In search of excitement when the night arrives

In search of excitement when the night arrives

By Joko E.H. Anwar

JAKARTA (JP): After a hectic, stressful working day, you rush
home to take a hot shower before laying down on the bed for sweet
dreams; sounds perfect.

No, not for the 'yummies' - young upward mobile modern
independent elite singles. Despite the days hard work, they still
have the energy to hang-out and stay up till late at night,
especially on the weekends. In fact, many look forward to this
time to enjoy themselves, relaxing and having fun with their
peers.

Twenty-four-year-old Lydia, an employee at an engineering
consultancy firm, beamed as she entered Champions Sports Bar
Restaurant in Kemang, South Jakarta, on Friday night.

Along with her three friends, she had come early to make sure
she got her favorite place: a table right in front of the stage.

"I come here at least once a week. I also go to other places,
but I come here a lot to relax," Lydia told The Jakarta Post.

Lydia's idea of relaxing may not be the same as what other
people have in mind. Particularly when the band starts with the
live music and you can hardly hear yourself talk.

After a couple of ear-splitting songs, Lydia could not resist
the urge to dance, and went on the floor to groove to the
alternative rock and pop tunes played by the band.

Lydia is not the only young person who frequents such loud
places after work.

Many young singles, tired of working eight hours or more a
day, seek after-hours entertainment at several nightspots for a
change of atmosphere.

It was different 15 years ago when it was difficult to find
such places to enjoy live entertainment.

Today, cafes, pubs and discotheques have sprung up all over
major cities across the country, particularly in the capital.

Jakarta seems overflowing with cafes and pubs as you can find
them easily almost anywhere. Some have emerged in malls and also
in office buildings.

Some of the well-known cafes in Jakarta are Fashion Cafe, Hard
Rock Cafe, Jamz, Batavia, Lamborghini, Retro, Zanzibar, Zona
Music, Gondolla, Bugs, Underground, Salsa, Matabar, Jalan-Jalan,
Hore-Hore, Bengkel Night Park, Sina Bar, Butik Cafe the and Sky
Bar.

The cafes may not be as cozy as those in western countries but
they have a distinctive flavor all of their own. Some are not
well-maintained, and all of them face the possibility of being
raided by Islamic organizations. However, the cafes seem to be
never short of customers.

Some patrons admit having spent hundreds of thousands of
rupiah each for a nights entertainment, but many say that they
only spend around Rp 100,000 (US$10.50) or less.

While each cafe offers a different atmosphere, customers under
20 years of age or those who are in their early 30s have a common
preference about places they like to visit.

Twenty-six-year-old Andri Daulay, the regional development
manager of insurance company PT Asuransi Jiwa Bumiputera John
Hancock, said he only goes to cafes which have a friendly
atmosphere.

"I like to go to cafes and pubs where most of the patrons are
young people and where you get the feeling that it is friendly
and not a 'meat-market'," Andri said.

While there are many cafes and pubs which offer "clean"
entertainment, there are several which have been used by some
patrons to sell drugs and offer sex services.

Young executives usually do not like to go to places where
most of the clientele are teenagers.

"There are some well-known cafes which I don't like to visit
since most of the people who go there are teenagers. I once went
to this place and hoped to have a good time. Instead, I got
annoyed big time by these overdressed teenagers," Lydia said.

Music, food

Places offering live bands are usually more preferred.

The bands usually perform songs currently on the music charts
or from patrons' requests.

Some of these bands turn out to be successful recording
artists. Some are only good at playing other artists' songs but
are not able to write their own.

Yusuf Andibachtiar Siswo, a 26-year-old copywriter, who admits
to being a frequenter of cafes, said he liked to go to the Hard
Rock Cafe on Jl. Thamrin, Central Jakarta, to watch good
Indonesian musicians.

"I also go to Jamz (on Jl. Sudirman, South Jakarta). Where
else can you find the best jazz musicians in such a cool
atmosphere?" he said, adding that he also frequently visited
Salsa in Kemang to dance to recorded music.

A 25-year-old executive, Fanny, prefers the Retro Cafe at
Crown Plaza on Jl. Gatot Subroto, South Jakarta, for its nice
atmosphere but finds the house music annoying.

"It's a great place, and the people who go there are nice, but
I can't stand the music. That's why I usually sit on the cafe's
terrace where it's much quieter," she said.

However, many of these young people go to cafes and pubs not
for the music.

Twenty-eight-year-old Chris, who came from England about two
years ago to live in the city, said he enjoys visiting several
places at night only for the food and drinks.

"I don't go to cafes or pubs for the music because it's
usually rubbish," Chris, who is also a journalist, said.

He said he was annoyed sometimes by the music played at cafes
and pubs as it was too loud.

"I like to eat out at Tenda Semanggi," Chris said, referring
to the 2.8-hectare plot behind the Jakarta Stock Exchange in
South Jakarta, where 90 cafes and restaurants employ some 2,000
people.

This area, which provides a variety of local and international
food and shops selling antiques and handicrafts, became popular
among Jakarta's young elite after its establishment in 1998. Some
of its cafes and restaurants were started by out-of-work actors
and actresses during the economic recession.

It recently faced possible closure by the city government
because it had violated a building code. The operators had
allegedly turned their establishments into permanent structures
while the original permits were for tents.

Chris also said he enjoyed going to places where he felt he
did not have to dress up.

"I don't like to go to places where their guests are very rich
and dressed up," Chris said adding that he preferred places such
as the English pub the Stanford Arms.

The pub, which had British Ambassador Robin Christopher
officiate at an event in May, is located in the Ambhara Hotel on
Jl. Iskandarsyah Raya in South Jakarta. It offers British food,
such as bangers and mash, fish and chips, and British pies --
apple pie and steak and kidney pies.

The pub is furnished with wooden chairs and a red carpet to
accentuate its British touch.

Fanny said she liked going to Dome Restaurant at Ratu Plaza on
Jl. Sudirman, South Jakarta, for its coffee.

"It's relatively more expensive compared to other similar
places. A cup of coffee and a slice of bread costs about Rp
50,000. But the coffee is superb," Fanny said.

For those who love ice cream, Andri has a place to recommend:
Pisa Cafe at Jl. Gereja Theresia I in Menteng.

"They have all kinds of delicious ice cream there," Andri
said.

But going to cafes, pubs or discotheque is the least
preference of a 29-year-old bank executive, Ahmad Adrian.

"I just do not find cafes and pubs the kind of places to
relax. I prefer to go to the movies. They're much more
entertaining and even educating sometimes and they give you a new
experience," Ahmad said, adding that he went to theaters at least
twice a week.

"And what's more the theaters are unlikely to be raided,"
Ahmad added, referring to the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), who
frequently raid nightspots.