What are you doing this Friday night? Is it time to cut loose? Shake a leg? Knock back a martini (or two!)?
In Mumbai, I find the more interesting activities seem to happen during the week so by Friday, a quiet evening at home with my partner is perfection!
In Jakarta, after slogging all week – morning, noon and night! – on client work, by the time Friday comes around, I’m desperate for a little non-work socializing. And have discovered nothing is better than a little “Frivolous Friday Fun” after a busy week.
And because I’m in Mumbai this Friday but missing Jakarta, have decided to revisit a few favourite Friday’s in Jakarta with you….
One Friday:
To the rescue was my gal pal (of the voice over fame) who also slogged all week and cohort in the project with his merry band of friends.
Welcome to swanky Jakarta! (Photo: Potato Head Garage FaceBook)
1st Stop: Potato Head Garage (SCBD) It is like walking into a Great Gatsby dream of swank chandeliers, beautiful people made more beautiful by candle light… Naturally one needs a reservation, don’t you know?? Umm….
A rather amusing moment transpired when I confessed that I didn’t believe we had a reservation… “My name is Carissa and this is my number so if a table becomes available…?” to have her start practically fawning “Oh but your table is right over here….”
Took a few moments to figure out that apparently there was another “Carissa” – seriously?! While I certainly felt like pretending to be her and stealing her table, concluded that just wasn’t good manners. I am Canadian after all! 😉
So while I waited for my girlfriend, indulged in a serious dose of people watching – transfixed by a bridal shower with ladies in totally over the top flapper frippery… Everything documented to death with a professional photographer to augment the camera phones. No one actually talking to each other – just documenting how “fabulous” we all are?!
Darlin’ get me another drink will ya? (Photo: Potato Head Garage Facebook page)
2nd Stop: Dragonfly With the round of fashion designers, actresses and intoxicants floating about like confetti. Good fun, amusing company, lots of dancing possibilities but my enthusiasm waned after 2am and trundled off back to Slipi….
Dragonfly (Photo: Asia-bars.com)
Another Friday
1st Stop: Face Bar aka La Na Thai Most amusing company, predominantly journalists… a couple of martinis and animated conversations. My kinda Friday night! Reminded me a little of FNT (Friday Night Table) in Bangalore at Koshy’s. Went back another night for dinner and yum! Food was fabulous.
Killer Cocktail at La Na Thai (Photo: Facebars)
2nd Stop: Loewy By the time we reached it was crammed full of ex-pats and littered with bad pick-up lines. We eventually managed to snag a table and grub not just drinks. As closing time neared, were invited to a 3rd stop but… again… the week-long slog and insufficient sleep got the better of me. Hey – I’m in my 40s not 20s guys!
Loewy sooooo wasn’t this empty! (Photo: Loewy website)
Yet Another Friday:
1st Stop: Bistro Baron Desultory dinning and conversation with some lovely ladies over a civilized Merlot. Only jarring element is that this lovely little café is smack dab in the middle of a mall?? Pit stop for frozen yoghurt…
Surprisingly civilized for a ‘mall’ café (Photo: Bistro Baron website)
2nd Stop: Movie I don’t even remember the last time I did “Dinner and a Movie”! These days it tends to be a private screenings or sometimes for a lark the latest release. However rarely combined with dinner before. If food is involved, it tends to be afterwards at some outrageously late hour – that’s Indian dinner time. At parties, bringing out the ‘main course’ signals – eat up and get out!
A closing quote… “I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Any favourite Friday night haunts or activities?
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Everyday Asia 
There’s another Carissa????
Apparently. The most bizarre aspect is she was clearly in Jakarta? Whoulda thunk it, eh?
You should track her down… she’s bound to be an impostor…
I like how you think!! 🙂
Hi made it to Jakarta and took up some of your suggestions. Potato Head Garage was quite good – cold beer, free popcorn and the escargot was very nice! Thanks for the steer!
Brilliant! Suspected you may enjoy Potato Head… I’m looking forward to getting back to Jakarta 9 – 29 March and then back and forth a week or so every month until end Sept. Let me know if you plan to come back. 🙂