Here’s Why Houtenhand Garten is The Sweet Escape You Need in This Hectic Week
Houtenhand Public House gained big popularity since it was established in 2012, both as a café where people hangout after work/college and as a venue for underground music gigs. Hundreds of music gigs from punk, hardcore, metal, indie, EDM, etc has been held here throughout the years. Due to loads of request for various music gigs, Robertus Donny Hendrawan, Houtenhand Public House’s founder, decided to open a new branch with quite different concept called ‘Houtenhand Garten’. Located at the city’s outskirt, here’s why this place is the sweet escape you need in this hectic week.
1. Far from the city’s bustle
Houtenhand Garten is located a little bit far away from the hustle bustle city center of Malang. You can find it inside Sengkaling Rest Area in Jl. Raya Jetak Sidomakmur, Sengkaling. It is right above a small creek and facing a hill. The cafe is divided into two areas, outdoor and indoor area. The outdoor area is exceptionally refreshing, with chairs and tables facing the creek. It was beautifully decorated too, with lamps made of unused beer bottles and decorative plants sacs attached on the wall. The indoor area is the darker version of the café, with rustic architecture and dim lighting.
2. Wood-fired pizza
Houtendhand Garten have similiar menu as Houtenhand Public House’s, but their signature dish is wood-fired pizza. The cafe has its own wood-fired oven located near a small kitchen in the outdoor area. We saw in the menu book, the pizza came in various toppings like chicken barbeque and many more with affordable price between IDR35-50k. Unfortunately we didn’t get the chance to try the pizza because they were out of woods after an event held the night before. But we surely want to try some of the pizza, yum!
3. Spacious venue & more varied live music
Opened since February 6th 2017, Houtenhand Garten have much more spacious area than Houtenhand Public House. While Houtenhand Public House stage is specialized for rock music gigs, indie folk and acoustic music are welcomed in Houtenhand Garten. Gita, Houtenhand Garten’s manager, plans to hold two acoustic sessions in every 2 months. The café also held BBQ party every Saturday afternoon if there were enough visitors and the weather was good.
4. Little booth for creative entrepreneurs
There was also small space provided for handcraft stores in the outdoor area. Any handcraft stores would be welcomed to fill the space temporarily. When we visited Houtenhand Garten, the space was occupied by Kiri Kanan Handmade Accessories. Kiri Kanan provided handmade bracelet and necklace from cotton string. Visitors could chose from the designs that were offered in the store, or asked the owner to make a new customized design. A lot of upcoming events were also ready to enliven Houtendhand Garten. Gita said that a tattoo workshop, vapor competition, and movie screening had already planned to be held in Houtenhand Garten.
5. More beer and liquor!
Due to the cold weather in Sengkaling, Houtenhand Garten serve more variety in its beer, cocktail, and wine choices than Houtenhand Public House. However, we thought Houtenhand Public House beverage menu were more varied and sadly some of its best menu couldn’t be found in Houtenhand Garten. We were disappointed that there was only one variant of hot chocolate in Houtenhand Garten, while Houtenhand Public House many variants, from marshmallow, ginger, to Irish and more. It’s a heaven for those who love to drink booze to loosen it up.
Houtendhand Garten is surely an exceptional place to spend a quiet afternoon to refresh your mind from the hustle bustle city lifestyle. Their music gigs and unique events would surely satisfy your needs of entertainment. There are not many cafés in Malang which are also functioned both as coffee place and a venue for music gig, and Houtendhand Garten becomes one of the sanctuary with their high standard. Its grand opening is now on the stage of production and it is highly likely to be held next month. You don’t wanna miss this one!
Writer: Jatrifia Ramadhani/Editor: Novita Widia
