Jakarta/Kemang district: southern hipness

Away from the hustle and bustle of JakartaThe Kemang district invites you to relax in its tree-lined streets.

There are no pavements along Jalan Benda, the long street in the Kemang district in the south of the capital. And yet, the district is attracting more and more expatriates looking for a little peace and quiet in this more than tumultuous city. There are no pavements here, just boutiques, art galleries, cafés and shady beer gardens... If you took a taxi instead of your legs to cover this rising street, you'd miss out on a multitude of little gems that spring up discreetly at the end of an alleyway or at the end of a car park. The shop fronts are so dark you'd think they were closed. Is this to counteract the untimely power cuts that are the norm in Jakarta? In any case, you walk between pop-painted walls, push open doors and, while you are rarely disappointed, you are always surprised.

This is a city in transformation. You don't ask for directions, you simply watch the urban metamorphosis at work, the transition from chaos to bobo. The easiest way to do this is to get dropped off at the end of the street and walk back up, paying careful attention to where you set down. Take your time, follow your instincts, walk into a place that catches your eye from afar... that's how it's done. Goodbye logic, this is the land of discovery. Like this tiny 'Baconnerie', part bakery, part bacon burger restaurant - amazing, in this Muslim town! - where every detail has been thought through. White tiled walls, rough wooden tables. Then there's the little girl who comes up to you and tells you, in flawless French, that her mum's restaurant opened last week.

Creators of the future

After this American break, we could stop off across the street at the Beer Garden or Largo Bistrot, or take a look at some of the future big names that are springing up all over the place. Like Potmeetpop, a designer of jeans and men's shirts that are very trendy despite their smirking prices and their recent move into the capital's big, very chic malls. Something to remember. On the way, we wandered into Meccanism, a clothing boutique for women who love Mecca. Surprise, surprise! You come out with a deconstructed kimono jacket that you know no-one else will have in Paris. Since we're in Java, we take a break and sip a strong espresso at Kopi Dimana, looking at the heaps of grain being ground. On the way out, we come across a clearance sale of American brands "made in Indonesia".

We could stay here for hours just poking around, but there's so much to see. There's another decor shop, Ita's Toko, and a delightful restaurant, Kedai, with its fun atmosphere and really good nasi goreng. You could organise an informal business lunch here, or even set up an improvised office in front of your computer, as some people already do. We'd love to see some of these cosy coworking spaces spring up here too, as they have in New York, Berlin and now Paris. It won't be long now. In any case, there's every reason to believe so. But Jalan Benda ends and Jalan Kemang begins. The next street. Another bohemian thoroughfare in the making. With or without pavements.