Shop and dine at a charming Malang cafe

Nestled in the heart of Malang, a charming old town in East Java, is a house that has been converted into a boutique and cafe called Madam Wang Secret Garden.

Situated at Jl. Telemoyo No. 12 and owned by a lady who is passionate about Indonesian traditional fabrics such as batik, tenun, ikat and kebaya, the place displays an array of clothing selections made from the aforementioned fabrics.

Kebaya encim is one of the boutique's best-selling items. It is a traditional blouse-dress combination that originates from Indonesia and is worn by Chinese peranakan women in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore and Malaysia.

A kebaya encim is usually worn with a batik sarong or other traditional woven garments such as ikat, songket with a colorful motif. It comes in many colors, from white, pastel to bold colors, with embroidery.

Madam Wang also designs modernwear using batik, tenun and ikat combined with lace, knitwear, jeans and beads.

The cafe has a cosy atmosphere. You can choose to dine in a garden decorated with hanging flower balls or its uniquely designed indoor corners.

The owner's passion for fashion is exhibited by the hanging design sketches and colorful threads. There is also an antique sewing machine displayed in a corner.

The eatery offers Indonesian and Western dishes. The Indonesian menu selections hail from different parts of the country, such as nasi goreng rawon served with salted egg (from East Java), sate lilit sereh sambal kecap and lontong (Bali) and vegetarian nasi bakar empal jamur (West Java).

The most popular menu items are its desserts, such as apple strudel with apple sauce and vanilla ice cream, blueberry strudel and pannacotta with mango sauce.