Beating back the blues at B.B.'s bar in Menteng

Beating back the blues at B.B.'s bar in Menteng

JAKARTA (JP) Saturday night found my partner and I feeling
rather down, so we decided it was high time we ventured out to
somewhere that would make us realize that we weren't nearly as
bad off as we thought we were.

And where better for such a purpose than the good ol' B.B.'s
Blues bar, perhaps the nearest thing that Jakarta has to a home
away from home for singin' the blues.

Location: Very central at Jl. Sidoarjo No. 1 in Menteng, which
is just off Jl. Menteng Raya on the left hand side, right before
Plaza Menteng coming from the north.

Hours: Noon to 2 a.m. every day.

What's it got: Well, more or less everything that you would
expect from an establishment in upmarket Menteng, including real
Dom Perignon at the out-of-this-world (for this reviewer, at any
rate) price of Rp 1,950,500 per bottle. It also has quite an
extensive menu, and the dishes we sampled turned out to be more
than adequate. B.B.'s claim to fame, however, is its live blues
music playing seven nights a week. And for those who can't take
anymore bawlin' and sobbin', there's a small disco bar on the
second floor.

Bill, please: B.B.'s is a middle of the range establishment,
which means prices range from Rp 14,000 for a local draught beer
(Bintang) to Rp 25,000 for a draught Heineken. Imported beers,
including Corona and Victoria Bitter, also go for Rp 25,000 per
bottle. For teetotalers, fruit juices are all priced at Rp
12,500. As for spirits, the price range was again decidedly
middle of the road with all premium liquors going for Rp 29,000
(Jameson, Jack Daniels, Johnnie Walker Black, etc.). Among what
the drinks' list described as "Super Duper" liquors, Martell VS
was to be had for Rp 33,000, and Remy and Glenfiddich for Rp
45,000.

A wide variety of cocktails are available, ranging in price
between Rp 29,000 and Rp 41,000, including extravaganzas such as
the "Flaming Guitar" (Rp 41,000), which is a lethal combination
of Sambuca, Galiano, Blue Curacao, Kahlua and Bailey's, and the
even more gut-wrenching "Scomfy Screw" (also Rp 41,000, and yes,
that's the correct spelling), which we were informed consisted of
Galliano, Stolichnaya, Southern Comfort and Amaretto. Whatever
the fuel, believe you me, this baby packed a punch!

Here's looking at you: B.B.'s consists not one but of three
separate and distinct bars, with each of them occupying a
different floor in the establishment. The ground floor is home to
a sedate and laid back lounge bar and dining area with "classic"
hits from the 1960s and 1970s livening up the atmosphere
somewhat. This was where my companion and I first spotted some of
the denizens from the Blues bar upstairs. Most of them would have
been more at home at a Harley Davidson convention than an
African-American social night, even though many of them were
"sporting" luxuriant Jimmy Hendrix-style afro hairdos (we later
discovered they were wigs), giving the bar a weird, surreal feel.

The second floor is devoted to a small and what would probably
be an intimate discotheque if it were not almost deserted when we
took a gander at 11 p.m. on our way upstairs. When we got to the
Blues bar on the third floor, it was about three-quarters full,
but there were still enough seats for everyone. There was a good
smoke-extraction system in operation, essential given the small
size of the room, and the air conditioning was excellent, even a
little on the cold side.

The decor was satisfying with the walls covered with pictures
of the blues' greats of yore and lots of rough-hewned log
paneling and furniture to conjure up the Southern rustic
ambience. This was far from the type of spit-and-sawdust saloon
normally associated with the blues. Rather, it was a scrubbed and
sanitized Indonesian version of America -- Hollywood style -- and
about as close to the real world as Menteng is to the slums of
Muara Angke. But who's pretentious?

The company was relaxed and friendly (despite some fierce
biker demeanors), the beer cold as ice and the music just about
as lonesome as you could wish for. Yes Lord, it's true, there are
people a lot worse off than ourselves!

Odds and ends: On the Saturday night when we visited, the
B.B.'s clientele consisted of quite a few bikers and their
girlfriends (all very civilized, unlike in many countries), a
smattering of foreigners and several couples. It was clear from
the outset that this was a very easygoing and relaxed sort of
establishment -- in fact, a number of couples had even brought
their children along for dinner to the bar cum restaurant
downstairs -- and had something to suit almost every taste,
whether it be a meal at the bar on the ground floor, dancing on
the second floor or crying your eyes out on the third floor.

Last call: B.B.'s is located just about as conveniently as you
can get in Central Jakarta and there are oodles of parking space
outside. It's a pleasant venue for listening to the blues and
doesn't seem to get too crowded even on a Saturday night. So it's
just the ticket if you prefer a more relaxed, take-it-easy sort
of venue.

There's one thing though -- those heart-rending Southern
melodies tend to be blasted out at the upper end of the decibel
scale, so those with sensitivity to loud music should, perhaps,
give the Blues bar a miss. But, for most of the punters there,
this type of music was exactly what they were looking for. (Bill
Blade)