When it comes to securing a productive weekend, nothing really beats finding the nearest cafe to your house, plugging in your laptop, ordering a few snacks, and just start working. Since I live in West Jakarta, TOSKA provides almost everything I could ask for a writing spot.
As far as I know, TOSKA strives to serve only vegan food to their customers, so even their main dishes (pasta, fried rice, etc.) are all served using vegan ingredients. If you’re a vegan, then you will most likely appreciate this initiative, since there’s not a lot of vegan options to dine in Jakarta.
However, even if you’re not vegan, like me, I reckon you will still enjoy yourselves working in this little cafe. If not because of their surprisingly tasty delicacies, then at the very least, for the sheer comfort this place could give as a writing spot.
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Location
TOSKA is located in Cengkareng area. More specifically, in Citra Garden 6. I’m not sure if anyone who doesn’t live in the area would know, but Citra Garden 6 (or Citra 6, for short), is a popular place for millennials to hang around.
The main road of Citra 6 stretches several kilometers long, and it is packed with numerous shops (ruko / rumah toko; lit. “shop house”), and most of them are cafes and restaurants. You could find everything from staples like McDonald’s to the most hipster coffee shops in the neighborhood.
I believe the easiest way to access TOSKA is by using Transjakarta. Make sure to drop off at Rawa Buaya bus stop or Sumur Bor bus stop, and then order yourself a motorcycle taxi (ojek) to get to the place. Alternatively, you could go with train (Commuter Line). The place is accessible from Rawa Buaya station as well.
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Writing Spot Review
The very first thing that I noticed when I entered the cafe was that it has a mezzanine floor. It wasn’t anything fancy like you might imagine, but essentially this extra floor enables them to squeeze some extra seats in. However, you may not access the mezzanine floor unless you have spent more than 50,000 IDR per person.
Sadly, the floor provides too little for the prerequisite it’s asking. They market the floor as a productivity floor, but since it’s not soundproof, you can still hear the noises from the ground floor even after you’ve settled in nicely at a cozy corner on the mezzanine floor.
Fortunately, the ground floor is a nice place to stay in. Being bordered by glass walls, the entirety of TOSKA overflows with natural lighting, which means you don’t really have to squint or tire your eyes when you’re reading. Air conditioning was also fairly decent, and I didn’t find much difficulty finding a power outlet.
My favorite place is the couch in the corner of the room, which is set a bit too low to my liking, but provides enough space for privacy so I can be as productive as I wish to be.
If you decide to try the place out, I recommend ordering their iced tea (whichever variant), which comes with free refills for up to 2 times. If you’re craving for something savory, their Spaghetti Aglio Olio and their fried tofu snack are yummy. But I have to give the best food crown to their smoothie bowl, more specifically, the Sweet Violet.
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Writing Experience
Since the couch I always frequent is set a bit too low to my liking, I always end up slouching a bit while working here. Having the seat so close to the floor also means I don’t have a reliable place to rest my feet, which may lead to minor cramps if I forget to stretch it every once in a while.
However, the delicious food and the ambience of the place more than make up for it. I almost always come here in the morning, since there are less people around and I could concentrate on whatever task I’m doing.
I’ve come here in the evening a couple of times, but I found that there were too many people occupying the seats, and I couldn’t concentrate as much. Moreover, since the entrance door is being opened and closed all the time, TOSKA could give you some mosquitos problem.
Overall, I think the place is a wonderful writing spot in the morning. I wouldn’t recommend anyone to go here in the evening, though, for reasons I’ve elaborated above. The best scenario for me is to come here on Sundays, grab a healthy breakfast, and type my stories away until it starts to get crowded (which usually happens at around 2-3PM), before going home.
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Verdict
Access: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (for me)
Ambience: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Productivity: ⭐⭐⭐ (because it isn’t as effective in the evening)
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Contact & Opening Hours
Address:
Kalideres, Kota Jakarta Barat, Daerah Khusus Circle West area, Jl. Raya Citra Garden 6, RT.3/RW.15, Tegal Alur, Kalideres, DKI Jakarta, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 11820
Telephone:
+62821-1788-8957
Opening Hours:
Opens Monday – Sunday, 9AM – 9PM
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Alicia Lidwina 
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