Indonesia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 193

Via Via Jl Prawirotaman 30 T 0274 386557, W viaviajogja
.com; map p.195. A popular, foreign-run café franchise.
The great European and Indonesian food makes this a class
above most other tourist restaurants in Yogya. There is a
range of tours and courses in cooking, Bahasa Indonesia,
and yoga (Mon-Sat 9am & 6pm; Rp50,000), and there's
live jazz on Friday evenings. The café has good coffee (Java
coffee Rp10,000), a decent selection of local and imported
beers (large Bintang Rp30,000) as well as daily-changing
local specials. Free wi-fi. Sat-Thurs 7.30am-11pm, Fri
7.30am-midnight.

regular screenings of European football and free wi-fi.
Daily 7.30am-10.30pm.

ELSEWHERE
★

Nanamia Pizzeria Jl Moses Gatotkaca B13 T 0274
556494; map p.191. This rustic Italian restaurant behind
Jogyakarta Plaza Hotel , set in a popular student area
in northeast Yogya, is hard to find but worth the effort.
There's a fantastic selection of authentic thin-crust pizzas
(Rp39,000 for a medium-sized margharita), as well as pasta,
bruschetta, coffee and wine, and a warm, Mediterranean
atmosphere. They also deliver. Daily noon-11pm.

JALAN SOSRO
Bedhot Jl Sosro Wetan GT I/58A W bedhots.com; map
p.194. Central and friendly place serving Indonesian,
Chinese and decent interpretations of Western food in a
dimly lit, bohemian setting. Try the tasty tempe (soya
bean) burgers (Rp28,000), arak (rice wine; Rp28,000) or
sayur lodeh (vegetables in coconut sauce; Rp17,000), a
Javan speciality. Wi-fi available. Daily 8am-11pm.
Bintang Cafe Jl Sosro 54; map p.194. Fun bar and
restaurant that is the most popular venue on the street,
with live music from Wednesday to Saturday nights,
ranging from rock to reggae. The food is a standard mix of
Indonesian and Western, and the cafe's namesake beer
costs Rp33,000. Happy hour 2-7pm. Daily 8am-1am.
Batik Resto Jl Sosro 10; map p.194. Formerly known
as FM Resto , this pleasant bar and restaurant has nice
seating areas away from the street, a range of Indonesian
and Western dishes (pizza Rp40,000), fresh juices (from
Rp12,000) and free wi-fi. There's also an epic happy hour
(1-8pm). Daily 6am-1am.
Legian Jl Perwakilan 9 W legianrestaurant.weebly.com;
map p.194. A great location overlooking the buzzing
street below. Though a little pricey (chicken sate Rp40,000;
glass of wine Rp50,000), the selection of fresh lobster,
squid and imported New Zealand tenderloin is worth the
extra thousands of rupiah. Daily noon-10pm.
Lucifer Jl Suryowijayan 71; map p.194. On the corner of
Jl Sosro, this attractive venue has live music every night
starting at 9.30pm. It's the perfect place for a cold beer
or a “Lucifer Shaker” cocktail after a day exploring the
temples. Daily 5pm-1am.
Mi Casa es Tu Casa Jl Sosro Wetan GT I W micasaestucasa
.mye.name; map p.194. A fairly new, laidback spot down
Gang I, run by the friendly San Sebastian. On the menu are
both European and Indonesian specialities from sate
tahu (Rp16,000) to paella (from Rp90,000). If you're
feeling brave, try the “devil drink” (cobra blood; Rp40,000).
Daily 8am-10pm.
Superman Jl Sosro Gang I/71; map p.194. Spacious,
thatched-roof restaurant down a pokey side street. It's
popular for its relaxed vibe and broad international menu,
with delicious pancakes (from Rp10,000), ice-cold beer,

TRADITIONAL CULTURAL
PERFORMANCES
WAYING KULIT AND WAYANG GOLEK
Wayang kulit (shadow puppetry) is the epitome of Javanese
culture, and it's worth catching a show, although wayang
golek, where wooden puppets are used, tends to be easier
to follow, as the figures are more dynamic and expressive.
With one honourable exception, all of the performances
listed are aimed at tourists, and only two hours long. For
more up-to-date events, check W jogjapages.com.
Sasono Hinggil Alun-alun Selatan. Yogya's only genuine,
full-length wayang kulit performance runs from 9pm to
5.30am on the second Saturday of every month (Rp20,000).
Sono Budoyo Museum Jl Trikora 1. The most
professional and popular abridged wayang kulit show
(Mon-Sat 8-10pm; Rp20,000).
Sultan's Palace On Saturday mornings (10am-noon),
there's a practice-cum-performance of wayang kulit in
the Sri Minganti courtyard, and every Wednesday (10am-
noon) a free wayang golek show. On Monday, Tuesday and
Thursday mornings between 10am and noon there are
free gamelan performances.

4

JAVANESE DANCING
The Ramayana dance drama is a modern extension of
the court dances of the nineteenth century, which tended
to use that other Indian epic, the Mahabharata , as the
source of their story lines.
Prambanan Jl Raya Yogya-Solo km16 T 0274 497771.
The indoor Trimurti Theatre at Prambanan holds seasonal
Ramayana ballet performances (Nov-April; Tues, Thurs &
Sat 7.30-9.30pm; T 0274 496408), while the Open Air
Theatre puts on the full story during summer months
(May-Oct 3-4 times weekly; 7.30-9.30pm) and
individual episodes at sporadic intervals the rest of the
year. Tickets for both performances (Rp75,000-250,000
depending on where you sit) are available at the door or
from the tourist o ce in Yogya, where you can check the
complete schedule.
Purawisata Theatre Jl Brig Jen Katamso T 0274
374089, W purawisatajogjakarta.com. Every night the