“Our journey to Batukaras began with the logistical task of making our way across the island of Java after landing in the bustling city of Yogyakarta,” says London-based photographer Issy Croker.
Getting to Batukaras is no small feat. The four-hour train ride west from Yogyakarta snakes deep into Java’s countryside, where rice fields stretch towards the horizon and volcanoes rise in hazy silhouette. It’s a journey that asks you to slow down – a fitting prelude to the rhythm of life awaiting on the coast.
Getting to Batukaras is no small feat. The four-hour train ride west from Yogyakarta snakes deep into Java’s countryside, where rice fields stretch towards the horizon and volcanoes rise in hazy silhouette. It’s a journey that asks you to slow down – a fitting prelude to the rhythm of life awaiting on the coast.
Swell Dough, left, and House of Sawah
Batukaras sits quietly on the island’s southern edge. Known as one of Indonesia’s best surf spots for longboarders, boards lean against palm trees and beach huts like upright brushstrokes in pastel hues. But Croker wasn’t visiting for the breaks alone. She was just as drawn to what was cooking behind the scenes – in alley-side kitchens, smoky warungs and at roadside stalls.
Indonesia, with its 17,000 islands and more than 1,300 ethnic groups, is a mosaic of languages, landscapes and cuisines. A single national food identity feels impossible to define. Even within Java, the flavours fracture as you travel from east to west. In the west, Sundanese cooking takes the lead – fresh, vegetal and raw, with plenty of spice and texture.
Batukaras sits quietly on the island’s southern edge. Known as one of Indonesia’s best surf spots for longboarders, boards lean against palm trees and beach huts like upright brushstrokes in pastel hues. But Croker wasn’t visiting for the breaks alone. She was just as drawn to what was cooking behind the scenes – in alley-side kitchens, smoky warungs and at roadside stalls.
Indonesia, with its 17,000 islands and more than 1,300 ethnic groups, is a mosaic of languages, landscapes and cuisines. A single national food identity feels impossible to define. Even within Java, the flavours fracture as you travel from east to west. In the west, Sundanese cooking takes the lead – fresh, vegetal and raw, with plenty of spice and texture.
Clockwise from top left: nasi campur, nasi goreng, the nasi campur street seller, and a street market stall
"After stepping off the train, Croker’s first move was instinctive: seek out a steaming bowl of soto ayam, a fragrant, clear chicken soup served with rice noodles, shredded chicken and salty peanuts, before hailing a taxi for the final leg of her trip. She was staying at Selini Villa, a collection of foliage-shrouded homes tucked away on the far side of Pangandaran’s bay, well removed from the region’s main surf breaks.
“The serenity was unmatched,” Croker says. “And the owners, Agan and Laura, have paid attention to every detail when designing the beautiful architecture of each villa.”
"After stepping off the train, Croker’s first move was instinctive: seek out a steaming bowl of soto ayam, a fragrant, clear chicken soup served with rice noodles, shredded chicken and salty peanuts, before hailing a taxi for the final leg of her trip. She was staying at Selini Villa, a collection of foliage-shrouded homes tucked away on the far side of Pangandaran’s bay, well removed from the region’s main surf breaks.
“The serenity was unmatched,” Croker says. “And the owners, Agan and Laura, have paid attention to every detail when designing the beautiful architecture of each villa.”
Clockwise from top left: one of the suites at Selini Villa, surfboards, Selini Villa gardens, and a fruit market stall in Batukaras
The following day, the photographer set off again, scootering back into Batukaras in search of culinary joys. “The slow pace of West Java had me stopping for street food and coffees whenever I was on the scooter,” she says. “Bakso [an Indonesian meatball, often served with noodles or rice] carts line the main roads and the local markets are never more than a few blocks apart.”
The following day, the photographer set off again, scootering back into Batukaras in search of culinary joys. “The slow pace of West Java had me stopping for street food and coffees whenever I was on the scooter,” she says. “Bakso [an Indonesian meatball, often served with noodles or rice] carts line the main roads and the local markets are never more than a few blocks apart.”
The local surf break
Those markets were a world unto themselves – the sweet tang of overripe fruit, plastic crates stacked with dragon fruit, soursop and salak. Pineapples dangled from overhead hooks, and halved watermelons sat heavy on tabletops, their blush interiors glistening in the heat.
