Morgan's, a great little watering hole in C. Jakarta

Morgan's, a great little watering hole in C. Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): If you happen to be unlucky enough to be driving
through Pasar Senen at night (God forbid that you should get a
puncture), one thing you'll notice pretty quick is just how much
like a battlefield the whole place is.

That, accompanied by the recent bombing there, sent the
beginnings of a little quiver down my spine. But never one to
refuse an assignment (or look a gift horse in the mouth), I
resolved that it was time to do what I was told and find
somewhere in the area where we could go out drinking, carousing
and reveling -- definitely a case of keeping the old upper lip
suitably stiff, flying the flag, keeping the home fires burning,
and all that, don't you know!

In the end, myself and the sidekick decided upon a nice, cozy
little boozing den called Morgan's, which also has live music to
keep up spirits on the home front -- essential in times like
these.

Location: Aston Atrium Hotel, Jl. Senen Raya 135, Central
Jakarta. If you want to reserve a table (good idea at weekends),
call (021) 3442828.

Hours: From 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday. They
manage to keep the wine flowing for another hour on Fridays and
Saturdays. These sort of opening hours are a pet hate of mine.
They call themselves a pub (it's written over the bar), so why
don't they operate pub hours? What about all those thirsty office
slaves who would kill for the mere smell of a potable after work?
Come on guys, show some consideration here!

What's it got: The usual sort of stuff -- yes, you've guessed
it -- booze, booze and more booze, plus some food and soft
drinks.

Great selection of beers, including Asahi, Fosters, Budweiser,
Corona, Heineken, and Carlsberg (all going for Rp 47,500).
Actually, got a bit carried away with the imbibing and, in an
unforgivable lapse, forgot to ask whether said beers came in cans
or bottles. Don't despair, however, as I'm pretty convinced it's
got to be one or the other.

As for the harder stuff, a Gordon's Gin or Smirnoff Vodka will
set you back Rp 46,000, while on the whisky front, Black Label
and Jack Daniels go for Rp 50,000, while Black Bush Irish is to
be had for Rp 46,000 (all spirit prices include a mixer). As for
the other stuff, soft drinks go for Rp 15,000 and fruit juices
for Rp 20,000.

There's also a limited but expensive menu that includes
bratwurst (very tasty), smoked salmon and sop buntut (Indonesian
oxtail soup).

Oh, by the way, woe of woe's, there's NO happy hour! What do
you think of that? Bit tight-fisted, eh?

Here's looking at you: Let's start with the bad points (not so
many of them this time, actually). Morgan's nestles at the foot
of an appalling spiral staircase that takes some negotiating even
before the amber nectar has begun to kick in. By home time, when
the amber-nectar process is well and truly underway, climbing the
said staircase could take on all the hallmarks of an assault on
the east face of Everest (at least it did in the eyes of this
critic).

Having said all that, however, it was well worth making the
descent into the bowels of the earth as Morgan's turned out to be
a great little watering hole. Cozy, dark, intimate, it's just the
place to snuggle up to a member of the opposite sex on one of the
sofas so thoughtfully provided.

As you walk through the door, immediately to your right is the
long and narrow bar section which is somewhat separated from the
music lounge by pillars, waist-high walls, and tables (you can
still see the band and ogle the dancers, however). This was my
favorite thing about the whole place.

Low-ceilinged and with heavy wood paneling, framed pictures of
Morgan motor cars (after which the place is named) cluttering up
the walls, astutely placed lamps and a long, enticing counter to
rest your elbows on, the place for all the world looked like the
bar in a British gentleman's club -- warm, comfortable and
eminently safe.

This was a place where you could settle yourself onto a soft
barstool and while away hours in stimulating conversation with a
soul-mate, leaving all thought of Jakarta's woes securely parked
up outside the door.

Or alternatively, you could just get mind-bogglingly drunk
like our new-found pair of Arab friends whose English I found
totally incomprehensible but who, at least, were friendly.

The relatively small music lounge in front of the bar area
could probably hold about 40 or 50 people at a shove. The band,
whom we discovered called themselves Kitie Gritie, certainly
threw themselves into the nitty gritty.

With seven members, two of whom were delectable young ladies
in rather revealing tops, and churning out hit after hit from the
70s, 80s and 90s, they put in a raunchy and raucous performance
that had all ten of us in the establishment on our feet cheering
and whooping (well, once or twice anyway). They must have
something going for them if they can do that to an assortment of
Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese, Arab, Irish and English boozers.

Oh, and yes, there were never any more than ten punters elbow-
bending during my two-hour stint in Morgan's. Drinking in
somewhat empty pubs seems to have become a regular experience of
mine recently. Could it be that the present "multidimensional
crisis" (as The Jakarta Post likes to call it) is biting hard, or
is it simply a case that I'm somewhat malodorous? All answers,
please, on a postcard to the Post.

However, fair's fair. It was a Wednesday night and there had
been a bomb in the area not too long ago. Our bubbly waitress
informed us that if you wanted to see the joint heaving, Friday
and Saturday nights, as you'd expect, were the go.

Odds and ends: If you're in any way shy, keep you're head down
because the delightful ladies from the band have a tendency to
try and stick a microphone down your throat. Could this be
revenge for something unfortunate they have experienced in their
lives? Who knows? Exhibitionists, though, will love all this of
course.

Last call: Well, I must say, I really liked this little place.
During the week, at any rate, it's just the place to wind down,
have a chat or get sloshed, whichever takes your fancy. Friendly
staff, good music and a snug, feel-good atmosphere all warrant a
big thumbs up for Morgan's. Would be an even bigger one, though,
if they had a happy hour! (Bill Blade)