Welcome to day 2 of our mid-Ramadan sisterly quality-time in Bandung. If day one was filled with mostly food and funny mishaps, day two will be filled with relaxation and an art exhibition. The day actually started with another mishap as my sister’s phone went haywire all of a sudden 🥲 so we took care of that firsthand. Trust me, it was a lot more headache-inducing than I care to elaborate, so let’s move on. After that was sorted, my sister and I made our way to the salon where we already booked a hair spa appointment the day before. We went to Anata Salon, which is my sister’s favourite—she’s a regular there. This blog starts after that stressful morning and the pamper session that relaxed us back down (lol). Here we go!
Welcome to day 2 of our mid-Ramadan sisterly quality-time in Bandung. If day one was filled with mostly food and funny mishaps, day two will be filled with relaxation and an art exhibition. The day actually started with another mishap as my sister’s phone went haywire all of a sudden 🥲 so we took care of that firsthand. Trust me, it was a lot more headache-inducing than I care to elaborate, so let’s move on. After that was sorted, my sister and I made our way to the salon where we already booked a hair spa appointment the day before. We went to Anata Salon, which is my sister’s favourite—she’s a regular there. This blog starts after that stressful morning and the pamper session that relaxed us back down (lol). Here we go!
📷 DJI Pocket Osmo 3
A Hidden Corner of Cihapit
After we got our hair bathed, our scalps massaged and our entire body relaxed, we decided to grab lunch nearby. The salon we picked was situated at Cihapit, a Bandung district that is known for its wide range of eateries to choose from—as you can also see from the post I wrote several months ago. There are so many nooks and crannies around these parts that we haven’t explored, teeming with little restaurants and food vendors to discover. Today we decided to try one I stumbled upon previously with Iva.
This eatery is located inside a really narrow alleyway leading to a mosque, lined with parked motorbikes of congregants who stop by to pray at the mosque or visit nearby places. When Iva and I found this place back in September, we were pretty much amazed to find a proper place tucked inside such a small alley. There were cats inside too, piquing our interest even further. Apparently, according to my sister, such a phenomenon of hidden gems like this is spread all across Bandung.
After we got our hair bathed, our scalps massaged and our entire body relaxed, we decided to grab lunch nearby. The salon we picked was situated at Cihapit, a Bandung district that is known for its wide range of eateries to choose from—as you can also see from the post I wrote several months ago. There are so many nooks and crannies around these parts that we haven’t explored, teeming with little restaurants and food vendors to discover. Today we decided to try one I stumbled upon previously with Iva.
This eatery is located inside a really narrow alleyway leading to a mosque, lined with parked motorbikes of congregants who stop by to pray at the mosque or visit nearby places. When Iva and I found this place back in September, we were pretty much amazed to find a proper place tucked inside such a small alley. There were cats inside too, piquing our interest even further. Apparently, according to my sister, such a phenomenon of hidden gems like this is spread all across Bandung.
The name ‘Gang Nikmat’ can be loosely translated into ‘Pleasure Alley,’ which in this case refers to the taste of the food (obviously) but may also be understood as a sort of innuendo—that will hopefully contribute to its popularity and success among passersby. The place itself offers relatively simple food with a homey feel. We ordered Paket Ayam Gulung (basically, chicken fillet rolled up with salted egg yolk filling) and Paket Tantan Fish (fried whole parrot fish with gili sauce), with Special Tea and Coconut Water as drinks—and an additional Spicy Crisply Kailan, which is a Bandung specialty.
Everything tasted pretty good, very homey as expected. I love the space itself too, since it feels a whole lot like hanging out in someone’s garage—almost. I think there’s also an indoor area located at the second floor, although neither my sister nor I went there to check it out. We were happy to get almost drenched in the drizzle at the terrace (lol). Aside from their regular, homey menu, they also offer a more premium unagi menu which, during Ramadan, could only be ordered during Iftar.
The name ‘Gang Nikmat’ can be loosely translated into ‘Pleasure Alley,’ which in this case refers to the taste of the food (obviously) but may also be understood as a sort of innuendo—that will hopefully contribute to its popularity and success among passersby. The place itself offers relatively simple food with a homey feel. We ordered Paket Ayam Gulung (basically, chicken fillet rolled up with salted egg yolk filling) and Paket Tantan Fish (fried whole parrot fish with gili sauce), with Special Tea and Coconut Water as drinks—and an additional Spicy Crisply Kailan, which is a Bandung specialty.
