Joyce is not here in Soho

Joyce is not here
38-44 Peel St., Soho, Central, Hong Kong
TEL: 852 2851 2999
http://www.joycebakerdesign.com/

The enormous Canadian flag outside this bar first captured my attention. That very time I was there was a Thursday night, so it was open mic and various people were performing. Forget the name of the gentleman playing the guitar but it was some of the best blues I have heard in a long time. My buddy Dennis and I was able to score a couple of seats at the back. The interior decor has a lot of personality, while there are chaos in the arrangement of paintings and small sculptures, the interior is well organized. As you enter this bar, you have high chairs on the right, a bunch of smaller couches on the left and the back is a small bar kitchen.

The overall atmosphere is extremely cozy and relaxed, and the clientele is a mixture of expats and locals. Joyce, the owner is also there on most nights, either chilling with her friends, updating her blog or hanging out with her customers. The staff there are also extremely nice and attentive. They also have one of the largest Jazz/Music DVD collection I have seen so far in a Hong Kong pub.

They serve mainly belgians, Hoegaarden Forbidden Fruit, Hoegaarden Grand Cru, Leffe, Duvel, Kwak and a couple of lambics that I have forgotten. What's a Canadian bar without Canadian beer? Occasionally, they serve Molson Canadian there for a helfty price, no offense to Canadian drinkers, but why? I personally prefer Steamwhistle from good old T dot, but get Moosehead or Keiths instead!

I have gone back to Joyce on many occasions; including private parties and afternoon coffee. They have poetry readings on Wednesdays which I have yet to attend. Joyce is not here, I highly recommends this place, it totally reminds me of having small house parties in my own basement back home.

A few photos:

Gecko Lounge in Soho

Gecko Lounge
Lower G/F, Ezra Lane Lower,
Hollywood Road (off Pottinger St.),
Hong Kong
TEL: 852 2537 4680

Located in a subtle location down an alleyway from Pottinger St, walking down that narrow passage, totally reminds me of that scene in the movie Swingers, where the best bars always have unmarked doors. On the outside, Gecko screams out a dive... and it is. On most weekends, it's insanely packed, and people over floats outside with drinks on one hand and cigarette on the other. As you get closer to the door, rather it is rock, jazz or something else you can always hear the music.

As you enter the narrow doorway, often you will be blocked by the many musicians. I think jazz is played on Tues/Wed nights (I would call them to double check), and the deal is basically a bunch of musicians having a jam session, so you will never know what you will get. It's hit and miss really but I think that's the way it should be. If you are lucky enough, you will be able to spot Rudy and Eugene for some quality jazz.

Their beer selection is limited, Carlsberg only on tap. The bottle selection is Kronenberg, Corona and a bunch other, nothing fancy. While the outside seems like a dive, the interior is actually quite nice. The plastered walls almost reminds me of the resorts down south like Mexico or Cuba. There are also rotating art work which makes the inside more interesting. There is also a small dance floor, it's tiny but do attract the occasional dancers.

This lounge is a great place to check out some live music in the Soho area. While the inside is not a good venue for casual conversations due to the loud volume, you can always scroll outside and chill there over some amazing live background music.


A few photos:

Southern Barbarian in Shanghai

Southern Barbarian
Life Art Space District E, Area 2F
56 Maoming Nan Lu (near Changle Lu)
Shanghai
TEL: 86 21 5157 5510

Haven't seen my buddy Foster for a while and he invited Jenkin and I to dine at this place on Maoming Nan Lu. Getting to this place was a trek on its own. First you have to go inside the Life Art Space building and find the map, then after some twist and turns, you have to go outside to the courtyard at the back. Finally you will see the stairs and after going up a couple of flights, you can finally locate the entrance. There are also no signs, so you hope it's the right place.

As you enter the restaurant through the traditional Chinese doors, you can see the kitchen and the grills on one side, the front cashier desk on the other and an open space with a bunch of tables. The interior decoration is Chinese modern, typical of that in an Asian fusion restaurant. As you glance on top of the cashier, it displays their extensive available beer selection. The inside is well lit, the walls displayed a bunch of black and white art photos from various parts of China.

I was quite impressed with their beer selection, since I didn't have any expectation of this place. I was only looking for food but got more than that. Top of my head, Belgians, they have Westmalle dubbel, triple, Kwak, Duvel, Maredsous and quite a few more. They have a handful of Australian and American brews as well. Not a surprise, the owner himself is an aficionado of beer. After downing a Gordon Biersch Marzen to reminisce those days on my last American trip, the owner recommended another American beer, Brother Thelonious, brewed in the belgian abbey style. As the name suggests, it was a tribute to the great Thelonious Monk, it was 9.4% beer, which I think it's a fusion of trappist styling while maintaining the American hoppy beer traditions.

Traditional Chinese beer/lamb/pork skewers along with a large collection of beers, what more can you ask for. I highly recommends this place for a beer and a bite.

