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

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.