Motion Blue (Jazz - Fine Dining Lounge)
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Jakarta100bars
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Motion Blue is a fine dining restaurant/lounge located in Fairmont Hotel in Jakarta. It was named Cotton Club for a couple months, then changed its name. You can read my review of Cotton Club here . The concept of Motion Blue is very similar. It is an upmarket venue with live jazz bands or musicians every day. It is even more expensive than Black Cat . The food is nice, with mostly French fusion dishes.
Update October 2015: Cotton Club has been replaced with Motion Blue . The Cotton Club Jakarta is a new jazz club and fine dining restaurant located in the Fairmont Hotel in Senayan. It is managed by the same group behind the Blue Note and the Cotton Club in Tokyo, both among the best venues in the city to listen to jazz, soul, or latin music live bands. I don't think they can offer the exact same experience as it will be much harder to attract the best international jazz performers in Jakarta. Still, it has the potential of becoming a nightlife hotspot for an older type of clientele. It will compete with nearby Black Cat in Senayan Arcadia, but also with a bunch of new upmarket lounges that have opened recently like Artoz , Hemingway or Nip And Dram .
BART is the latest of the Rooftop Bars in the city. Going on the roof is a very good option in Jakarta since most of the place are closed, with no windows and with full AC. That is maybe one of the reasons why so many rooftop bars have opened recently in Jakarta, and why it is so trendy. BART (Approximate Acronym of Bar at the Rooftop) is the latest of this long series, it is located in Artotel Hotel on Thamrin near Sarinah. The Hotel itself is very art-friendly with a different Indonesian artist decorating the rooms for each floor. This hotel opened in late 2013 and in October 2014 they are just opening the rooftop bar, maybe after the huge success of Awan Lounge , rooftop bar of Kosenda Hotel , located 200 meters away.
Blu at Shangri-La is the new fancy lounge of the Shangri-La Hotel, located right next to their huge swimming pool. The main advantage with it is that you can say to your wife you want to go to Blu, then sneak in nearby BATS which is a lot more fun. I wouldn't go there for clubbing unless they have special events, but I can imagine it is fine for a few drinks or some light food before BATS. It is more suitable for a woman crowd probably. Opening Hours: Wednesday to Saturday from 5:00 PM to 12:00 AM Blu @ Shangri-La Hotel Jakarta
Kemixtri Gastro Bar is the main Bar of the new Pullman Hotel Jakarta Indonesia. Inside you will find mostly clients of the Hotel, and mostly men. The name of the Bar comes from the Cocktail Phials they serve you (second picture) which I found pretty nice and unconventional. The place have a DJ Booth at the entrance and there is a DJ (a woman when I went there) from Wednesday until Saturday. They also have a wide range of Cuban cigars (like Romeo & Julieta) which make the place look like a Gentlemen's Lounge. The place reminded me somehow Nip & Dram (Whisky Bar).
Kosenda Facade After being to Awan Lounge Rooftop Bar in Kosenda Hotel , I was curious about this place. Now that I read the Wall Street Journal Review, I thought that international attention on this Hotel must be a good thing and I had to try it. 1. The Location This Hotel is located on Jalan Wahid Hasyim 127, very close to Thamrin. Jalan Wahid Hasyim is a busy street for Hotels (Oria, Akmani, Ibis but also Morrissey , FaveHotel), Restaurants (my favourite being Ocha & Bella) and Bars like Beer Garden Menteng. The street is very close to Thamrin which makes it a very central location, with a close access to Bunderan HI and Sudirman. The location is thus perfect for a 2/3 days business trip in Jakarta. 2. The Design Teak Wood in the Hallway
Airman Planet Lounge... What a name for a venue in a five-star hotel! The Sultan, ex-Hilton, doesn't have the reputation to be a rocking place, but this new lounge may bring some excitment.. Airman Planet Lounge is open every day of the week until 00h30 (1h30 during weekends), and it has a live band every evening at 9PM. Expensive, but great sound system and service. Airman Planet Lounge - The Rych At Sultan The Sultan Hotel - Lobby Lagoon Tower Jl. Gatot Subroto - Jakarta 10002 Tel: +62 21 570 7125 Fax: +62 21 570 7126 Website: Airman Planet Lounge
An all-time favourite of Jakarta's nightlife, BATS is the bar of the Shangri-La Hotel in Jakarta. It is the equivalent of BRIX in Grand Hyatt in Singapore . It is very, very popular among expatriates, especially those who are already married. Easy to know why, considering the number of pretty, sexy girls . But the place isn't just about finding a partner. You can have a lot of fun partying there, because you will easily meet people in a relaxed atmostsphere.