What constitutes a neighbourhood joint? Maybe it’s the proximity to people’s houses, or perhaps the simple ease of being able to wander in with shorts and sandals—or both. For Gin Gin Bakery Shop, an all-day dining café serving Chinese Indonesian comforts in Meruya, West Jakarta, it’s about providing an experience that caters to the whole family.
“When our popo (grandma) and kungkung (grandpa) feel comfortable, and they don’t ask to be taken home, that’s how we know we’ve done a good job,” laughed co-founder Hana Ishikawa.
Founded by the people behind dessert shop Ginchoux (Hana including, alongside pastry chef Novita) and premium katsu restaurant Genbu (chef Sandy Budimansyah and Hizkia Ricky) as a hang-out space for the neighbourhood, Gin Gin is very much a personal reflection of their experiences—shaped by the flavours, habits and dining-out rituals that the three founders grew up with as part of West Jakarta’s Chinese Indonesian community. “Our parents are very sensitive about dining out, and they’re critical of not just the place and concept, but also the food,” added Hana.
It’s a good thing then that Gin Gin finds itself a home inside the ECO 8 complex amid fresh-cut green lawns and newly planted trees, where the calm and gentle breeze that flows through the café’s al fresco dining area offers a welcome respite from the area’s busy traffic—a pleasant spot for both parents and their children to while their time away (especially with the playground).
Inside, handwritten signs alongside illustrations by artist Michelle Sherrina (Sherchle) add a youthful touch to the rustic dining area, which incorporates influences from kopitiams as well as cafés in Korea and Japan. Red brick walls meet low-hanging thin wooden beams, square tiles in patterns of white and blue, and shelves stacked with baked goods (such as bolo buns) and memorabilia.
As hinted by the interior’s homey ambience, Gin Gin’s menu features comfort dishes reminiscent of those typically enjoyed at home. A favourite is the Mee Sua Dingin, where thin wheat noodles are served cold with finely sliced egg, cucumber, and ham, finished with a drizzle of lime for a refreshing tang. For a lighter meal, opt for the Cicongfan Platter to share; it combines rice noodle rolls with uyen (fried taro), lumpia, shumai and turnip cake—nostalgically similar to the kind of cicongfan sold by street vendors at after-school learning centres in the neighbourhood.
Make room for dessert, too. Deliberately crafted to be less sweet with natural ingredients, options include the best-selling Portuguese Egg Tart—a classic take on the treat ubiquitous in Macau—and Ginchoux’s lineup of cakes, like the Mochi Cheese Cake, boasting a soft and pillowy exterior with a rich, creamy filling. To complement, have a cooling glass of Yuan Yang Latte, a lighter version of the Hong Kong coffee-and-tea drink that uses arabica beans from Instinct Roastery.
If it were Gin Gin’s intention to gather the neighbourhood at its café, then it’s done a pretty good job at it. A typical day sees multiple groups of aunties trading treats and conversations. Retired uncles enjoying a leisurely brunch after a bicycle ride. Work-from-café dwellers busying themselves with their laptops. And sometimes even pet parents bringing along their peculiar animal companions for a walk (think sugar gliders, turtles and hamsters). The space is very much alive with the spirit of the community, where the whole family—including the popos and kungkungs—can relax and linger over a meal.