Chili's: Cool is where the ice is in Central Jakarta

Bill Blade, Contributor, Jakarta

What is it about the pubs in Jakarta anyway, that every minute rise in the rate of inflation is taken as an excuse to slap a couple of thousand extra on the price of drink, even if there's not the remotest hint of an increase from the brewers or wholesalers?

Out of order, right?

Well, the upshot of all this voraciousness is that the number of places where you can get your paws on a reasonably priced tipple here in the big smoke are few and far between. In fact, visitors will find little difference in the prices charged in hotels and restaurants here and what they'll hit you for in such swanky, exotic places as London, New York or Paris.

And given that the whisky you'll be served in many a pricey dive here is more than likely watered down, you'll probably end up forking out a lot more in Jakarta before you get to that Nirvana-like stage of semi-inebriation.

But there are still one or two places left around where you can have a drink in fairly cheek-numbing air-conditioning and reasonably civilized surrounds without having to do a major amputation job on an arm and a leg.

One such salubrious establishment is Chili's, which you'll find tucked away on the first floor of the Sarinah Building in Central Jakarta, right up the escalator facing Jl. Wahid Hashim, to be precise.

Looks: Chili's, which has been quietly and unobtrusively feeding and watering Jakarta punters since the mid-90's, is actually better known as a restaurant. But what a lot of the happy diners don't realize is that there's a great little bar sequestered over to the left as you walk in through the big double doors at the front.

So sequestered, in fact, that the chances are you'd never know it was there unless you happened to have your table overturned by one of the more boisterous imbibers on his way to shake a leg.

Yes, the restrooms are, unfortunately, located right at the back of the very long restaurant area, requiring a major expedition and all sorts of complicated preparations if you happen to be taken short.

Compact and intimate by any standards, Chili's is definitely a singles paradise. So, unless you happen to have two heads or be similarly afflicted, you should have no problem meeting a potential soul mate if you chance to sidle in during one this particular watering hole's busier moments.

And unlike most pubs in Jakarta, which tend to be rather Jekyll-and-Hyde in character -- standing room only one day, dead as the morgue the next -- Chili's central location means that there's always tipplers dropping in, if, for nothing else, to take time out from shopping in Sarinah. So, even during its quieter incarnations, you won't be left holding up the bar on your own.

And, lest we forget, beers are served in great big frosted glasses. Just what the doctor ordered after the chaos of Jl. Wahid Hashim!

As for the service, great in the pub, although must admit there was a strange kind of intimidating character manning the door on the evening of our visit. Brusque sort of chap, and definitely not the sort you'd like to meet on a dark night, I'd wager.

Bill, please: Must admit, at first sight Chili's doesn't seem all that cheap, with a local draught beer going for Rp 30,000. But don't panic, they've got a nifty-shifty buy-one-get-one-free policy in effect every day from 3 p.m. till closing time, so that each big, icy-cold, mouth-watering glass in reality ends up only hitting you for Rp 15,000, a lot cheaper than in most similar establishments.

Imported beers are to be had for Rp 30,000 a bottle in the case of Miller and Rp 35,000 for Corona, Foster's and Heineken.

As for the harder stuff, a dram of Johnny Walker Black Label isn't so cheap at Rp 38,000, although a John Jameson Irish is good value at Rp 25,000 a generous shot (all prices quoted exclude 10 percent tax and a 5.5 percent service charge).

Odds and ends: Although Jakarta, thankfully, has a long, long road to travel before the level of criminality here even begins to approach the sort of goings-on you get in places like Johannesburg or Rio de Janeiro, you'd still be well-advised to keep a firm grip on your wallet or your handbag in the Sarinah area at night. Security around this neck of the woods could definitely do with some beefing up!

Verdict: With its laid-back atmosphere, friendly staff and welcoming bar, Chili's has long had a tried and trusted clientele, the more dedicated members of which are to be found slurping at the trough there (in a pleasant sort of way) most every night.

But it's also a boozer that's regularly transfused with new blood in the form of exhausted shoppers, thirsty salarymen from nearby office buildings, and even the odd Jl. Jaksa aficionado looking for a bit of a cool change.

So if you happen to be passing by Sarinah and find a little tickle in the throat, you could do worse than eschew some of the overrated and overhyped joints you'll find in the vicinity, and instead drop into Chili's for an icy cold beer that won't break the bank.

Chili's, Sarinah Building, 2nd Floor, Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 11 (you can call them on 3146587 - 88). Open from 11 a.m. to between 11:30 p.m. and 12 midnight (depending on the crowd) seven days a week.