Get your kicks at Club 69 in Bandung

Get your kicks at Club 69 in Bandung

BANDUNG (JP): Club 69 in Bandung is located in an old building
with high ceilings, the type that the capital of West Java is
famous for. This, combined with an interior uncluttered to the
point of sparseness, gives the club the feeling of the converted
warehouses one finds in the newly gentrified areas of large
American cities.

It probably goes a long way toward explaining the club's
reputation for being a hip place; warehouse chic, for some
reason, having attained ultrafashionable and happening status.

When asked about the name of the club, the waiter giggled,
actually giggled like a little girl, and said the owner was born
in 1969 and so Club 69. No other meaning behind it, apparently,
but the drink menu prominently features such cocktails as the
Screaming Orgasm, Sex on the Beach (which, admittedly, are not
all that unusual in bars around the world) and some concoction
that funnily enough has the words "mother f****r" in its name.

There is no food to be found here, just beer and cocktails.
The owner of the club also owns a place in Jakarta, which may
explain why, according to a waiter, the joint attracts a
decidedly Jakartan crowd. However, at 9 p.m. when we visited
there was no evidence the place attracted any sort of crowd;
reportedly the joint does not start jumping until 1 a.m. or
thereabouts when it is filled with all the good and beautiful
people.

If you can negotiate the stairs, there is a pool table on the
second floor, and a few stools from which you can watch the
action unfold below. The downstairs bar is located in the middle
of the cavernous room, and settees line a wall. There is some
outdoor seating, but it does not get too stuffy inside because
the windows and doors are kept open, allowing one to watch the
foot traffic passing by on the sidewalk.

For a club going for cool, the cocktails are surprisingly
affordable, the same price or cheaper than in places that are
unabashedly, almost proudly, unhip.

And they are nice and strong, no skimping on the alcohol. This
is good, because the cavernous Club 69, kept in a perpetual half-
light, begs to be considered and enjoyed through alcohol-dulled
senses. This is no knock on the place, rather it is a compliment.
Some bars and clubs are downright hostile, and after a few drinks
the paranoia and dread will start to kick in, forcing you to
flee. At Club 69 it's just the opposite; the more you have to
drink, the more you enjoy the place.

Next time you find yourself craving cocktails in Bandung,
check out Club 69 at Jl. Asia Afrika 188. Go early if you want
some time by yourself, just you and your drink, and late if you
want to enjoy the company of others. (David Eyerly)