de Soematra 1910

Built in 1910, an old house on Jalan Sumatera 75 in Surabaya has been converted into an entertaining place, with two formal dining rooms; a couple of sitting rooms fit for high teas; a piano area; a formal café, and a terrace seating area.

The glory of this Dutch Colonial architecture in Indonesia has been restored. Any damaged original elements, such as the tiles, the ceiling, the stained glass windows have been restored and/or faithfully and meticulously replicated.

Dining is by reservations only, two-days in advance at the latest. Walk-ins are limited to the seating rooms, unless they are already reserved and/or occupied.

A new annex consisting of two dining halls and separated from the main house will function as a restaurant in the near future.

A Dining Review can be found HERE.

Architect Hidajat Endramukti of Endramukti Design led the one-year restoration and renovation.

de Soematra 1910
Jalan Sumatera 75
Surabaya
East Java 60281
Indonesia

Tel: +62 (031) 5010-666
Fax: +62 (031) 5023-666

http://www.de-soematra.com

[UPDATE: 23 September 2011]
As of September 9, 2011, Erni D. Susanti resigned as Manager of de Soematra. A replacement has yet to be named. More updates to follow.

de Soematra 1910, a set on Flickr.

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Surabaya Walk for Autism 2011

A great turnout for what is billed to be the first ever Surabaya Walk for Autism. The event took place on Saturday, April 2, 2011, with Live Performances at the Atrium of the newly opened Grand City Mall and Exhibition Center in Surabaya. Approximately 400 people were in attendance.

Despite the rain, the Walk for Autism itself commenced past 16:00 through the following route: Grand City Mall, toward Jalan Pemuda, Jalan Yos Sudarso, Walikota Mustajab (the Surabaya City Hall), and then back to the Grand City Surabaya. Many supporters brought banners and chanted throughout the walk. Participants included autistic children and their parents, families and friends, as well as supporters from as far as Europe and the United States. A wheelchair-bound, well-known, former ophthalmologist and stroke survivor Dr. J. Kadi was also seen joining the Walk, with a great spirit and a disregard for the drizzling

The End and a New Beginning

A quick pause, a nod, and respect for the dead: The Tsunami’s number is still climbing. Indonesian Acehnese suffered the most as their family and friends were decimated and their land was bulldozed by the forceful and murderous wave.

Jakarta Australian Embassy Attacked

Jakarta Australian Embassy Attacked, a photo by bloompy on Flickr.

Poor Indonesia, like she needs another terrorist attack. This secular country, widely thought of to be an Islamic nation, suffers another blow just eleven days before its upcoming election on September 20. A friend of my cousin’s had just passed the area when he heard the explosion behind him; he was all right. Another cousin thought that a mighty lightning had just struck because of the sudden blinding flash. Details are coming out as I write this.

BBC: Massive Blast at Jakarta Embassy
CNN: JI Claims Jakarta Car Bombing
MSNBC: Islamist Group Appears to Claim Jakarta Blast

The accompanying photograph was lifted from the Wikipedia.org website

Mosquitoes: Japanese vs. Indonesian

I grew up in Indonesia, then moved to the U.S. (Louisiana, Tennessee, and California) and now am living in Japan. Those years of living in the U.S. were great; if not for anything else, then for the one reason that I did not ever have to deal with mosquitoes. Maybe it was the climate of where I used to live, or maybe it was the fact that I never lived in a lower level apartment, but my summers in the U.S. were pest-free (safe for those telemarketing calls.)

In Indonesia, there are only two seasons: the wet and the dry seasons, but mosquitoes thrive on both weathers. All year long, they are always around and doing their job. On the other hand,my many trips to Tokyo were never punctuated by any visit from a mosquito. Before my move here, times were passed in the hotels and those visits were hardly during