Little magic at Happy Dragon

Little magic at Happy Dragon

JAKARTA (JP): The Happy Dragon Fun Pub promises fun. It's
right there in its name. And if promises were cherries, we'd all
be eating pie. But we're not -- we're eating Ca Kue Mayonnaise
and drinking watery whisky while a bad cover band bangs away on
stage, and some guy eyes your date like she's on the menu.

Location: Happy Dragon is in Hotel Dusit Mangga Dua, a rather
nice-looking hotel on Jl. Mangga Dua Raya in Kota. You can
telephone 612-8811 or email Dragon@dusit.com.

Hours: Happy Dragon serves lunch daily from 11:30 a.m. to 3
p.m. Happy Hour is from 2:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week,
draft beer only. And there's a live band Monday to Saturday from
9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

What's it got: That's difficult to answer, because when a
drink list was requested we were told there was none. There is
draft beer and, one assumes, bottled beer. And judging by the
bottles behind the bar, they have the usual selection of spirits.

They can also prepare mixed drinks, though it seems to be a
chore. The bartenders gathered around behind the bar as if
conferring, appeared to reach an agreement, then dispatched one
or two from the group to find the right ingredients and mix the
drink. It appeared to be an exacting process.

Bill, please: The drinks are not inexpensive. Something called
a Rainbow, which you set on fire before sucking through a straw,
and which seemed to be the drink of choice this particular night,
goes for Rp 38,800. A Johnny Walker Black Label is Rp 58,800 and
a Jack Daniels and Coke the same. I was charged for two of the
latter though I only drank one, did not order a double and,
judging by how little alcohol I tasted, certainly was not given a
double. Of course, I didn't notice this billing error until I got
home.

Here's looking at you: Happy Dragon is done up with the
cliches of Chinatowns you find in cities outside China. There are
murals of "typical Chinese" scenes, paper lanterns, old-fashioned
street lamps, etc. It's cheesy but without the cheerfulness that
this often achieves.

Maybe this is partly because the place is so dark it may as
well have been one of those sleazy Kota nightspots. Happy Dragon
is not going for sleaze, it's going for fun (see name of pub), so
lighten up.

Odds and ends: Happy Dragon on a Saturday night was not
jumping. There were a few couples, a foreign man trying to become
a couple with a couple of women, and a group of men dressed like
they came from the office. This group seemed to be enjoying
themselves, having a laugh, slurping up Rainbows like there was a
contest. Everyone else was subdued. To be fair, the place
reportedly gets busy for Happy Hour, filling up with people from
nearby offices.

Happy Dragon does seem to be trying to liven things up, with
several special attractions. On Mondays they have the Wheel of
Discount, where the bartender spins a wheel every hour and you
get discounts of up to 70 percent. Tuesday is couples' night and
only the men pay, while Wednesday is gents' night, no women
allowed (!). There is also a collection of ties hanging behind
the bar; apparently if you turn over your tie you can get a free
beer. Looking at the ties behind the bar, their former owners got
a very good deal.

Last call: If you take the trouble to go to Kota for nighttime
entertainment, you might as well go somewhere seedy and sleazy,
because at least you could see something you've never seen
before. But until they put the fun into the Happy Dragon Fun Pub,
it's not worth the trip. (Penn Dawson)