Pao Pao

30th January 2015
Just when one thought the district of Senopati couldn’t get anymore chicher, Shanghai-inspired bar, Pao Pao, showed up and unveiled a sophisticated spot to drink till your heart’s content. Cheongsam? Optional.

The district of Senopati has, no doubt, established itself as the “It place” to be. From cafes to restaurants, you can be sure to find one to your liking and with quality to boot.

The latest addition to join the night scene of Jakarta is Pao Pao (it means precious or treasure in Chinese). It’ll be hard to miss this establishment unless you’re blind to the eye-catching neon sign by the road.

Golden Age of Shanghai comes to mind when entering this establishment. But, Pao Pao is not a hardcore sentimentalist. Instead of dripping with nostalgia, it is modernised by marrying the vintage aesthetic with post-industrial designs. The result is an establishment that is charged with the charms of the past but at the same time, keeping its eyes fixed in the current.

Over at the bar, a red neon sign reads, 借酒消愁 (a Chinese idiom for drinking one’s sorrow away). While one may not need to have sorrow in the first place to be in Pao Pao, but you better be prepared to drink. The lists of drink are almost endless. From Gin, Vodka, Rum, Tequila to Whisky, you name it. Even the Whisky came in various types – Canadian Rye, Japanese Pure Malt, Single Malt and even blended.

Still, for easy options, just pick from their signature cocktails, such as Asian Negroni and Xinhai (freshly pressed ginger and orange with a spicy touch of London dry gin, midori liqeur and lemon juice) or mocktails like Lychee Little Shanghai (freshly pressed Lychee topped with twist of lime and soda water).

Equally delicious is their Dim Sum. There are single serving options to choose from, but it is definitely more fun to share with their platter options where a variety of Dim Sum is served in large steamer baskets.

However, if you’re looking for something more substantial before moving on to few rounds of hardcore drinking in Pao Pao, Arasseo is only, literally, a few steps away.