Welcome back to Salt Bread Diaries , the fifth part! After four salt breads from South Tangerang area, this week we’re going to put the spotlight on Daribu, a very popular bakery in South Jakarta. Quick quiz – what does the word Daribu stand for? The answer will be revealed at the end of this post.
The queue already took two long rows at the time of my arrival, which was 11.30 AM. It was Monday, and once again I have underestimated Jakarta’s crowd. As I waited for my turn to get inside, I could observe the bakery’s hustle and bustle through the glass window. A smiley man with glasses in white silky shirt – whom I assumed was the owner – could be seen supervising everything at the same time: greeting the customers, handling the trays or giving instruction to his staffs.
Fifteen minutes later, I was finally inside at the salt bread station. I immediately headed to my two picks, the good ol’ plain and garlic cheese salt bread. The guy behind me, however, completely ignored the salt bread selection and cleared out a row of Dubai chewy cookies.
Despite the crowd, I managed to get a table after I completed my transaction at the cashier. I was in desperate need to charge my phone, thankfully each table was equipped with one power outlet. The server who brought my order somehow thought I was a foreigner, and I awkwardly played along by thanking him in English…with an accent.
Now, let’s see if Daribu is truly worth the overwhelmingly positive reviews!
The plain salt bread was chewy, but not hard to bite right away with mouth. A bit crispy at the bottom without excessive grease. Although I couldn’t feel the melting butter, my impression towards this bread was far from disappointment. Very, very delicious. The garlic cheese one was even better! Glazey on top, very fragrant, with a nice balance of sweet and salty. The cheese cream filling was very generous too.
Reheated salt bread always tasted heavenly. The fresh crispiness off the oven is seriously unbeatable. My experience with the unheated one was not good and I have concluded that it’s an absolute mandatory to reheat them before consumption.
Oh yay, you are getting to the end of this post! You can find the answer of the quick quiz on the paperbag above and the photo below, along with the philosophy behind Daribu’s brand.
Final thoughts:
Food: 8,5/10 | Service: 8,5/10 | Ambience: 7,5/10
Worth the long queue!
Daribu Coffee & Bakery
KAMAJA Social Space level 2. Jl. Kyai Maja Blok E Persil No.78-79. Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan
Opening hours: 10 AM – 9 PM
