P's Place: A breath of cool air in steamy Jaksaville

P's Place: A breath of cool air in steamy Jaksaville

You might have noticed by this stage of the game that Jakarta
has almost as many luxurious pubs as there are pedicabs in
Bekasi.

Unfortunately, like so many of the aforementioned three-
wheeled taxis, the majority of these pubs, with a few notable
exceptions, are empty most of the time outside weekends.

So, normally what happens midweek is that the intrepid guzzler
finds himself stuck propping up some frigid bar surrounded by a
virtual battalion of bartenders, waitresses and associated other
attendants, all the time being barraged by volleys of questions
about where he's from, where he's going and where he ate dinner
last.

Not a fate that would normally send a frisson of anticipation
up the eager punter's spine, especially given that most of these
deluxe, glorified morgues have a penchant for charging the
proverbial arm and a leg ... or two.

All of which, of course, proves once again that copious glitz
and glitter, and interior designers flown in from New York or
Tokyo, do not a convivial establishment make.

So what is a true-blue glugger to do, say, on a wet Tuesday
after work here in the big smoke?

Not sink into despondency, no sirree, as there're still a few
locales around where you can have a couple of beers in the
company of like-minded imbibers at prices that won't overly
stress the piggy-bank.

And paramount among these locales is still the old dog itself,
Jl. Jaksa.

Now, only someone with a perpetual sunny disposition, or else
suffering from hole-in-the-head syndrome, would deny that Jaksa
has seen better days, and it seems like a long-distant memory
when the street was jam-packed every night with thirsty expats
and starry-eyed backpackers (still a few of the latter around,
but nothing like those roaring 90s).

What we've basically been left with on Jaksa is a row of
cobbled-together, clapped-out drinking dens serving warm, if not
actually hot, beer and the sort of food that you'd hesitate to
feed to your pet goat (if he survived Idul Adha, that is!).

Let's face it, good customer service is not something that
comes second nature to most of the pub operators mooching around
in this neck of the woods, and take-the-money-and-run has sadly,
long been the name of the game for most of them.

Until the last year or two, that is.

For there's been something of a mini-revival quietly taking
place down Jaksa way, kicked off by the great food and
unbelievable prices dished up by Ya-Udah Bistro, which set up
shop almost two years ago.

This heartening process has recently received a major shot in
the arm with the arrival of P's Place, a new boozer that's full
just about every night of the week with sundry normal, weird and
eccentric characters -- a great place for both an after-work
tipple or a major shindig with the mates.

But let's get one thing straight right away -- P's Place is
small. So small, truth to tell, that uncharitable souls might
even be tempted to label it a hole in the wall.

But good goods come in small parcels, so they say, and P's
Place is replete with some very good goods indeed.

Not least among these is the balding, big-eared and amiable
proprietor, Boss P, who is normally to be found holding up the
bar somewhere in the vicinity of the pool table, ensuring that
well-known 8-ball cheats, like your's truly, don't get up to
their usual tricks.

He's such an amiable host, in fact, that when in a
particularly good mood he's known to stand the regulars a beer or
two, something heretofore unheard of in Jaksa!

Also wrapped up in Boss P's small parcel of enticing goods is
a coterie of simpering barmaids who give all the appearances of
having just been drafted in from Blok M.

This should come as no surprise, though, given that P's Place
is the northern offshoot of that popular Blok M hostelry, D's
Place, another great spot for an after-work tipple.

Pricewise, P's is slightly more expensive than most of the
other watering holes on Jaksa, which is perfectly reasonable
given that it's in a different league altogether -- I mean, it's
clean, friendly, has a pool table and a big TV (for the footie,
of course), and, something of a new departure for Jaksa, it's
fully air-conditioned.

If you do find yourself tempted to give Boss P's establishment
a whirl, a glass of ice-cold Bintang draft will set you back a
very reasonable Rp 12,000 (happy hour Rp 10,000), a Johnny Walker
Red Rp 25,000 (happy hour Rp 20,000), Black Label Rp 32,500
(happy hour Rp 27,500), and a Smirnoff Vodka Rp 25,000 (happy
hour Rp 20,000).

They've also got house plonk in the form of Semillon Trebbiano
Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon (Rp 32,500 per glass, Rp 27,500
during happy hour), both of which aren't too bad as far as such
tipples go.

As for the food, check out the meat pie, served with Branston
Pickle and a snip at Rp 25,000. Other tasty treats on offer
include Southern-style Gumbo (Rp 30,000), the special chili bowl
(Rp 25,000), and traditional fish and chips with tartar sauce (Rp
25,000).

I once described Jl. Jaksa in this column as being something
akin these days to a jaded old tart still flogging her wares long
after her use-by date. And in many ways this still holds true.

But with the advent of Ya-Udah and now an air-conditioned,
reasonably priced boozer in the shape of P's Place, it's pretty
clear that the old tart still has one or two tricks down her
dress to keep the punters lining up. Good one, Boss P!

P's Place, Jl. Jaksa No. 5, Central Jakarta (tel: 319-09847).
Hours: 10 a.m.-2 a.m. seven days a week. Happy hour: All day
until 8 p.m. Only visa credit cards and cash accepted so far.