TEMPO.CO, Solo – President Joko Widodo’s eldest child, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, has launched another business line—this time in the form of a sweet martabak (pancake) café called Markobar. The president had tried the food in the café during his latest visit to Solo last weekend.
A picture of the president at the small café has been circulating online since April 4, when Kaesang Pangarep—the president’s youngest child—posted it on his Twitter account @kaesangp. The picture is also seen on @Chilli_Pari, the official Twitter account of a caterer belonging to Gibran.
Both accounts have repeatedly promoted Markobar—short for Martabak Kota Barat—which is located in the west wing of Solo Grand Mall, which launched in early April.
Satrio, an employee at Markobar, said the café was a joint venture. “There are several owners,” he said on Wednesday night, April 8, 2015. He added Gibran often came to the place to check out on sales.
Satrio explained Markobar is a brand of a martabak street vendor in the vicinity of Kota Barat yard that has been around for over a decade. “This place is some short of its franchisee,” he said.
Markobar’s mainstay dish is an eight-flavored sweet martabak with chocolates as topping. “There are eight flavors on each pan,” Satrio said, adding that the special beverage of the café is young coconut in ice called Kapling Cinta.
AHMAD RAFIQ