Paprika Wine Lounge and Restaurant is red hot

Paprika Wine Lounge and Restaurant is red hot

JAKARTA (JP): Word has spread through the city of a new
restaurant and bar, or wine lounge if you will. According to the
talk, the place is hip, stylish and attracts the in-crowd of
chic, good-looking and well-to-do Jakarta residents.

So we decided to take a look at Paprika and see if all the
talk was deserved, or just the wishful thinking of a city hungry
for good bars and restaurants.

Location: Paprika is found at Jl. Wahid Hasyim 55a, down the
street from Hazarah and not too far from Jl. Jaksa, for whatever
that's worth. It's easy to spot the signage out front, but in
case you are still a little lost, Paprika is the place that looks
like a Mercedes showroom out front.

You can reach them at 390-4703 or 390-4704, and you might want
to call ahead for a table if you are planning on having dinner.

Hours: The restaurant is open every day from 11:30 a.m. to 3
p.m. for lunch, and opens at 5:30 p.m. for dinner, with last
orders at 11:30 p.m. The bar upstairs has the same hours for
lunch, and is then open from 5:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. or 1 a.m.

What's it got: There is a restaurant downstairs and a bar
upstairs, which is the focus of this review. The bar, being
officially referred to as a wine lounge, has a wide selection of
vintages. You can order by the bottle or the glass, with a
rolling selection offered. You will also find spirits, cocktails,
mixed drinks and beer.

You can also order a bite up in the bar, with appetizers
including cheese, salami, mushrooms and other such nibbles.

Bill, please: Wine is, generally speaking, more expensive than
your average cocktail, so you can always expect to pay a little
more at a wine lounge. Which is not say that you can't get some
good wine at Paprika at reasonable prices. The price of the beer
and cocktails here are standard for your smarter bars in the
city.

We had two beers, Heinekens, and a glass of Chardonnay and the
bill came to Rp 128,260, including tax and service. Pretty
reasonable, particularly considering the stylish surroundings.

Here's lookin' at you: The thing that has most people talking
about Paprika is the look of the place. It is stark and
minimalist, all open spaces and sharp corners. Some may fell that
it's cold, both figuratively and literally, while others may look
at it as a chic work of modernism. Whatever your take, there is
no denying that is stands out from other establishments in the
capital, offering something new that wouldn't be out of place in
the trendier areas of New York and other cosmopolitan cities in
the world.

Paprika is one big open space, and one gets the feeling of
being exposed, which some might find discomfiting, looking for a
corner to take shelter in. But shelter is hard to come by. A huge
mirror covers most of one very large wall, and it seems
impossible to hide your reflection.

When you make your way upstairs to the bar, there are a number
of tables looking directly down through the empty space onto the
restaurant below. The chairs are boxy things with clean lines and
sharp corners, and one finds oneself constantly leaning forward
to speak across the space to your companion.

The bar itself is a small affair with only a few stools and
very little room to elbow up to for a drink. There are several
couches in the space in front of the bar. If it is busy and you
can't get a table, the bar offers scant refuge.

So, what's your sign: Paprika attracts young, attractive
professionals who clearly have a little extra spending cash in
their pockets, but most people seem to come in groups of four or
five. It makes for a livelier atmosphere; with loud conversation
and laughing, but more difficult if you harbor hopes of getting
some phone numbers. In other words, Paprika is not a pick-up
joint.

Last call: Paprika is a stylish restaurant and bar, and
deserving of the buzz if for no other reason than it offers
something new and different from other bars and restaurants in
Jakarta. Whether it is an anomaly or the start of a new trend in
the city, time will tell. What is certain is that Paprika merits
a visit. (Penn Dawson)