunnel of Sayap Suci. This picture was taken by my Samsung Galaxy A53
And as the clock struck 12 noon, we finally decided to find a "cheaper" lunch at the Mall of Indonesia (MOI) cafeteria across the street. The food was delicious, but quite pricey for those whose paychecks were still coming up.
Anyway, I really liked the tunnel that leads in and out of Sayap Suci. It looked dramatic in photos because the tunnel was dark and quite long, with a lighted end.
I hope this post isn't too long because I'm really excited to share it. I've also tried a few other coffee shops lately, so I'll tell you more about them later!
P.s: I heard that the nighclub is still exist in the same place but only at the night.