Robot & Co (Jakarta)
By
Tibs
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Robot & Co is a new bar/restaurant replacing the famous Potato Head Café . It is located on the ground floor of the luxury mall Pacific Place, in a corner that has become one of the hotspots of SCBD nightlife . Indeed, just next to Robot & Co, you will find more popular bars like Cork & Screw, Chambers, Odysseia, Hard Rock Café, and Osteria Gia. Robot & Co has kept some similarities with Potato Head. It still has the long, central bar, and the mezzanine above it. However, the iconic vintage windows have been replaced by neat bamboo walls, giving the space a more modern vibe. Another important change is that the outdoor area has been closed with glass panels. It is still a relaxing spot to hang out, surrounded by leafy plants, but at least you won't suffer from the heat anymore. They've also added some comfortable sofas in the back and in the mezzanine, perfect for starting a night out with a small group of friends (minimum spending of
H&S Swillhouse is a hip-hop and R&B club that replaces Hide and Seek , in Fairgrounds SCBD. In the same complex, you also have popular venues such as Fable , Lucy in The Sky and The Pallas . I visited on a Friday night around 1AM. I was warned at the entrance that all the tables were occupied and that I could only stand at the bar. I was fine with it so I went inside, free of charge. The design is as minimalist as it can be. It is basically just a mid-size rectangular room with concrete walls and floors, neon lighting and sofas on the side. Positioned at the entrance, the bar is quite large and it wasn't too crowded. On the contrary, the narrow dance floor was packed all the way from the bar area up to the DJ booth. It was almost impossible to move, let alone dance. Something particularly annoying was that there is only one toilet at the back which is quite difficult to reach. While the music in Hide and Seek was often electronic/techno, the Swillhouse is f
SCBD is the most happening nightlife area in Jakarta at the moment. This is where you will find the hippest bars and clubs, especially those that are popular with young (and rich) Indonesians in their early twenties. The main reason for this success is the central location of SCBD, combined with the presence of a high-class mall (Pacific Place), prestigious offices (banks and financial institutions especially), and 5-star hotels ( Ritz-Carlton ). Another factor is that all the land in SCBD belongs to the Artha Graha group. This conglomerate is owned by the controversial Tomy Winata who is known to have a keen interest in nightlife. As such, he probably has shares in most of the bars listed below, particularly those located in the Fairgrounds complex (Lucy in the Sky, Fable, etc). Back in the 1980s, this spot was already a huge party destination called Bengkel Night Park, said to be the largest one-stop-entertainment complex in the world. Older expats would tell you that anyth
Update Dec 2016: Lucy has been renovated due to noise complaints from neighbors. It is now covered by a large glass building (as in the first photo above). It looks more upmarket than before but it is still popular with the same crowd (young, trendy Jakartans). Located near Jalan Sudirman, in Fairgrounds (ex- Bengkel ), Lucy In The Sky is a rooftop restaurant/bar with an open-air garden terrace and a laid-back, close-to-nature atmosphere. It is probably partially owned by Tommy Winata, the ex owner of Bengkel and owner of the land of SCBD. The location of LITS is probably its best assets as it gives the feeling of escaping the city. Though in the heart of Jakarta's business district, it is surrounded with plants and flowers, which makes it relaxing, and a perfect spot to look at the skyscrapers around. Similar ambiance than SHY Rooftop but less expensive (80k for main dish) and with a better view.
The Pallas is a new restaurant, lounge and event space that opened in Fairground in SCBD. It is owned by the All In Group which is also behind Fable (in the same building), Odysseia and Mirror Nightclub in Bali.
The Union Group (behind Union, Loewy, Cork&Screw, Benedict, Casa, E&O, The Dutch, Canteen, etc...) opened Caffè Milano almost 2 years ago. Following its success, they are opening a sister restaurant called Bistecca. This new venue is still under project and it will open in August 2016. It will be located next to The Dutch restaurant, one of the trendy spots in Jakarta nowadays. As the name suggests, the food will be mostly steaks and grilled meat, Italian-style. They will also sell fine Italian wines. The Head Chef is still Luca Pezzera. I will add information about prices, menu, opening hours, etc. when I receive them. Please comment if you know something! Update August 2016 : Bistecca is already open. Full menu available here: Drinks and Cocktails Menu Bistecca and Food Menu Bistecca .
