Greenery is always refreshing to look at and even more so when it has an exceptional view. Compared to many provinces in Indonesia, Yogyakarta is known for its slow pace of living and the romanticization of Indonesia during its olden times where village life was quite thriving. This kind of concept of cafe and restaurant piqued a lot of interest from people outside the province and those who live in urbanized areas. Although many offer such experience Ayom restaurant, like its name which means protecting or preserving in English, executes the idea quite well.

This restaurant is located not far from the city center offering rice fields view with locals tending their farms or hanging out with their pigeons. The visitors could see locals racing their pet pigeons while children happily cheered for them. At the same time, patrons can sit on the porch while also watching the rapid train connecting to the airport which passes occasionally. During the sunset, it offers one of a kind view with the silhouette from the sky, chirping birds and the swaying palm and coconut trees.

What to expect from the place

Ayom is quite family friendly as well as they also take great care to accommodate even people with special needs. The place is divided into 4 areas where visitors could pick the kind of view that they wanted but the best would be on the backyard areas of the place that has direct view to the train track alongside the rice fields. When you live in the city center, this place feels like another dimension. It makes you feel quite nostalgic especially seeing people who were not busy on screen and were interacting with each other and the kids who were cheering happily.

The interior of the place is dominated by wood and they even have an extension house entirely made with wood and furnished with it as well. They have hanging lamps that pretty much reminds you of a tropical heaven like Ubud. Being inside the place even with a lot of patrons around can make you feel like you own the place and want to make you stay inside for longer. Try sitting on the porch while sipping a hot drink will definitely offer a one-of-a-kind experience where you’ll feel like it’s how you want to retire, somewhere in the countryside blessed with a beautiful sunset view and vast rice fields.

I was quite thrilled when my friend took me to this place. I haven’t been outside for a while and the place refreshed my mind and eyes. Everything about that place ticked all the aesthetics I love especially when it comes to countryside living. I told my friends that the one thing I wanted to do at the time was joining the locals or the farmers who were tending their farms. He laughed it off but I told him that I had been in a few situations where I did that. Except that time, I didn’t bring proper sandals and I was way too well-dressed to be playing with mud.

My friend and I didn’t really explore the place much as we were so immersed with the view of the fields. We got the best spot in the cafe where we could see the best of both worlds, the train track while at the same time enjoying the wooden house design. While we were there, we also talked about the idea of slow living and why this place offers such a slower pace and everyone is a lot less ambitious than the pace in cities like Surabaya or Jakarta.

What I tried....

Having had 2 cups of latte already, I told my friend that I wanted to go light. I ended up ordering a v60 from west java beans that taste similar to Hayati specialty coffee. My friend ordered some kind of tea that I forgot its name. While I was ordering the coffee, my friend told me that he feels quite a trauma while trying filtered coffee and americano. He said it’s too bitter and he couldn’t even taste notes or even the aftertaste of the coffee. I pitied him and told him that not all coffee is the same. One of the things that he can note before ordering is asking the type of roast and generally asking for the coffee profile. I managed to convince him to try the filtered coffee I ordered and he was right, it was not bitter. “ at least this one has a taste”.

A truly recommended place

The place is really great to spend the weekend or even any time you feel like urban life gets way too demanding and difficult. Take a moment to pause and transport yourself to another realm for a moment to realize that life and happiness can be quite simple at times.

When I read the reviews, apparently the food was also great but since I was already way too full, I only ordered coffee. If you didn’t know, a light filtered coffee is great to have for a nice afternoon and it’s why, at that place, I ordered filtered coffee that would accompany me and my friend spending the afternoon before sunset until the sky gets darker. If you happen to travel around Java and Yogyakarta, checking out this place is a must. It’s definitely slightly out-of-town but it’s still reachable by Grab or Gojek.