WCB : Immigrant

Special deal : As special as they are an official venue of World Cup 2010, Immigrant serves free beers or coca-cola for BNI card holder throughout the month. Not a BNI card holder? No need to worry because you will still get free popcorns during the match. If you are craving for some food, Immigrant has a list of special packages menu for you to pick. No cover charge five days a week, from Sun – Thu. As for Fri and Sat, you will have to pay Rp100.000 to enjoy the match inside Immigrant. But hey, what’s to lose? All games will be shown and they ARE an official venue!

Equipments : You don’t need to worry about how crowded the venue will be and the fear about how somebody will block your view to the screen. Immigrant has the total of nine screen installed on the venue, with two giant screen, five plasma tvs, and another two plasma tvs installed in the VIP room, ready to serve you all night. They only have one VIP room, so if you want to watch the game inside the room, make sure you come early or make reservation. (PP)

Plaza Indonesia 6^th floor, Jl. M.H Thamrin Kav. 28-30. 021 3983 8257/58.

WCB : Potato Head

Looking for the right bar to watch World Cup 2010 matches? TPS reveals five bars that will fit your needs! Starting from Potato Head in Pacific Place. This place has all the things you need to indulge yourself with the merry of World Cup 2010.

Special deal : For corporate neighbors working in the SCBD area and in the World Trade Buildings (BEJ), get 15% discount of the total tab (excludes alcohol) by booking a table and showing your business card to the staff before making your order. If you are thirsty for some cocktails, they have made-to-order cocktails presented throughout the month to match the countries playing on the night. For the winning team’s supporter, enjoy free shots and grab some free beers from Potato Head’s mobile bars. They will be showing the matches played each day for the 6.30pm and 9.30pm time slots.

Equipments :  Soccer enthusiast will be well catered for with five HD flat-screens perfectly installed around the space, with two at the bar and three located within the outdoor enclave. Find your perfect spot and enjoy the game. If you don’t feel like spectating with strangers, rally your friends and reserve a spot by the sofas where there are private screens for you and your gangs for up to 10 people.

Pacific Place Mall G 51 A, Jl. Jend Sudirman. 021 5797 3322. 11am – 1am. Wed, Fri, and Sat opens until 2am.

Ramen Sanpachi（ラーメン）38

Want to taste an authentic Japanese ramen in Jakarta? Try Ramen Sanpachi（ラーメン）38 in Kamome Building, Melawai. Inside, you will get a strong Japanese atmosphere with the Japanese channel on their television, a shelf of mangas (Japanese comic book), the yummy smell of their tasty ramen, and cooks yelling around to each other about the newly ordered food. The Japanese atmosphere doesn't serve you on the inside of the restaurant only, even outside. Kamome Building is a Japanese-based building. It has a Japanese library, mini market, beauty salon, and other Japanese restaurant. Pretty much of Japan, right?

Jigoku Ramen, their specialty, got many attentions. Jigoku means hell, Ramen means noodle. It is the most spicy ramen they serve, and has it's own piquancy level, normally from 1 - 10. The record breaks in level 55.

It's famous Jigoku Ramen

A big bowl of ramen will cost you approximately Rp50.000 exclude the 20% tax with free mineral water (refill), and free jellies for desert makes perfect.

Avoid ramen take-aways, it will get cold and the rich-and-tasty will serve you less.

Kamome Building 2nd floor

Jl. Melawai Raya 189B, South Jakarta, Indonesia

021-72800268, ramen.sanpachi@gmail.com

Branches :

Pacific Place, Pondok Indah, Artha Gading Mall, and Surabaya Town Square

Shanghai Blue 1920

The Jakarta restaurant Shanghai Blue 1920 takes old-school romantics back to a livelier, jazzier time - back to the days of the original Shanghai Tea House, a warung-turned-full-scale-restaurant.

With jazz music courtesy of the Shanghai Jazz Band and Nita Aartsen Project, Shanghai Blue 1920 harks back to its storied predecessor on Sunda Kelapa, a bustling tea house and restaurant run by a Shanghainese immigrant and his Indonesian wife.

Nita Aartsen Project

Shanghai Blue 1920 preserves the memory of the Shanghai Tea House with original pieces of the restaurant on site, the lively jazz stylings of its live performers, and the delicious Shanghainese and Batavian dishes derived from the simple home cooking prepared by the Shanghai Tea House's original proprietor Siti Zaenab. (Michael Aquino, About.com)

SHANGHAI BLUE 1920 Jazz Lounge & Restaurant

Jl. Kebon Sirih Raya 77 - 79 • Jakarta Pusat

Tel. +62 21 391 8690, +62 21 392 0384 • Fax. +62 21 391 8675

shanghai-blue@tuguhotels.com

Quick Review : Black Cat Jazz Supper Club

It is an up-market jazz club. If you are looking for something classy, then Black Cat would be a perfect choice for you. Come at 9.45pm every Monday to Saturday and you will see jazz bands performing on the stage until 1am and Sunday for jam sessions starting at 8pm to 12 midnight. Inside, Black Cat indulges you with it’s great ambiance: perfect lighting, terrific sound, and comfortable black seating. It is a relaxing yet fun place to enjoy the very best of jazz after a hard day of work. Black Cat continuously host great events supported by both international and/or local finest jazz artists including Chris Botti, Otti Jamalus, and Tompi. The Black Cat website and blog provides all the information you need for the upcoming events. From funk, swing, to jazz pop. You can have it all. 

