Step inside: The laid-back lounge at Public, a Jakarta hot spot
Kiky Rifquiaty, 21, student
Start your evening off with drinks at a new outdoor lounge called Segarra, tel: (62-21) 7029 6289, in the Ancol resort area of North Jakarta. You can relax while chilling on a sofa by the sea or on one of the lounge chairs on the deck along the shore. It is best to go in the early evening, at about 5 or 6 p.m., so you can enjoy the wind coming off the sea and the sunset. Segarra's a bit expensive but it's worth it because of the great service and an atmosphere that you won't find anywhere else in Jakarta.
For dinner, I really like Bebek Bali, tel: (62-21) 574 7669, in the Taman Ria Senayan Complex. The concept is somewhere between a gallery and a restaurant and the food is Balinese but with a Jakarta twist. I recommend the bebek goreng kering Legian (sautéed dried Legian duck) with a glass of Smile Ubud punch. For dessert, try the Kebo Edan (crazy buffalo) milkshake. If you have the energy to go on, make the trip over to X2, tel: (62-21) 572 5559, in Plaza Senayan on Jalan Asia Afrika. This club is the latest sensation in South Jakarta. The crowd is the type that loves to see and be seen, and the cocktails are excellent.
Keke Tumbuan, 29, photographer
I'm a big fan of central Jakarta so I would suggest a visit to the Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts Center, tel: (62-21) 315 4087. You can check out the planetarium, watch a movie or browse the cool bookstore, which sells used English and Indonesian books. After that, grab a coffee at Café Au Lait, tel: (62-21) 3983 5094. This colonial-themed café is new but already has a reputation as one of the coziest and least pretentious places in town. Most customers are creative types and on Thursdays they have a jazz night, when local musicians hold jam sessions.
Not far from there is a great restaurant called Le Bistro, tel: (62-21) 390 9249. Tons of antiques fill the place and there's a piano bar in the middle where you'll find regular customers singing along with the husky-voiced house chanteuse and the brilliant pianist. The variety of French dishes is surprisingly affordable and you even get a rose to take home.
After dinner, make sure you visit the oldest pub in town. The Jaya Pub, tel: (62-21) 3192 5633, has been around for 32 years and is a great place to relax with a beer. It reminds me of pubs in Amsterdam and has a great resident band that mostly plays rock, but also jazz and some Top 40 tunes. It's rough and classy at the same time, if that makes sense. No matter who you are or what kind of music you like, the Jaya Pub is a great place to finish the night.
Hidayat Jati, 38, business development manager
Traffic congestion in Jakarta is merciless, so you often have to consider location more than atmosphere when choosing where to go. Because it's near my office, I frequent Cork and Screw, tel: (62-21) 5290 2030, a bistro cum wine bar in the Kuningan area. It has good food and a great selection of wine, and doesn't cost an arm and leg. The crowd is somewhat yuppie, though not too much. I also go to Casa, tel: (62-21) 719 9289, a little bar and restaurant in Kemang, South Jakarta. It's a haunt of creative types and is trendy but in a restrained way, with mid-20th century furniture and mostly alternative music.
On the rare occasions that I go clubbing, I go to Public, tel: (62-21) 574 5494. It's pretty laid-back as far as nightclubs go, free of the flashy crowd that tends to haunt most of the bars and clubs in South Jakarta.