On a trip full of possibilities to Zanzibar

JAKARTA (JP): This reviewer has been to Zanzibar, an established bar that never seems to suffer from a lack of customers, several times in the past, but was intrigued by a minireview of the place in one of the magazines floating around the city.

The review mentioned that the later in the night, the more debauched the place got. Now when I visited Zanzibar before, I always left around midnight or a little after, so I figure I must have missed all the fun. So on my latest visit, I arrived after midnight, just in time for the debauch, I assumed.

I walk in the door and the first thing that catches my attention, out of the corner of my eye, is someone on the bar. A little bit of the advertised debauchery, perhaps? No, just an employee sitting on the edge of the bar watching the tube. I took a closer look around the room and noticed it was virtually empty. That was when the manager came up and told me they were closing at one, apparently for lack of interest.

To be fair, this was a Tuesday night, but the review I mentioned didn't mention that the debauchery only took place on the weekend. Then it hit me, again: You can't trust bar reviews. They are, really, just subjective impressions influenced by outside factors. The reviewer shows up at a bar with a vicious hangover from the night before, and the bar gets a bad review. The reviewer's a lush and a bar has sweet Happy Hour deals, and nothing else, and the bar is a must-visit. Bar reviews can't be trusted.

So, on with the review.

Location: Jl. Sultan Hassanudin, second floor of the Victoria Building (near the Ambara Hotel and Pasaraya Blok M). The phone number is 725-5527.

Hours: Open 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., and 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Saturdays, though it can, as I learned, close earlier. Happy Hour is Monday to Friday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., 25 percent off.

What's it got: Zanzibar has an extensive cocktail list and they mix them up rather well. It also has beer and other drinks. There is also a full menu.

Bill, please: Standard pricing for a bar that's not some hole- in-the-wall dive filled with the characters that inhabit a Bukowski novel.

I had one rather yummy martini and two shots of Bacardi for a grand total of Rp 106,480, including your standard 10 percent service charge and 11 percent tax.

Here's looking at you: Zanzibar is a small affair, though not so small as to be stultifying. There is a longish, wooden bar and a largely open space with a few tables set up in front of the street-front windows. The floor is wooden and in the back is a DJ in the little DJ booth. Take a few small steps up and you enter the carpeted half of Zanzibar. Up here, couches are arranged in front of the window. There are a few TVs arranged up in the corners, and Zanzibar gets all the good movie channels.

The ceilings are rather low, and on nights when it is crowded, with everyone smoking away, the room can get somewhat smoky. That's not a bad thing; you can save your cigarette money and just suck up the second-hand smoke.

When I visited on the weekends, Zanzibar had a mix of clients in terms of age. There is a definite youth presence, but also a good number of working types who dress in suits by day and shake their butts by night. The place gets lively when it fills up, with much dancing and loud drunken talk. The crowd is a merry bunch who like to enjoy themselves. During the quieter times, Zanzibar is a nice little spot for cocktails and conversation.

Last call: Zanzibar is a thoroughly enjoyable bar that lives up to its good reputation. It's crowded and full of possibilities on most nights, and when it's not, like on Tuesday night after midnight, the drinks are still good. If you haven't gone, pay Zanzibar a visit and see what you've been missing. It will be worth your time. Trust me, I'm a bar reviewer. (Penn Dawson)