Plaza Senayan, Arcadia Unit X 208-209. Jl. New Delhi No. 9 - Pintu I Senayan, South Jakarta – Indonesia

For Reservation : +6221 5790 1264 

Quick Review : SHY Rooftop

“Relax, have a drink, kick your feet up, and enjoy” are best described words for SHY Rooftop. The chic washed-alike wooden flooring, candles anywhere your eyes can see, comfortable and well-placed seating, and the fantastic view of Jakarta at night, SHY creates a new standard of what a cool place should be like. You will see yuppies or the who’s who of Jakarta expensive-lugging socialites lounging around while enjoying drinks, the lounge music, and live band starting on 10.30pm. A note-worthy mention is the establishment’s support for the local arts scene. Acoustic bands such as Legna, Icons, Request, Drew and Bigbrothers plays every consecutive nights. The Rooftop opens five days a week from Tuesday to Saturday. Buy one get one free promotion for beer and cocktail is available on Tuesday to Thursday. Just as you thought you’ve seen it all, along comes a place like the SHY Rooftop that makes you reassess your perceptions of what defines a cool establishment. It is a rooftop to-die-for. 

Photo courtesy : SHY Rooftop's facebook page

The Papilon, 45AA Jalan Kemang Raya, South Jakarta 12730, Indonesia

For reservation : 021 719-0789

Klapa : The Unfinished Pleasure

Bali – It has the perfect ambiance. The smell of sea breeze, the beautiful sound of waves crashing, the relaxing lounge music, and also the perfect view of the beautiful Dreamland Beach made me fell in love with Klapa ever since I first stepped my feet to the restaurant.

A stewardess escorted us to a table next to the swimming pool that leads us to a perfect view of Dreamland Beach. Unfortunately we arrived at Klapa on 7pm so we can’t see the blue water that night except for the pool which is designed to look like it merge the sea.

The cheapest main course I can find on the menu were chicken gordon bleu,fried rice, and fried noodle. I chose chicken gordon bleu with mashed potato side dish and a glass of fresh lemonade and it cost me approximately 150,000IDR for it all, exclude the 21% government tax.

It was perfect until I was a bit annoyed with the sound of a big yellow tractor cleaning up the trashes in Dreamland Beach. The place is also not finished yet so we can see some construction tools here and there. Adding more minuses to the place, I saw a group of bartender practice their bottle juggling in the middle of the restaurant and some waitress sat in the guest table.

The gordon bleu arrived. It served with a slice of grilled eggplant, carrot, bell peps, and mashed potato as side dish. I taste nothing special of both the gordon bleu and the mashed potato. It was delicious, but that was it and nothing more. Same thing goes to the lemonade, it was sourly vapid, but still ok.

Despite all the deficiency, Klapa is still recommended to visit if you want to experience the great ambiance. In one or two years, when it is finished, I predict this restaurant will be much better and will be highly recommended by travelers. Not everybody knows about the existence of Klapa nowadays, but they will be someday.

A little tip for you, dear readers, if you travel in budget but you still want to experience Klapa’s ambiance, then I suggest you to not dine there. Just buy yourself one or two glasses of drinks. It will cost you approximately 30,000IDR per glass. Worth the price for such ambiance. 

Jl. New Kuta Beach. Pecatu Indah Resort. Pecatu. Bali
For Reservations : marketingklapa@hotmail.com - 0361 84 84 581

Satoo : The Finest Hotel Buffet in Jakarta

Satoo in Shangri-La Hotel. This is the finest hotel buffet in Jakarta i tried so far, one of the best restaurants in town, i may say. They have 8 different stations, starts from Asian Station (Indonesian food such as nasi goreng, sup ayam, and nasi kuning, Chinese food such as dim sum, etc, and Japanese such as sushi), Indian station, Western station, Cold station, Noodles station, Grill station, Dessert station, and Juice station. My personal fav is the asian station and the grill station.

Sit next to the big window then u'll have the amazing sight of Shangri-La's swimming pool. The ambience is good, excellent service, and last but not least, competitive price. Last time i checked it was only for Rp200.000,- or $20 for all those fine foods and service. You should try it sometime.

Or you want to eat there for free? Well just stay for a night at Shangri-La Jakarta, then u'll have a breakfast voucher to Satoo. Shangri-La is also one of the best hotels in Jakarta, btw.