With the first blush of dawn, the streets of Jakarta stir to life with people hunting for breakfast. The cracking of oil as the gorengan batter starts to take shape, the savoury scent of chicken broth that early risers line up for, the chatters of colleagues in office wear getting a fill of black coffee into their sleek bottles—all these sounds and motions cue the beginning of a typical morning in the metropolis.
Around Blok M Square, the 7 AM sun casts its warmth on the early risers prancing to their favourite breakfast spots. A notable crowd is seen at Soto Ambengan Pak Moch. Askuri, where the young and old convene for the steaming chicken turmeric broth and rich black beef soup. Plastic chairs and tables are set up beside the blue angkot where food is prepared, while Tutut, an amiable server who’s been working there since 2000, greets coming customers. “We start serving at 5 AM and wrap up by 9 AM before the mall opens. Many people come here for breakfast, from office workers to old couples who’ve been our longtime customers,” she explains.
Between the seamless mingle of work attire and casual home wear, cyclists congregate at a popular coffee joint down the block. They leisurely sip their hot coffee, finding contentment in the simple pleasure of caffeine as their morning sustenance, their conversations buzzing with camaraderie.
Between the seamless mingle of work attire and casual home wear, cyclists congregate at a popular coffee joint down the block.
The morning rhythm looks a little bit different on the west side of the city. Before 7 AM, the usually lively Chinatown Glodok is still a scene of shuttered shops with awakening market vendors just starting to display their fresh produce. Amidst this early stir, popular spots like Kopi Es Tak Kie and streetside food carts offering savoury meals like sekba (a Peranakan pork offal soy sauce stew) are already clamouring with early customers. “It’s the freshness of the pork meat and soup that wakes people up in the morning,” argues Lina, owner of Bektim 777 Sekba, who defends the dish against those who stifle at the seemingly heavy breakfast choice.
Meanwhile, around the area, older locals display their morning zest in sportswear and casual homewear, either opting for a substantial breakfast of rice with various side dishes of jengkol stew and sweet soy milkfish soup, or grabbing takeout items like lontong sayur to bring home after their quick market run.
Over at the bustling office and commercial hub of Bendungan Hilir, where morning rays filter down through the towering buildings into the lively Bendungan Hilir market, a brigade of white-collar workers hurries past, their steps synchronised with the rush hour rhythm. Nearby at Warung Nasi Sego Pecel Mba Indah, located just at the entrance of Taman Hidayah, a constant stream of people line up for their morning meal as they emerge from the residential side of the alley where boarding houses dot the area.
A brigade of office workers hurries past, their steps synchronised with the rush hour rhythm.
Amidst this urban rush, a lone man in formal attire savours a cup of hot tea under a blooming bougainvillaea tree. One can’t help but imagine him thinking, “It’s only 8 AM. Can I squeeze in a bit more calm before clocking into work?”
In a country where more than 80 per cent of its population eat their breakfast at home, these photographs capture another side of early risers and how they choose to embrace the first hours of the day. For someone like Yossi Tobing, an event organiser in Jakarta—who still routinely eats a balanced protein-fueled meal of boiled eggs, toast and fruits, and enjoys it with the company of her family—it’s all about the quiet, comforting start at home. While for other city residents, it’s the vibrant, communal experience of dining out—maybe it’s also their way of experiencing the city during the poetic early hours.
There may not be a specific term that quite captures the way the people of Jakarta embrace their first meal of the day, but there’s freedom found in the food choices and habits that vary across the sprawling city. A savoury warmth of soto mie to start the day? A sticky, carbo-loaded martabak on an empty stomach? Granted one can enjoy all these dishes at any time of the day, but to the city’s early risers, it is especially satisfying at breakfast for a day done right.