Everything tasted pretty good, very homey as expected. I love the space itself too, since it feels a whole lot like hanging out in someone’s garage—almost. I think there’s also an indoor area located at the second floor, although neither my sister nor I went there to check it out. We were happy to get almost drenched in the drizzle at the terrace (lol). Aside from their regular, homey menu, they also offer a more premium unagi menu which, during Ramadan, could only be ordered during Iftar.
Our Regular Coffee, New Spot
My favourite coffee shop in Bandung is—as basic as it may sound—Kopi Toko Djawa. I think I mentioned this before, but I just need you to know that I never miss a chance to visit this coffee shop while I’m in Bandung. That’s how much I adore this place. Our usual branch is their shop at Teuku Umar, but since we were in Cihapit, I thought we’d just pay this branch a visit. It was within walking distance from our lunch stop and I’ve never hung out here before, so why not?
After lunch, I was in dire need for coffee. We haven’t had a single drop of coffee that day and I just wanted to have a space and time to relax with my sister—after everything that happened earlier that day (lol). My sister couldn’t drink coffee at the time, though, due to her flare of dystonia—it’s a long story, but feel free to peruse the link I provided for more info—but we both really love hanging out at coffee shops anyway.
My favourite coffee shop in Bandung is—as basic as it may sound—Kopi Toko Djawa. I think I mentioned this before, but I just need you to know that I never miss a chance to visit this coffee shop while I’m in Bandung. That’s how much I adore this place. Our usual branch is their shop at Teuku Umar, but since we were in Cihapit, I thought we’d just pay this branch a visit. It was within walking distance from our lunch stop and I’ve never hung out here before, so why not?
After lunch, I was in dire need for coffee. We haven’t had a single drop of coffee that day and I just wanted to have a space and time to relax with my sister—after everything that happened earlier that day (lol). My sister couldn’t drink coffee at the time, though, due to her flare of dystonia—it’s a long story, but feel free to peruse the link I provided for more info—but we both really love hanging out at coffee shops anyway.
Kopi Toko Djawa Cihapit
Since I’ve been to Kopi Toko Djawa time and time again, I don’t think I want to go into details of their menu. You can read about it in greater detail here. However, I do love how each of their branches seems to offer different perks. For instance, their Teuku Umar branch offers a small space under a tree where you can people watch and hang out with nature all around you. Meanwhile, their Dago branch offers cute knick knacks made by local artists and designers, allowing you to go home not just with a cup of your favourite coffee, but also cute stickers to paste anywhere you want. Their Jakarta branches are less ambitious, since the Blok M branch is always too busy for any concept to upholad and the Pondok Indah branch is the exact opposite (although I believe they offer books you can borrow on site).
Now, their outlet in Cihapit also has a spot for food and sustainable products by local MSME brands. Even the furniture at the store is mostly made of recycled or upcycled materials. As far as concepts go, I would say this one is my favourite. The place also has an outdoor area at the back, adorned with a map of Bandung mural on the wall. Ah, I always love hanging out at Kopi Toko Djawa~
Kopi Toko Djawa Cihapit
Since I’ve been to Kopi Toko Djawa time and time again, I don’t think I want to go into details of their menu. You can read about it in greater detail here. However, I do love how each of their branches seems to offer different perks. For instance, their Teuku Umar branch offers a small space under a tree where you can people watch and hang out with nature all around you. Meanwhile, their Dago branch offers cute knick knacks made by local artists and designers, allowing you to go home not just with a cup of your favourite coffee, but also cute stickers to paste anywhere you want. Their Jakarta branches are less ambitious, since the Blok M branch is always too busy for any concept to upholad and the Pondok Indah branch is the exact opposite (although I believe they offer books you can borrow on site).
Now, their outlet in Cihapit also has a spot for food and sustainable products by local MSME brands. Even the furniture at the store is mostly made of recycled or upcycled materials. As far as concepts go, I would say this one is my favourite. The place also has an outdoor area at the back, adorned with a map of Bandung mural on the wall. Ah, I always love hanging out at Kopi Toko Djawa~
Ramadan Exhibition at the Market
Here we are the main event of the day—nay, the whole trip. Welcome to The Hallway Space! This little marketplace-turned-hangout-spot is located in the heart of Pasar Kosambi. I’ve always been pretty intrigued by this place. It was actually one of the first destinations that I listed down when I came here back in September. However, due to the time constraints and traffic, we never made it here…until now. I made it my mission to visit on this trip to see the Into the Light Exhibition.
The exhibition is part of a month-long program hosted by Faithamins, which also included talkshows, creative markets, special sessions and an itikaf session. The exhibition itself showcased a total of 28 artists, consisting of illustrators, graphic designers and photographers. Each of these pieces can be purchased by visitors, the proceed of which was to be donated to help our brothers and sisters in Sumatra, in the wake of the devastating disaster they went through recently. I basically stopped by to see some of my friends’ works.
