Red Square is a Vodka Club concept with 3 locations in Indonesia. Red Square is located in the Arcadia building in the Senayan area of Jakarta. I’ve been their twice, one time on a wednesday night and once on a friday night. Both times with my friend Absolut so forgive me if I left out some details.
Anyway, Red Square Jakarta is fairly moderate in size and considering a large part of the club is taken by tables and comfy couches I guess the maximim capacity of around 400 people. I think interior and size wise Red Square can be compared with NuChina, but the crowd is definitely more mature. I guess the venue aims at upperclass people enjoying both comfort and a party.
Club Triple 9 (999) in Kemang, formerly known as “Dizzy Lounge”, is located on the 3rd floor of the Kemang Arcade building in Kemang Raya. Triple 9 is undoubtably one of the best clubs in Kemang and even my favorite club in Jakarta.
The street Kemang Raya houses several popular clubs like NuChina and Second Floor that got his name of being located on the 2nd floor of the Arcade Building but now moved 600 meters and rebranded itself to SF. First thing I noticed when arriving at Club Tripple 9 is that everyone has to go up to the 3rd floor in a really small elevator, which makes me think what would happen if the place catches fire.
IndoChine Jakarta is a restaurant/bar/beach club located on the 8th floor of the trendy FX Lifestyle X’enter in the Senayan area of Jakarta. IndoChine’s formula basically is serving some quality “nutriceutical” IndoChine food followed by a relaxed after dinner atmosphere.
IndoChine Jakarta is pretty huge and divided in an indoor area and huge roof terrace. The inside area is trendy, huge and… empty most of the times. I guess the location and the fact that it’s just so big doesn’t really appeal to people. However, the roof terrace is sheer genius if you ask me. IndoChine Jakarta brands the roof terrace as a beach club and considering it’s in the middle of one of the most crowded metropoles it’s probably the closest you can get to a beach club. The pool is nice but looks a little like an aquarium and can be annoying when you’re sitting next to it and someone decided to take a jump in it. IndoChine lacks an ocean view but how’s this view for an ocean replacement?
Cocoon might not be a beach club according to the official definition of a beach club since the club and the beach are divided by a small road but for me it’s close enough. Cocoon beach club is the latest addition of the food & beverage/night life empire of Kadek who also owns the famous beach club Kudeta, night clubs Double Six, Bacio and many more. Cocoon prides itself on providing a 5 star sleek and stylish experience without the pretentiousness, so how is it holding up to that?
Cocoon Beach Club is located at Jalan Double 6 next right next to Bacio and Double 6 and is intended as a more upscale classy but hip beach club. I’ve passed it a few times in the day time and it tends to be pretty quiet then but at night the place really comes to life. The music is sunny, extremely danceable but still relaxed enough for people who want to chill out and just have a conversation. The crowd is mixed with of course mostly tourist and it has a young, beautiful and energetic vibe.
After four months in Jakarta I finally found a few days to flee the traffic, the smog and the Jakarta malls and take some rest on Bali. One of the best spots to eat fresh grilled seafood is at the beach right between the mountain village Jimbaran and the Bali airport.
Close to the Four Season Hotel at Muaya Beach you find a seaside foodcourt with maybe a dozen or more seafood restaurants right at the beach. These are all pretty much really basic restaurants where 90% of the tables are located on the beach so don’t expect any upscale restaurants. But what you can expect is the best fresh grilled seafood in Bali right at the beach!
Nu China is according to the buzz “One of the most happening Clubs in Kemang” and others go even as far as saying “The most Happening in Kemang right now” and it should be the favorite spot for many cute girls. But how hot and happening is Nu China really?
After 4 months in Jakarta and the Stadium deception I decided it was time to finally check the place out. My first impression when I entered Nu China was that it’s in fact a pretty modest (small but cosy) sized club and dark with black ceiling and walls which in my opinion is an outdated concept.
Jakarta, it’s not the most attractive or pleasant city in the world and that might be considered as an understatement. Only the traffic and the smog can drive a man crazy but just when it’s getting to me Jakarta gives me something simple that completely brightens up the day. For friday night I was invited by a business relation for celebrating the finish and success of a project. The venue they chose for this was “Eastern promise” in Kemang, which I’ve never been before. Arriving there was a bit of a shock because it was 5 in the afternoon and the bar gave away free beer for 1 hour so the bar was full of buleh’s cos you know buleh’s have a nose for free beer.
Anyways, after happy hour we moved to the restaurant and started snacking and drinking and all of a sudden I see Kevin eat a “Frikandel speciaal”. For all none Dutch people, a frikandel is probably the most popular fast food in Holland and besides liquorice the thing I miss most about Holland. After eating three of them I met with Lens, the owner which of course is a Dutch guy and is running a great bar with three areas, the bar, the restaurant and the live music area. Great vibe, great crowd, great music and… “Frikandel speciaal”! Yahoooooooooo!!!
Eastern Promise
5 Jalan Kemang Raya, Jakarta 12160
(021) 71790151
UPDATE: Following the closing of Double 6 also Bacio will permanently close its doors as from september or october 2011! The land these two clubs are on will be used for new apartments buildings….
In my two years living in Bali I guess I’ve pretty much got to know most aspects of the vibrant nightlife on paradise island and one of my favorite spots definitely is Bacio. This club is one of the many clubs owned by the local F&B tycoon Kadek and is situated in Seminyak on Jalan 66 which is also home of clubs like Dejavu, Double Six, La Vida Loca and just accompanied by Cocoon.
Due to it’s magnificent location, only separated from the beach by a small road, one could call Bacio a beach club, it has a great terrace with some comfy lounge couches and because the whole front is open you can even enjoy the spectacular view from the inside.
Stadium is a phenomenon in Jakarta, a huge place with 4 floors and a capacity of 5.000 people. So this was my second and probably my last stop of the evening. I have been in Stadium not so long ago but was at that time pretty drunk and stayed for maybe half an hour so I was curious to check the place out with a pretty clear head. Located in a small alley in a pretty shabby part of town you will find “Discotek Stadium”, probably the most (in)famous club in Jakarta and by many men considered to be paradise. Since Stadium is open from thursday till sunday 24-hours a day (!!) many stories circle about men staying in the Stadium for 3-4 days.
After a few days of meetings, traffic jams and Galaxy Tab misery I decided it was time to blow of some steam and start to get familiar with the Jakarta Nightlife. So far I’ve only been in Loewy’s, Illigals and Stadium (more about Stadium here) so I decided to do some research before hitting the town. After some googling I ended up on a great site from I guess a fellow buleh who seemed to have done a good job in reviewing the hot spots in the Jakarta club scene. I decided to look for a place with some class and where I wouldn’t be bothered by the ‘working’ girls and I decided to head for “Blowfish” which seems to be a bit more exclusive and classy night club. Continue Reading →