This is a review of some of the local higher end night clubs based on the experience of my recent acquaintance who is a visiting banking transactional operations specialist
X2 at Senayan city is NOT the place to be on early weekends especially if its not ladies night. My friend visited the establishment at around 10PM local time on a weekday and was sorely disappointed with the emptiness of both the first floor as well as the upper Equinox club. There is no live band and the music was uninspiring to say the least. Not finishing his bottle of Carlsberg beer , my friend promptly leftthe establishment and left for a more happening place...... CJ at Hotel Mulia.
Cj at Hotel Mulia, was a totally different scene altogether even on a Tuesday night. There were the pre-requisite “Bule” crowd which is always a good indication that the place is “happening”. Upon entering the establishment, my friend encountered a local band which was playing the latest and greatest comteporary hits and the floor was packed with people generally having a good time. This is a complete opposite of the scene in X2. One thing however irked my friend. There were way too many “butterfly” ladies constantly giving his the “come hither” look as well as those more daring girls adopting a direct frontal attack. “Where are you staying?” “Oh the Ritz?....can I come with you?”. My friend being not familiar with the Indonesian night scene, was uncomfortable and left for his hotel alone.
And...back to Ritz...to club Mistere.
The current band playing at Mistere is the “Shock Group”. My friend says that everytime he sees them, they just get better and better. Everyone of the service staff makes an effort to address the name of the hotel guest or regular customers. Due to the status of the hotel, the club is very strict and does not allow any obvious “butterfly” situations. So if you are a regular visitor to Jakarta and need a safe place to unwind and enjoy music, Ritz Mistere is the place to be.