The Opening Night

Koramilk

Over Capacity

It was almost dark, three of us (me, Dadan and Eko) preparing the venue for the grand opening of Waroeng Seni. Cleaning, arranging tables, displaying coffees, and many activities were done during the preparation. Candle lights were added on every table, to give romantic impression for the opening night. Though there was issue of the table arrangement, we prepared well, so I thought. 

We only had a small kitchen cabinet and a cabinet to store fruits for the juice. Coffee bean jars were lined up together with other manual brew coffee equipment like the Vietnam Drip, V60 and Coffee press. There were many different type of coffee served, Toraja, Aceh, Flores and many more, it is called the single origin coffee. A very humble coffeeshop in the making.

Guests started to come one by one. Sometimes they come in a group. They were mostly teenagers and young people whom love music, or a local band member. One thing about Achox is that, he has many relations in the local music community. He told me that he was member of DKJT (Dewan Kesenian Jatim) or The East Java Art Council. I was amazed by his portfolio.

One thing we didn't expect was that, the guests were over capacity. There were almost hundred people came to our small venue. It was getting crowded and more crowded as guests keeps coming. I had to be extra fast in serving the orders. Sometimes we forgot one or two orders coz it was overwhelming. We made the beverages, especially coffee, and Achox's wife prepared her own menu called "Segopak" a stack of rice with other dishes inside.

Banner for the Opening

A Place to Appreciate Music and Art

Achox was really good in doing Promotion and Publication. Long before the opening, he made a digital banner announcing the opening and the purpose of having Waroeng Seni. His vast connection made the opening over crowded. He told everyone, including me, that Waroeng Seni is a place to appreciate music and art, at the same time people can enjoy what the coffeeshop has to offer. It's basiccally a one place to hang out, enjoy music and coffee, in affordable budget.

He invited his fellow local musicians to play music in Waroeng Seni once or twice in a week. Those days were his days truly. I was the one selling coffee, nothing more. Many local artists and musicians coming to our humble place, yet I see them enjoying what we had. There was one time when a group of Musicians from Mojokerto performed at Waroeng Seni, one of them later became our singer. I was so excited as the purpose of Waroeng Seni establishment seems to become reality. I really enjoyed the job I was doing, and so did my two friends.

We didn't serve many on the menu, there were only coffee, toast, sego pak, and one favorite drink called Koramilk (kopi rasa milk) a black coffee mixed with condense milk, served using Vietnam drip. Also snack called TBT (Tahu Bakso Tuna) a fried tuna meatball covered in tofu. The interior design of Waroeng Seni was very simple, a small coffeeshop in faded yellow paint wall with only four or five tables. The one corner facing the street has become a floor stage for musicians to perform acoustic performance. Unfortunately I didn't keep the photos of our early coffeeshop appearance.

Coffee and Toast