At a time when nightlife establishments ceaselessly hunt for the most avant-garde concepts to attract and entertain the city’s sleepless crowds, XXX by Leon Goldstein goes against the grain by looking into the past instead and breathing new life into the historic Tiga Puluh, a long-standing, underground bar and live music lounge within the confines of Le Meridien Jakarta.
Riding down the escalator to the bar, regular patrons of the old establishment would immediately notice that XXX (triple X, for tiga puluh or thirty) has ushered in quite a transformation; in place of an expansive live music stage and 2000s-esque colourful decor, there now exists a long cocktail bar, muted grey-panelled walls and marble tabletops that sets an elegant and refined ambience subtly inspired by the opulence of the Roaring Twenties.
Far from being intimidating in its sophisticated new look, settling comfortably into one of the many cushioned seats of the bar (some of which are leather-bound) comes naturally—especially when there’s a new bistro-style menu to dig into.
Curated by former actress Gladys Suwandhi, notable for her brunch events at The Dharmawangsa, dishes here freely draw influences from a fusion of American, French and Asian cuisines. The Le Canard “Three Ways” explores different styles of presenting the duck (le Canard): as confit, sous vide duck breast and rillettes, served alongside sauteéd potatoes for a hearty and complex meal. For something more attuned to the local palate though, one would do well by going with the Chicken Wing Lollipops (a subtle twist on the classic chicken satay) or the Smoked Brisket Fried Rice.
Ultimately, as hotel bars often go, XXX is straightforward enough. There’s good food to go with classic cocktail selections, and also regular live DJ or band performances to tune into—but that’s not to say that it lacks in quality. On the contrary, its understated, tried-and-true approach makes the bar an easy and reliable choice, whether it’s for lunch meetings (it opens at 11 am), after-office rendezvous, or a simple nightcap of Negroni before retiring to the rooms upstairs.