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)