Bobby D's, Kemang

With the Indonesian economy now booming, Kemang is pretty much unrecognizable from the sleepy suburb it was only a decade ago.

In fact, so many restaurants, bars and cafes have opened up in Kemang in recent years that the familiar macet (traffic jam) afflicts this posh district even on Sunday afternoons (as I discovered to my cost only last week!)

In the bar-cum-restaurant segment of the market, the competition has got incredibly tough and any newcomer will have to challenge not only the well-established drinking holes - like Eastern Promise and Die Stube - but also the growing number of new places opening up.

But are there enough punters out there to justify all these new bar openings? After all, the numbers of expats are not growing that rapidly.

It must surely hinge, then, on whether the increased levels of economic prosperity will encourage more Indonesians to turn to the proverbial bottle.

I have my doubts but perhaps they will. After all, alcohol and city stress certainly go well together.

One way to success, of course, is to differentiate your establishment from the competition.

Just as the Australian bar Bobby D's have done, by holding special events such as salsa night and live rock music –

- although not both at the same time thank God!

Bobby D's
The Mansion at Kemang Shopping Arcade GF. 001-003
Jln. Kemang Raya No.3-5
South Jakarta