A Birthday Full of Clues (and Cakes!)

Earlier this year, on my birthday, my boyfriend asked how I felt. I told him it didn’t feel much different from any other day. My exact words, I believe, were, “A birthday is just a birthday. There’s nothing really special about it.”

Upon hearing that, he was quick to disagree. He told me that “a birthday is not just a birthday,” and that I should feel special. He then went on to celebrate the day beautifully, with surprises I had never imagined.

After that day, I started to understand the hype around annual celebrations. Even if the day goes by like any other, putting in even the smallest effort can make a huge difference.

That’s why, on his birthday last week, I was determined to make him happier than usual. 

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The Day of the Birthday

So, my boyfriend is a dino-lover, remember? On his birthday, I gave him a petite cake with a dinosaur and the number “24” decoration on top. It was so, so cute—no bigger than a few centimeters. I ordered it online from @indri.w.homebaking.

While it was adorable when I handed it to him, it wasn’t anymore when he brought it home on his bike. The road he took must’ve been quite bumpy, because when he opened the box, this cute little cake had already flipped upside down.

Well, that was definitely on us, not the shop. But hey, at least it still tasted good when he ate it for breakfast!

Along with the cake came an orange dinosaur card I bought from Jumba Jamba, which included a short rundown of what we would do that weekend to celebrate, and a scroll containing a clue.

“Zacha’s Birthday Celebration Rundown:

10.00 – 11.00 : Massage time at Kokuo Reflexology, Menteng

11.00 – 12.30 : Head to our lunch spot

12.30 – 14.00 : Lunch at XXX (clue attached)

14.00 – 15.30 : Head to Zacha’s place

15.30 – 18.00 : Presents unwrapping and relaxing

18.00 – 19.00 : Head to our dinner spot

19.00 – 21.00 : Dinner at XXX (clue will be given in the afternoon)”

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The Day of the Celebration

10.00 – 11.00 : Massage time at Kokuo Reflexology, Menteng

Since my boyfriend is a huge fan of massages, I booked him a 60-minute session of signature massage and reflexology at Kokuo Reflexology, Menteng. He told me he preferred the full-body signature massage—it was so good and relaxing.

11.00 – 12.30 : Head to our lunch spot

I had originally allowed an hour and a half for the commute so we wouldn’t have to rush to lunch. It turned out to be perfect timing since it unexpectedly started raining after the massage, and the traffic became quite heavy.

Just so you know, my boyfriend managed to guess the clue I gave him a few days earlier—after several “call a friend” (read: call me) sessions. It was a crossword puzzle about him and our relationship.

I told him that to find out the name of our lunch spot, he had to look for an anomaly in the crossword. The anomaly was actually the numbers in the sentence, “Happy 24th birthday, Zacha! 1 lov u 6embulku h3he.” If he took the first letters of the answers to questions number 2, 4, 1, 6, and 3, he would get the place name.

And the place was called Soren.

12.30 – 14.00 : Lunch at Soren

Lunch at Soren was amazing. The service was top-notch. Every dish had bold flavors that completely satisfied our taste buds, and the rain added a cozy touch to the already inviting ambiance.

We even got our picture taken in a vintage Polaroid as a souvenir.

Our orders:

Peking Duck with Black Cherry Sauce

Crying Tiger Striploin

Smoked Brisket Claypot Rice

Spicy Bone Marrow Noodle

Drinks: Island Whisper (thyme, melon, coconut, lemon, pineapple) and iced tea. 

I also surprised him by pre-ordering a dessert called Orange Viet (orange and coffee entremets—coffee sponge, coffee mousse, blood orange gel, and orange curd). After lunch, the waitresses came out with the dessert and sang Happy Birthday, which caught both of us by surprise.

They even gave us a small sparkler beside the candle. My boyfriend lit it and told me excitedly to take a picture of him with the cake. Unfortunately, I was too stunned by how close the sparkler was to the dessert to move quickly enough.

The sparkler dimmed.

But still, it was such a fun moment.

14.00 – 15.30 : Head to his place

It was still raining—this time, even harder—so it took us quite a while to reach my boyfriend’s place.

15.30 – 18.00 : Presents unwrapping and relaxing

I don’t think I need to tell you what I got him for his birthday. But maybe I’ll write a gift recommendation list someday. Stay tuned.

18.00 – 19.00 : Head to our dinner spot

During lunch at Soren, I gave him another clue for our dinner spot. He managed to solve it eventually—after complaining quite a bit about how difficult it was.

I mean, what’s so difficult about this?

Riddle explanation: There’s a Subway. Underneath it, some cinema seats. I circled the front row of three seats, meaning he should take the word “SUB” from Subway.

Then came “A, I, U, E, ?” — of course, “O.”

And for the second word, there’s a family animation. He got that one quickly.

So our dinner spot was Subo Family.

19.00 – 21.00 : Dinner at Subo Family

Subo Family is basically a (literally) hidden listening bar in Jakarta. Located in the owner’s home, it offers a unique dining experience accompanied by vinyl music. The address isn’t listed on Google Maps—you’ll only get the directions once you’ve booked a spot.

Fun fact: there’s no fixed menu at Subo Family. The dishes change daily based on what’s available at the market. During our visit, each of us had a plate of nasi tutug tempe and yamin noodles. My boyfriend ordered a glass of chocolate drink, while I opted for a matcha latte.

Oh, and I also ordered a plate of cheesecake brûlée for his birthday! The waiter played the instrumental version of Happy Birthday on vinyl while serving it to us.

Everything was lovely. The ambiance was everything I’d hoped for and more—cozy, private, and homey.

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By the end of the day, we were so full we couldn’t eat another bite. But we were both incredibly happy with how smoothly the day had gone. Cheers to many more birthday celebrations to come!

Here’s to celebrating everything—and every day.

If you like this post, you might also enjoy Dinner Night at “A Bowl of Curry Noodle” and Bagel Coffee Company: The Spot Where I Balanced My Introvert Social Swings.