Kila Kila is a brand new rooftop restaurant serving fine dining Indonesian cuisine. It is located not far from Pacific Place Mall and offers a beautiful view over SCBD. It is managed by Akasya Catering, a famous company owned by Enny Latief. They provided the food for numerous VIP events such as the wedding of Edhie Baskoro, the son of SBY. If their food is good enough for the president of Indonesia, it should be good enough for you too.
Monty's is one of the hippest and most exclusive venues in Jakarta at the moment. The day I visited, you had 1 Ferrari, 1 Lamborghini, 2 Porsches, 2 Jaguars and several nice sports cars parked just in front. That should give you an idea of the crowd. It was opened by Klabo , the same group behind Nip & Dram and Ivy Kitchen. From what I've heard, the owner of Blue Bird Taxis is one of the shareholders. The Restaurant On the first two floors is a restaurant serving classic European food. They have all the priciest ingredients that you can possibly import in Indonesia such as caviar, lobster, truffle, charcuterie, cheese or wagyu beef. There also serve several organic and healthy dishes. The kitchen is headed by a Norwegian expat who previously worked in Grand Hyatt as an executive sous-chef. The price is rather expensive: On average for a 2-course meal you'll spend at least Rp500,000 (without alcohol). You can try it for lunch as they have a
The Dutch restaurant is a new gastropub set to open early 2016 in the SCBD area. Owned by the Union Group, it will be headed by Chef Chris Moes, a Dutchman who previously worked for Casa in Kemang and Canteen. The restaurant will follow a smokehouse concept: Cold cuts, cured meats, smoked meats and sausages will be prepared in-house. You will also have comfort food and some BBQ specialities. There is a big chance that it will become a popular hangout place even if the taste of the food is not good. Please leave a comment below if you've tried it. I'll make a full review a few months after the opening.
Artoz is a whisky bar/lounge located in the Energy Building in SCBD. It replaced Marley's Bar which closed down a while ago. It claims to be the largest collection of Whisky and Cognac in Jakarta, but I am not sure it is true as I believe there is quite an extensive spirit menu in Nip & Dram as well. I visited Artoz during Ramadan, probably not the best time to do so and unsurprisingly it was empty. Artoz is similar with Nip and Dram actually, both in terms of concept, size and setting: You have comfortable leather sofas and chairs spread across a windowless room, with a bar on on side and a live music stage on the other one. The main difference I saw is that Artoz is not as dark and it seems they don't have those crazy minimum spend amounts. The prices are pretty steep still, about USD15 for a standard cocktail. You are also given the menu of the French Restaurant Amuz , which belong to the same person (Chef Gilles Marx, also behind Auroz).
Wilshire is a new restaurant located in one of the hippest nightlife areas in Jakarta, in the Foundry 8 (SCBD). It is just next to Canos , Blue Monkey and Empirica . All nearby restaurants have a very similar design and they are hard to differentiate. As the Foundry 8 is only a temporary location (it should be destroyed in a few years), I imagine that each venue only wants to invest the minimum to look good enough. Wilshire is simply designed if we compared it with Loewy , Union or E&O , but it is elegant and comfortable. The main original feature is the copper sticks display hanging from the ceiling, a great and inexpensive idea to decorate the room!
TWG (The Wellness Group) is a distributor of quality teas founded in 2008. On their logo, which is a copy of the one of Mariage Frères, it is mentioned the date 1837 but it is obviously a deception. They also have some words written in French such as "Mélanges Exquis" or "Grand Crus Prestige", probably aimed at making consumers believe it is a French brand. But TWG is from Singapore and there is no shame in that. Part of their marketing strategies is the creation of high-end boutiques / restaurants / tea salon. There are already over 40 branches around the World, especially in Asia (only 1 in Europe and a few in US). The ideas is to position TWG as a luxury company by opening in premium locations, with a chic design and fine dining service. I had TWG Teas on several occasions and they were good for a non-expert like me. It seems to me that tea is a basic product, a commodity and I don't think there are "Grand Crus" like there are with
In Pacific Place Mall, on the fourth floor, you have the possibility to enjoy a nice coffee at Liberica. That's what I did last time I went there. This place really looks like Starbucks but in a more elaborated way: Modern decor, cozy area, coffee to order at the counter, american pastries... This small coffee chain is Indonesian and currently has 5 outlets (Pacific Place, Kemang, Gandaria City, Central Park and Cilandak Town square). The name Liberica is taken from a rare coffee bean variant of Liberica beans. The main difference with Starbucks is that you can buy Beers and Wine. This is a weird concept when you think about it, Coffee and Wine ! Liberica Coffee in Pacific Place Pastries & Beverages Barista area