Tiga Puluh: Heaving and shoving in nice sort of way

Bill Blade, Contributor, Jakarta

There are some blessed souls who plough through this life with rose-tinted spectacles perched on the ends of their noses and permanent smiles etched onto their mugs.

These acolytes at the alter of positive thinking are fully convinced that everything's going to turn out much better than expected and that, basically, we're all going to live happily every after.

I, however, tend to be a devotee of Mr. Murphy, that perspicacious chap who explained so eloquently to us that, in essence, whatever can go wrong darn well will go wrong.

And my experience wandering aimlessly through this veil of tears some call a life has proved Mr. Murphy to be right on the ball time and again.

The latest manifestation of his insightful perception came Sunday two weeks ago when myself and the sidekick eagerly, and extremely thirstily, bowled up to the imposing portals of Tiga Puluh Music Bar in Le Meridien hotel on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, only to find the joint firmly bolted up and sealed.

"Woe of woes," cried the sidekick distraughtly, and proceeded to put on a reasonably good imitation of a nervous breakdown. But all to no avail, the doors to this worldly paradise remained firmly shut in our faces and we were unceremoniously ordered to "come back tomorrow".

Well, we didn't come back tomorrow, but we did come back the following Saturday when our abject disappointment of the previous week turned to joy and, to cut a long story short, all was forgiven after a couple of beers went down the hatch.

Looks: Tiga Puluh is a rather unusual pub in that it actually consists of two pubs, with the first one serving as something of a lobby when you come down the escalator from the Le Meridien up above.

With its own bar and plenty of comfy sofas where one can languorously watch the beautiful people drift past, this is just the sort of place that's tailor made for middle-aged posers to hang out (the sidekick was immensely taken with it all!).

But the main action takes place through the imposing double doors of the Music Bar itself, as hot, sticky and sweaty as a wet evening in Jakarta, but in a much more stimulating sort of way. This indeed is a weird and wonderful place, the kind of pub that appears to have wanted to have been something else in its infancy than what it actually turned out to be.

The name "Tiga Puluh" actually means thirty in Indonesian, and there is no doubt that a bit of an effort has gone into making the place somewhat reminiscent of the first half of the last century. There's cute old-fashioned telephones artily placed on tables here and there, plenty of photos of times gone by cluttering up the walls, and a nifty thirties' motorbike parked up permanently in the lobby bar.

Casablanca it ain't, however, and the connection with Tempo Doeloe (Old time) doesn't take long before it comes to an abrupt end. Instead, you find yourself rapidly swept off your feet into a raunchy, boisterous demiworld of curvaceous ladies dancing on the tables, flowing booze and high sexual tension.

Of course, Tiga Puluh is not alone in hosting such high-jinks on a Saturday night and, let's face it, would be a pretty dismal kind of dive if it didn't. But what sets this watering hole apart from many of its competitors is the quality of the band.

Brought to Jakarta all the way from Trinidad in the West Indies, Rapture Band is a cut above your average hotel or cabaret-style troupe of crooners. With six members, including a wonderful female vocalist, these guys ooze the kind of energy that the West Indies is famous for, and keep the electricity flowing at supercharged rates.

Even if you don't dig reggae and calypso, I'll wager these guys will keep you on your toes with their sheer zest for life.

Bill, please: As you'd expect with such a flashy establishment, the vino doesn't come cheap. A glass of local beer will set you back Rp 30,000, while a premium spirit (like Johnny Walker Black) will hit you for Rp 65,000.

Meanwhile, a Rp 250 ml bottle of imported beer like Heineken, Foster's or Corona is quite expensive at Rp 50,000.

Happy hour is from 5 p.m until 9 p.m. every day, and will give you 50 percent of all drinks, while Thursday night is Ladies Night, with 50 percent off all food and beverages.

Unfortunately, there's a cover charge of Rp 65,000 on Fridays and Saturdays, although for this they'll give you any drink you like!

Odds and ends: Like a number of other venues nowadays, Tiga Puluh has a policy of borrowing your credit card for the duration if you want to pay your bill in one lump sum right at the end. While, many people are unwilling to hand over their cards, there's no doubt that it does save a lot of hassle, especially when it's Sardines-ville, Arizona, at around 1 a.m. But be warned, you could well be getting a lot more on your bill than you expect. We found two orange juices that hadn't been ordered on ours, and at Rp 55,000, that's no joke.

Verdict: Great spot if, like myself and the sidekick, you're into a boozy night of good music with plenty of heaving and shoving thrown in for added zip. It pays to get there early, though, as they don't start levying the cover charge until 8:30 p.m.

Tiga Puluh Music Bar, Le Meridien hotel, Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav 18-20, Jakarta. Tel: 2513131. Open Monday to Saturday, from 5 p.m to 2 a.m. All major credit cards accepted.