The inimitable Blok M energy continues to throb its busy roads, old malls and Japanese bars, down to the neighbourhood’s lonely, and even seedy corners. For one, there’s the talk-of-the-town restaurant SU MA that, by now, is fast becoming a well-known feature of Sultan Hasanuddin Street. Adding to the motley just a brisk walk from the restaurant is Scarlett’s House, an extension to the Scarlett’s brand and café encompassing a dessert shop, restaurant, listening bar, and an R&D lab for its popular cakes.
Classic designs of an old home gel effortlessly here with modern touches of wooden interiors, exposed bricks and atmospheric stained glasses. Bringing in a combination of architectural and interior designs by Andra Matin and KE.RA Design studio, Scarlett’s House sits like a comfy summer home that you would spend slow days in, listening to moody tunes while spooning up decadent cakes after finishing a plate of pasta.
“We plan to have a lot of activities here at Scarlett’s House. There’s a listening bar, a new merch store, an R&D space, and a bigger communal space to accommodate more people,” said co-founder and executive chef Martina Djohan. There’s also an outdoor space that further adds to the romantic charm of the place, giving off the feeling that you’re being transported to an idyllic scene away from the bustle.
New dishes and natural wine distinguish Scarlett’s House from their other joints in Senopati and PIK, where the same inclination towards European cuisine can be identified in Martina’s cooking of fresh pasta, soups and variations like potato gratin and galette. Putting natural wine on the menu here also comes with a purpose: a translation of the drink’s natural and crafty process that mirrors Scarlett’s—and by extension Martina’s—“rebellious spirit” to cake and pastry making, as she described it.
But in between these exciting new features, the heart of Scarlett’s remains behind the glass window of the newly added R&D lab on the ground floor, a space where Martina and her fellow pastry chefs would most likely be seen mulling over new recipes or whipping up her pastry and cakes—Scarlett’s Lab, the brand’s dedicated Instagram account for their R&D journey, in physical form, if you will.
Those who visit can sample and see up close the intricacies and details of Scarlett’s cake creations and French pastries that crackle with character, from classic signatures of Strawberry Pistachio Cake (one of Martina’s early creations) to store-exclusives like Chai Latte, Passionfruit & Walnut Sheetcake, a walnut sponge cake layered with white chocolate bark, chai latte cream and passionfruit compote designed like a flower bed; Vanilla Basque Cheesecake served on top of vanilla anglaise; to variations of the traditional Paris-Brest pastry.
It’s easy to see how the newly-opened establishment plays like a crescendo to Scarlett’s journey since Martina and her sister Jasmine started in 2016 in Batam. A growth that sees not only Scarlett’s growing presence in the city but also Martina’s cake-making craftsmanship when it comes to exploring flavours and elaborate cake designs. Perhaps, even with the new experiences offered in Scarlett’s House, visitors are reminded again that this is where Scarlett’s truly shines the most.