Hotel Monopoli - Moon Rooftop - Room Club - Kemang (Jakarta)
By
Thibaud (Jakarta100bars)
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Hotel Monopoli is an upcoming project by Syah Establishments, the group behind famous venues like Lucy in the Sky , Sofia at the Gunawarman and Bauhaus . Located in Jalan Taman Kemang, maybe the hottest area in Kemang for nightlife at the moment, it will feature a boutique hotel, a restaurant on the ground floor, a club in its basement ( The Room ) and a rooftop bar ( The Moon ). I only saw it during a private party so I'm not sure how it will look like after the grand opening, but you can expect a trendy, yet fun vibe. Considering the Syah group's past successes, I'm certain that it will become a hit at least during the first few months after opening. I will update this page with more information and pictures once I get them. Do not hesitate to comment if you have been there. Hotel Monopoli - Moon Rooftop Bar - Room Club and Bar Jalan Taman Kemang No12, Kemang, South Jakarta 12730 Phone number: +62 22 71 51 01 Email: Info@monopolijakarta.com
Dronk Bar and Club is located on Jalan Kemang Raya 43A in the same spot where K43 used to be (and before that, Hangover, SF Club and Second Floor). It is managed by the same people behind Tipsy, which closed down recently. The setting and the design of the club hasn't changed much so you can read my review of K43 for information about that. It is quite small, with a bar on one side, sofas on the other one, and a long table in the middle (this one is new). Customers face the DJ who is perched on a podium. A small stage allows for sexy dancers to perform occasionally.
When I first heard that Hooters was coming to Jakarta, my first thought was that it would make a perfect target for the FPI or any other religious groups. I was skeptical that it would actually open, and if it did, I remember saying to friends that I would not feel safe visiting it. It turns out I was wrong. The first Hooters in Indonesia official opened in Jakarta last Friday (March 24th), and I went there yesterday (March 28th). For those who don't know, Hooters is a cultural icon in America. It is a chain of sports' bars/restaurants where all the waitresses are pretty girls in sexy outfits. They tend to flirt a bit with customers as a way to encourage repeat visits. The exact location is in Kemang, just in front of Eastern Promise. The entrance is rather discreet, especially with the Hooters sign being plugged off at the moment (is it on purpose?).
Last Saturday (December 3rd 2016), I visited the club K43 in South Jakarta (K is for Kemang, 43 is the street number). I had already been several time to this location that was once called Second Floor , then SF Club, and then Hangover. The entrance fee was Rp100,000 and it included a drink. Not many people were inside and I guess that several customers were just friends of the owner/manager/PR. There were some hostesses as well, two of whom came to introduce themselves and chatted with us for a while. Apparently they have fashion shows and sexy dancers occasionally.
In this post I will list quickly the most interesting nightlife places in the area of Kemang. I do not party so much there for two reasons: It is a bit far from where I live (Menteng) The crowd in Kemang's clubs and bars is usually a bit younger than me. Most of the patrons indeed are sons & daughters of middle to upper class Indonesian families, plus some expat kids, rather than executives. Kemang is one of the most dynamic clubbing areas in Jakarta though: The scene is constantly changing and, apart for a lucky few, new bars close within 2 or 3 years. I've seen 3 different periods in Kemang nightlife: When I first arrived in Jakarta, 6 years ago, Kemang clubs were very cheap and basic. People would go there only because you could get drunk for almost nothing. Then, slowly, nicer and trendier clubs began to appear, like Amor or Barcode. This was a period when almost every club looked identical. Each places had the ambition to attract classy/stylish people.
Pastificio-K is a tiny pasta bar located in Kemang next to Signature Coffee. Created by the owner of Koi , it serves a wide range of homemade pastas that you can choose directly from the chiller. I counted at least 12 types of pastas such as ravioli, gnocchi, tagliatelle, conchiglie, gigli, rigatoni or maccheroni. It also sells Italian desserts like Tiramisu and Panna Cotta. The prices are rather low, starting IDR40,000++ for a 100g portion of home made pasta cooked with the sauce of your choice (toppings come with additional cost).
Queen's Head Pub is one of the best restaurants in Kemang. It is an exclusive venue with an impressive design and excellent fusion food prepared by Blake Thornley, a New Zealand Chef who spent 5 years in Mozaic Ubud .
The Manhattan Fish Market is a restaurant chain specializing in seafood dishes, either poached, grilled, fried, baked or flamed. They are originally from Singapore, with branches in several countries in Asia and Middle East. In Indonesia, you can find them in Bali and Jakarta for the moment. I took one of their signature dishes, the Small Flame (Rp129,000 +16% tax and service), which seemed very appetizing on the picture from the menu (you can see all of it here ). Small Flame (Rp129,000++)