A lonely evening out at Cuba Libre Latin Bar

JAKARTA (JP): Our new column on bars offer readers a tour of the capital's watering holes, from the chic to the sleazy, the happening to the tired. We begin the tour at Cuba Libre Latin Bar.

Location: Jl. Veteran 1, No. 32, Central Jakarta. Located on a rather small, dark and, at night, very empty street next to the very good Italian restaurant Domus (the two have the same owner) a few Indian restaurants and precious little else. Its location probably goes a long way toward explaining the lack of patrons. A little tip; if you are not the type who likes walking to find a taxi, particularly in the rain, you may want to call for a cab before you are ready to leave.

Hours: Open weekdays from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m., weekends from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Happy Hour is from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., making it more a Happy Hours.

What's it got: A fully stocked bar offering a choice of whiskeys, vodkas, cognacs and other spirits, as well as domestic and imported beers. Cuba Libre also offers a cigar bar. A walk-in humidor contains a good selection of Cubans, cigars that is, not Communists.

Bill, please: Standard prices that do not differ from most bars in the capital. Four drinks -- two Stolys, one Bailey's and cream and a Shirley Temple (who ordered that?), cost Rp 155,000, including tax and the service charge.

Here's looking at you: Make no mistake, Cuba Libre is a tastefully designed bar that puts to shame many of the garishly decorated pubs, clubs and cafes that draw crowds in the capital. There is a nice long bar that affords drinkers plenty of elbow room, a few tables and armchairs arranged about the spacious room and a dance floor in the middle of it all (though you'd have to be pretty drunk to start twirling about the floor all by your lonesome while the idle bartenders looked on).

There is also a pool table, though it is set a bit close to the wall, making for some rather acrobatic shots. The best part of the bar are the smoking rooms, with its wonderfully deep armchairs perfect for sipping a cognac and smoking a fat Cuban, again the cigar. There are also magazines available, including copies of Jakarta Kini -- The City Life Magazine, which could prove useful if you want to find a bar that has other patrons.

So, what's your sign: You will not be dusting off your pick-up lines here, unless you want to try them out on the bartender.

Odds and ends: To get to the bar requires a climb up a steep and rather long set of stairs. Coming in is no problem, other than the thumping heart and gasps for breath. It's the leaving that could prove tricky, and one can picture pinwheeling drunks going down the stairs the hard way, with the stern-faced security guard opening the door as they reach the bottom and giving a polite, "Good night, mister," as they tumble into the street. This is not to say that has ever happened, but it's fun to think it could.

The night this reviewer was at the bar, the TV set up on the little stage was tuned to the National Geographic channel, where a pack of hyenas quartered a lion cub. The mother lion, as she lay down alone for the night, had such a heartbreaking look on her face. Nature is so cruel, but much more entertaining than the usual music videos and sporting events one gets at other bars.

Last call: Cuba Libre is a classy and comfortable bar that just happens to be largely devoid of customers, which is too bad. If you like drinking by yourself (and if you do, please go get some help), you will love this bar. If you travel in packs, Cuba Libre will make a great destination. Just think of it as your own private bar.