At roadside stalls and restaurants, krupuk kulit – crisp beef-skin crackers – crackled as they hit hot, bubbling coconut oil in broad metal pans. Chicken steamed inside banana leaves. Nasi goreng, the national fried rice dish, is ubiquitous in the town, though it doesn’t hail from this region. And beachside, warungs – small, family-run cafés – were plating up hearty helpings of mie goreing [a stir-fried noodle dish], soto ayam and bakso for sand-dusted surfers.
Those markets were a world unto themselves – the sweet tang of overripe fruit, plastic crates stacked with dragon fruit, soursop and salak. Pineapples dangled from overhead hooks, and halved watermelons sat heavy on tabletops, their blush interiors glistening in the heat.
At roadside stalls and restaurants, krupuk kulit – crisp beef-skin crackers – crackled as they hit hot, bubbling coconut oil in broad metal pans. Chicken steamed inside banana leaves. Nasi goreng, the national fried rice dish, is ubiquitous in the town, though it doesn’t hail from this region. And beachside, warungs – small, family-run cafés – were plating up hearty helpings of mie goreing [a stir-fried noodle dish], soto ayam and bakso for sand-dusted surfers.
Clockwise from top left: dining at Selini Villa, bakso ready for diners, freshly fried krupuk kulit, and market fruit
To start your day in Batukaras, Croker recommends a coffee ritual at Hang Five café. Open from 7am, it’s the place to enjoy a morning brew while watching surfers tackle the waves. For breakfast, try Swell Dough, a local bakery sending out fresh pastries, sandwiches and various variations of ingredients “on toast”. When hunger calls again, she suggests heading to House of Sawah, a “simple and modern café sitting right among the rice fields”.
Part of a boutique hotel, the restaurant serves up post-surf snacks and larger mains. You’ll find laid-back finger foods and international favourites on the menu – fried calamari, potato wedges, blushing steaks, spicy chicken burgers and pan-seared mackerel – alongside local favourites like tender beef rendang with crunchy eggplant fritters, gado-gado (a salad of locally grown vegetables, fried tempeh and tofu and hard-boiled eggs smothered in a smooth peanut sauce), and aromatic soto ikan, a fish noodle soup infused with fresh ginger and lemongrass, as well as – of course – nasi goreng. Drinks range from island beers and icy fruit juices to classic cocktails and coconuts cracked open to order.
To start your day in Batukaras, Croker recommends a coffee ritual at Hang Five café. Open from 7am, it’s the place to enjoy a morning brew while watching surfers tackle the waves. For breakfast, try Swell Dough, a local bakery sending out fresh pastries, sandwiches and various variations of ingredients “on toast”. When hunger calls again, she suggests heading to House of Sawah, a “simple and modern café sitting right among the rice fields”.
Part of a boutique hotel, the restaurant serves up post-surf snacks and larger mains. You’ll find laid-back finger foods and international favourites on the menu – fried calamari, potato wedges, blushing steaks, spicy chicken burgers and pan-seared mackerel – alongside local favourites like tender beef rendang with crunchy eggplant fritters, gado-gado (a salad of locally grown vegetables, fried tempeh and tofu and hard-boiled eggs smothered in a smooth peanut sauce), and aromatic soto ikan, a fish noodle soup infused with fresh ginger and lemongrass, as well as – of course – nasi goreng. Drinks range from island beers and icy fruit juices to classic cocktails and coconuts cracked open to order.
Surfers grabbing beachside coffees
“It’s a necessary pilgrimage for any surfer making their way to Indonesia,” says Croker of the coastal town. But even if you’ve never set foot on a board, Batukaras offers a different thrill: the ritual of morning coffees, the quiet hum of scooters, the smoke curling up from open-air grills. If you're a devotee of dining, you’ll want to stop by.
“It’s a necessary pilgrimage for any surfer making their way to Indonesia,” says Croker of the coastal town. But even if you’ve never set foot on a board, Batukaras offers a different thrill: the ritual of morning coffees, the quiet hum of scooters, the smoke curling up from open-air grills. If you're a devotee of dining, you’ll want to stop by.
The Lowdown