Here we are the main event of the day—nay, the whole trip. Welcome to The Hallway Space! This little marketplace-turned-hangout-spot is located in the heart of Pasar Kosambi. I’ve always been pretty intrigued by this place. It was actually one of the first destinations that I listed down when I came here back in September. However, due to the time constraints and traffic, we never made it here…until now. I made it my mission to visit on this trip to see the Into the Light Exhibition.
The exhibition is part of a month-long program hosted by Faithamins, which also included talkshows, creative markets, special sessions and an itikaf session. The exhibition itself showcased a total of 28 artists, consisting of illustrators, graphic designers and photographers. Each of these pieces can be purchased by visitors, the proceed of which was to be donated to help our brothers and sisters in Sumatra, in the wake of the devastating disaster they went through recently. I basically stopped by to see some of my friends’ works.
Among the artists whose works got exhibited were my friends Mas Isa Indra Permana and Mas Desta (a.k.a. Rukii Naraya). Too bad their works have either gotten sold by the time I visited—although I heard more copies were being printed later on—or was way over budget for me. You can check out the full catalog here for realtime updates. Other than that, I ended up discovering more artists that I liked, such as Anne Aini—whose work I’m still eyeing to this day, may purchase soon, Lera Arfileani, Mahdi Albart and Muhammad Iqbal—whose work was also showcased at the Illustrated Ramadan Jakarta Exhibition I visited later on.
Aside from the displayed works by local artists, the exhibition also had interactive installations. There was one wall filled with cards titled ‘Letters to Myself,’ which I assume you can fill out and paste on it—although when I visited, the cards and markers were nowhere to be found. Right next to it were spiritual-based prompts installations where visitors were able to answer using different-coloured round stickers. If you move further in, there was also a whole room—with a giant hole on the wall—dedicated for the Palestinian cause. The room was filled from floor to ceiling with publications on the crisis, allowing visitors to educate themselves. Behind it was a floor-to-ceiling giant paper filled with scribbles of people voicing their thoughts, opinions and support for the cause.
Among the artists whose works got exhibited were my friends Mas Isa Indra Permana and Mas Desta (a.k.a. Rukii Naraya). Too bad their works have either gotten sold by the time I visited—although I heard more copies were being printed later on—or was way over budget for me. You can check out the full catalog here for realtime updates. Other than that, I ended up discovering more artists that I liked, such as Anne Aini—whose work I’m still eyeing to this day, may purchase soon, Lera Arfileani, Mahdi Albart and Muhammad Iqbal—whose work was also showcased at the Illustrated Ramadan Jakarta Exhibition I visited later on.
Aside from the displayed works by local artists, the exhibition also had interactive installations. There was one wall filled with cards titled ‘Letters to Myself,’ which I assume you can fill out and paste on it—although when I visited, the cards and markers were nowhere to be found. Right next to it were spiritual-based prompts installations where visitors were able to answer using different-coloured round stickers. If you move further in, there was also a whole room—with a giant hole on the wall—dedicated for the Palestinian cause. The room was filled from floor to ceiling with publications on the crisis, allowing visitors to educate themselves. Behind it was a floor-to-ceiling giant paper filled with scribbles of people voicing their thoughts, opinions and support for the cause.
Well, that pretty much wraps up our Ramadan weekend together in Bandung—with none of us fasting 😂 It was a lot of fun and, make no mistake, I would be back in this little ol’ town again in 2 weeks. There is no vlog of that, but I’ll be sure to check back in with posts from that time. I stayed longer the second time around, since it was Eid holiday, but there was less to explore due to most things being closed for the holiday. Oh well, you’ll see the next time I come back here. Somehow, after being away from the town for 7 years, I came back here more often than anticipated and I became more connected to the town—making friends with locals, my style being categorised as ‘very Bandung.’ What does this mean?
Watch this space for more Bandung content!
Well, that pretty much wraps up our Ramadan weekend together in Bandung—with none of us fasting 😂 It was a lot of fun and, make no mistake, I would be back in this little ol’ town again in 2 weeks. There is no vlog of that, but I’ll be sure to check back in with posts from that time. I stayed longer the second time around, since it was Eid holiday, but there was less to explore due to most things being closed for the holiday. Oh well, you’ll see the next time I come back here. Somehow, after being away from the town for 7 years, I came back here more often than anticipated and I became more connected to the town—making friends with locals, my style being categorised as ‘very Bandung.’ What does this mean?
Watch this space for more Bandung content!