Last Saturday, despite it being Hallowe'en, Jaksa mid-evening was quieter than usual, so we repaired round the corner, to a place called Baku Dapa, which means ‘handshake’ in the Manado language. Manado is up on Sulawesi island, and I’ve not been there, but the bar was fine, excellent live music, old songs from the 50s, 60s and 70s, both local and Western, and beer at Rp.36.00 a bottle.
It runs till 3am, and when we moved on at 1 o'clock, people were still arriving, mostly respectable Indonesians, but a few Arabs, though I was the only Western patron.
It didn't seem to be a pick-up bar, though waitresses/hostesses will happily sit and dance with customers - once you've got to know them, it is no doubt up to you and your hostess if the friendship deepens!
The only black mark I can give it is their choice of music when the singers take their break, that hideous monkey-music played, I believe, at the Stadium, a Jakarta disco where frying one’s brains is almost compulsory. I mean that electronic ear-bashing garbage, metallic and mindless, that leaves you deafened. But Ms.Novi and the other live singers were all in good voice, so I guess we can forgive the cacaphonous interlude.
It's pretty dark -one of the Arabs at the adjacent table inadvertently joined ours, before realising he'd misplaced his pals!
Bakudapa (Paula) Café, Resto & Live Music
Jalan KH. Wahid Hasyim 116, Jakarta
Telepon 3905987, 92927449
It runs till 3am, and when we moved on at 1 o'clock, people were still arriving, mostly respectable Indonesians, but a few Arabs, though I was the only Western patron.
It didn't seem to be a pick-up bar, though waitresses/hostesses will happily sit and dance with customers - once you've got to know them, it is no doubt up to you and your hostess if the friendship deepens!
The only black mark I can give it is their choice of music when the singers take their break, that hideous monkey-music played, I believe, at the Stadium, a Jakarta disco where frying one’s brains is almost compulsory. I mean that electronic ear-bashing garbage, metallic and mindless, that leaves you deafened. But Ms.Novi and the other live singers were all in good voice, so I guess we can forgive the cacaphonous interlude.
It's pretty dark -one of the Arabs at the adjacent table inadvertently joined ours, before realising he'd misplaced his pals!
Jalan KH. Wahid Hasyim 116, Jakarta
Telepon 3905987, 92927449
Review by Ross McKay, author of ‘White Trash’ and "Jakarta Suckers", both books avalaible from morfinybooks@yahoo.ca. You can also check his blog: rossrightangle.info
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