Raging 'Zanzibar' offers cozy cocktails, fame

Raging 'Zanzibar' offers cozy cocktails, fame

By Tobias Gluckmans

JAKARTA (JP): Exploding volcanoes, tacos, rock `n' roll
paraphernalia and hand prints of the stars ... As Jakarta's up-
scale nightlife continues to grow, new clubs, restaurants and
bars are turning more to gimmicks and specialties to draw in an
increasingly jaded elite market.

Zanzibar, which celebrated its coming out party in Blok M,
South Jakarta, last week, makes its own particular pitch to
Jakarta society through an array of cocktails from the familiar
to the erotic.

Upon entering Zanzibar I was taken aback by the lack of effort
to create an environment reminiscent of the tropical island from
which the bar takes its name. Aside from a few ferns, some framed
drawings of African wildlife, and a tropical mural there was
really nothing else to prevent it from being dubbed Siberia
instead. My dismay was hardly alleviated by the owner's
explanation: "On Zanzibar Island, people pool commodities to
survive ... while, at the same time many of the executive patrons
of Zanzibar trade commodities to survive," said Gurhadi
Kartasasmita.

Despite its weak ties to the Tanzanian island-state, Zanzibar
still offers much for the discriminating night prowler. The
interior designers, remarkably, have had to do little to
transform a second floor office space into a cozy, familiar and
comfortable bar.

Wood floors run alongside a sweeping bar until they reach a
spacious platform ringed with cozy couches and spotted with
tables where backgammon and Jenja are played. The walls are half
paneled with teak and windows run the length of the bar and
overlook the eastern entrance to Blok M. Dim table lamps, subtle
curves and non-intrusive music instill a sense of security in
shocking contrast to the bright, angular, sterile office foyer
leading to the bar's entrance.

The grand opening celebration commenced with the roar of sassy
music and the appearance of four women dressed as earless playboy
bunnies armed with pink feather dusters; they were accompanied by
five tuxedoed waiters wielding cocktail trays to which several
wine glasses must have been glued. These two groups took turns,
and even collaborated, on a variety of whirls, twirls and two-
steps. Though the crowd rewarded their efforts with roars of
approval, the meaning behind their decidedly non-Indonesian
performance eluded me. I suspect, however, it may have something
to do with commodities.

As more solemn music was tuned in, the celebration proceeded
to the cutting of a large chocolate Z-shaped cake. After a few
canned remarks about "quality" and "customers first," Scottish
manager Steven Young proved to us all that he can drench a large
crowd with a single bottle of champagne.

With the festivities concluded, it was time to put Zanzibar to
the test. The bar's claim to have the largest cocktail selection
in Indonesia seemed secure with just over 100 mixed drinks on the
menu. However, I still had my doubts about quality: preparing
mixed drinks is a skill not easily mastered. Fortunately,
recognizing a well prepared cocktail is far easier.

Scanning the menu I quickly came across one of my old friends
the "mudslide". I managed to get the attention of one of several
bartenders impressing customers with flying glasses and uncanny
hand-eye coordination. With all the excitement and airborne
objects my order took a wrong turn and I ended up with a glass of
white wine.

When the error was corrected, I was surprised to have placed
before me a very small, stemmed glass with a flared top; within
it were the main components of a mudslide layered and unmixed.
This was a far cry from the larger cocktail glasses I typically
associate with mixed drinks on the rocks. Nevertheless, I toppled
the glass into my mouth, gargled a bit before swallowing, and
concluded that it is probably impossible to make a bad mudslide.

My photographer, with a more visual inclination, chose the
flaming "rainbow" (again in the flared glass) which once
extinguished had the taste of children's cough syrup. Not a fan
of sweet liqueurs to begin with, I leave the final judgment of
the "rainbow" to the readers.

I continued on in more familiar territory, ordering a frozen
strawberry daiquiri. For years I have struggled to develop my own
daiquiri making skills, and in the process have acquired an
understanding of the field's challenges and subtleties. With
these qualifications I pronounce assuredly that Zanzibar's frozen
strawberry daiquiri's are dead on target: made with real
strawberries, not too sweet, not too watery, a touch of lime and
only the slightest hint of the Bacardi rum inside. Zanzibar was
beginning to look up.

Yanti, one of the many eager waitresses, informed me that the
"orgasm" was, without a doubt, the most popular drink on the
menu.

"It is the women, both expatriates and Indonesians, who always
order this drink," she admitted.

Without hesitation, I put in my order. Again the small flared
glass arrived, but this time the contents had an uncomfortably
familiar texture and appearance. With only faith to lead me, I
took the obligatory sip and discovered the concoction to be risky
in name only; if anything, it was sweet and relatively harmless.

While I doubt the bunnies will return, Zanzibar offers a
different happy hour specials for each day of the week: Mondays
ladies can have "orgasms" two for the price of one, while
business cards are collected on Fridays for a 9 p.m. drawing for
a bottle of alcohol.

Yanti also confirmed that Fried Kalamari and Thai Prawn Salad
were the crowd favorites from the limited food menu. Prices for
meals and cocktails mostly fell between Rp 8,000 and Rp 20,000,
with the bulk of cocktails priced at Rp 12,000. Pop music
spanning from the 1960s through the 1980s is piped out at levels
soft enough for guests to meet and carry on conversations.

According to the owner and several of the waitresses, turnout
has been particularly good in the last two months with a balance
of mature expats and Indonesians early in the evening being
replaced mostly by Indonesian students in the later hours.
Fridays and Saturdays the bar is especially busy.

"Right now, this is the place where the famous people want to
be," said Yanti. "Most people here are from the middle to upper
classes."

Several regular patrons confirmed her observations.

Gurhadi claims he found the inspiration for Zanzibar's cozy
and cordial ambiance after making his own rounds of Jakarta's
nightlife.

"Every time I went to a disco, cafe, restaurant, or pub I felt
there was some element missing," he explained. "In Zanzibar, I
feel I have included some elements from all of those places."

But Gurhadi seems all too conscious of the fickle nature of
Jakarta's upper class night crawlers, and the need for him to
maintain his establishment's status as the latest craze.

"We have created a cozy atmosphere, kind of like that Cheers
song (Everybody Knows Your Name)." he said. "Each month we will
hold special events like a fashion show or birthday parties to
keep our regular guests and outsiders excited about Zanzibar."

For most of the patrons interviewed, Zanzibar was an
alternative to other Jakarta nightspots in that it provided a
place where they could expect to meet friends in an environment
free from the undesirable elements that often plague other
establishments.