BMTH live in Jakarta 2024

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This time around Ravel gets it right and BMTH (Bring Me The Horizon) are headlining the Nexfest festival in Jakarta which also features Babymetal. In this format there is no seating - which makes for a much more intimate experience - although you do have to arrive really early if you want to pick a spot right up close to the stage.  We arrived about six hours before BMTH were scheduled to start their performance and bought plenty of drinks to stay hydrated in the tropical afternoon heat (mind you, some of those were Iceland vodka mix!) This was a gig I had long been looking forward to - especially after the debacle last year. Not everyone likes BMTH of course. For deathcore fans the band sold out. For metal heads the band is not purist enough. And for the wider mainstream audience, the band is too heavy. You can't please everyone of course but there are few bands in the rock world which can match the sheer emotional velocity of BMTH. To bring metal and even aspects of metalcore t...
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The Duck King, Grand Indonesia

Q: Did you hear about the duck with a drug problem?
A: He was a quackhead

 Peking duck has long been a favorite of mine, and while I tend to wolf it down at extravagant marriage receptions held in Jakarta, I don’t often get to eat it in restaurants. This is basically because I seldom visit Chinese restaurants, instead preferring the cheaper Chinese “street food” – stuff like kwetiau goreng etc – in places like Mangga Besar (I won’t mention that area’s other attractions!).


The Duck King

 Peking duck has a rich history. It originates from Beijing - surprise surprise (but is never referred to as Beijing duck!) and has been prepared since the imperial era. So what’s good for the royals is good for the gander: and a table at the Duck King in Jakarta’s monstrous Grand Indonesia shopping mall - it seems to be about as large as Switzerland - was booked for seven o clock on a Saturday night.

 As Jakarta restaurants go, this one falls into the mid-upper category. It’s classy, bright, spacious and modern. It was also packed – a very good sign.

 I’ll cut to the chase and say the quality of the food here is very good. This is not just another flash Jakarta restaurant without substance – they do actually deliver on the quality of the food they serve here.

Besides the Beijing Peking duck (which was excellent), the menu also features a very impressive selection of vegetable side dishes – like kangkung (spinach), buncis (green beans), bayam (amaranthus), etc – cooked in various ways. It’s obvious that quality, fresh ingredients are used as the taste is much better than you would find in a cheaper restaurant.

Prices at the Duck King range from the mid to upper end. If you choose carefully, the damage for a meal for two could be in the region of Rp500k. Select some of the more esoteric dishes, however, and your credit card will be given a sterner stress test.

 All in all, this is a great restaurant with really good food – although romantic couples might want to stay away (please do: nothing worse than having an amorous couple all over each other at a nearby table while you’re trying to enjoy your meal!).

The Duck King

The Duck King


The Duck King
Grand Indonesia
Lt. III Unit GD 1 - 17
Jl. MH. Thamrin No. 1, Jakarta Selatan

 Telp (021) 2358 0835/ 45

 https://www.theduckking.com/

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