This charming Indonesian restaurant can now be found in three locations around town. You’ll find a Warung Daun on the leafy boulevard that is Jl. Pakubuwono just south of Jl. Sudirman (Tel: 739 5454) and another branch on Jl. Wolter Monginsidi (Tel: 727 86138) is currently under renovation. We chose to break our fast a little early at Warung Daun’s Cikini branch however. Strategically located directly opposite the main entrance to TIM (Taman Ismail Marzuki, the city’s best-known arts centre) this branch of the restaurant is currently doing a sterling job of attracting Jakarta’s culture vultures through its antique wooden portals.

Inside, Warung Daun features a homely, traditional, softly lit interior (as well as a spacious outdoor dining area) and is decorated with classic Javanese leitmotifs such as batik cloth and handicrafts. In fact, the restaurant’s owner, Pak Hariyanto, is something of a batik connoisseur and told me that he once purchased a classic 40-year-old piece for over Rp.60 million! Rest assured though, that dining at WD won’t prove to be nearly as expensive.

Warung Daun serves dishes from all over the Indonesian Archipelago, most of which have been lovingly created using recipes rustled up by the restaurant’s owners themselves. Warung Daun also strives to be healthy place in which to dine and chef Agato uses organic vegetables from Puncak as well as organic rice from Srangen in Java in his dishes. In addition, no MSG is used in WD’s food.

We started our meal with a cooling glass of Wedang 5 Gunung, a unique central Javanese herbal beverage containing ingredients sourced from five mountains, including red ginger, secang, cinnamon, cloves and unprocessed sugar. The result is unlike anything you’ve ever drunk before and Warung Daun is probably the only place in town in which you can experience this weirdly wonderful potion.

We then moved on to a plate of Ikan Tauco Bawal (Rp.79,000) and a bowl of one of our favourite Indonesian starters, Sayur Asem. Both were excellent and the bawal (pomfret fish) was moist, fresh, fragrant and positively bursting with rude health. Other Archipelagic treats on offer at Warung Daun include Udang Galah Bakar Khas WD (Rp.109,000), a fresh prawn dish straight from the Mahakam River in Kalimantan, and Sate Meranggi (Rp.29,000), a rather different take on the traditional satay experience. A classic Rijstaffel (rice table) set is also available at Rp.54,000 for those of you unable to make your minds up.

Finish your meal off with a tasty cup of Illy coffee or an organic brew from the L’osari coffee plantation in Salatiga in Central Java and it’s job well done. Warung Daun is a charming and utterly unpretentious place and all the better for it. If you are fond of your Indonesian food, then we wholeheartedly recommend a trip down to one of the restaurant’s three branches. You may even find yourself leaving with a packet of organic rice or coffee to take home with you.