A few photos:

Bar Constellation in Shanghai

Bar Constellation No. 2
33 Yongjia Road near Maoming Nan Road
Shanghai
TEL: 86 21 5465 5993

My buddy Jimmy from Beijing drove 18 hours to Shanghai. Greg suggested to us to check out Bar Constellation for an after dinner drink. Looking from the outside, it already screams out how posh this place is. This is yet another old mansion that turned into a nice bar lounge in Shanghai.

The inside is nice, wooden panels, large bay windows and swirling staircases gave you the vibe of a luxury living room of some old mansion. The whole place is also very dimly lit. Behind the short bar, there is a large display of their huge liquor collection. The waiters are also neatly dressed with the classic white shirts, black pants, bow ties and vests. They seated us downstairs at the back where there is a couch and a few chairs.

Looking at the drinks list, I will have to say it has the largest scotch collection I have seen in China so far. It ain't cheap, however, with prices starting about 100RMB an ounce. If you are craving for a Lagaluvin or an Oban in Shanghai, this place got what you want. There is also a large collection of whites and reds to select from. A few people ordered the house red, which is a Chilean Santa Rita, which is decent for a modest 50RMB.

In a place like this, especially with waiters dressed like they know what they are doing. I usually order my favorite martini, which is a Tanqueray 10 martini stirred with a twist. I said this a few times to make sure the waiter understood what I meant and everything seemed to be fine. A few minutes later, he came back with a martini with an olive. Usually I am not super picky, but for a fine setting liked this, and the price that I was paying, I expected a bit more. Greg decided to grab this drink and so we tried again; this time, we told them specifically how to make it in details. A few minutes later, the drink came, Tanqueray 10 martini stirred with a twist. Good, but with a closer look, there is a bonus olive in there along with the twist. I guess the bartenders there had it ingrained in their heads that a Martini MUST have an olive in it, or else it's not a martini at all. Anyhow, exhausted of explaining and complaining, I picked out the olive and downed the drink.

A few of us also ordered a few scotch for tasting. Make sure you use words like "NO ICE" instead of "Neat" to avoid confusion. There is also an upstairs with couches for private conversations away from the crowd, and no photography is allowed, so I wasn't able to take more photos. The music volume can be turned down slightly to accommodate conversation without shouting.

To sum up, Bar Constellation is a decent place to hang out when you feel like spoiling yourself with expensive drinks. A great collection of Scotches is also there whenever you have the craving for it. I would suggest, however, to stay away from the mixed drinks and stick with poured drinks, like scotches, wine or beer.

A few photos:

Barco at Soho

Barco
42 Staunton St., Soho, Central, Hong Kong
TEL: 852 2857 4478

A few weeks ago, while going out with several friends, we strolled by Barco. It was completely packed and we failed to get seats, so we left. Finally, after hitting the Catch, it was just around the bend, so we decided to drop by. On the outside, Barco looked like an Italian Bistro type of place. The night we went, it was already quite late, around 12AM and it wasn't that packed.

First impressions, smokey... literally, smokey. I was drenched immediately with a thin coat of tobacco smoke like running into a cigarette bonfire. The bar was relatively empty and there might be only a couple of people smoking but the smell was definitely aged through time.

The interior decoration was quite modern. The round edges of the bar and the teak coloured furniture reminded me of danish modern designs. The shape of the bar is more of a square than a rectangle, which gives you a feeling of roominess. The bar is also more lit than most, which gives it a more bistro feel. Barco is divided into two sections: the entrance area consists of a bar and several high bar tables and chairs; the back has several couches for smaller parties.

I have to say the interior design is done quite well and the overall feeling is very comfortable. The washroom is hidden so discretely that you can hardly find it! The night I was there, I had a pint of Hoegaarden and San Miguel. The bottle selection is the usual Tsingtao, San Miguel, VB, Boddingtons etc. The music was alright and the volume was bearable for conversation.

Beside the smokey conditions, I think Barco is quite a comfortable place to hang out.

The Catch at Soho

The Catch
65 Peel St., Soho, Central, Hong Kong
TEL: 852 2548 1717

My active hours at Soho are typically around 10ish at night, I walked by The Catch, on Peel just north of Elgin many times. Looking in from the outside, it reminds me deeply the traditional bars in Manhattan. Unfortunately, out of the many times I walked by, it was quite empty, so I was hesitant to go in. Finally, two weekends ago, I was out with a couple of buddies that I haven't seen in a while, and decided to grab a pint there.

The front door were these classic sliding glass doors, plain looking but elegantly marked with a clear gold printing saying, "The Catch". As I walked into the slightly dimmed room, on the left was a long bar with stools and the right has several round bar tables. The atmosphere, furniture and setting is totally like an old Manhattan Public House in the 1930s. The white honeycomb tiled floors is another additional touch to that theme.

The place is decorated with many objects that would suggest the title of the bar. I was back again last weekend for a small birthday gathering and the birthday girl particularly enjoyed those photos of the different fish on the wall. Along with those photos, the interior is also decorated with many bird cages of various sizes and arranged randomly all over the restaurant.

The on tap selection is limited to Erdinger Weisse and Kronenberg 1664, which is not bad for the area. Compared to the beer selection, the wine list is quite extensive and you can easily find something that you might want.

During the day, according to reviews, this place is a hustling and bustling tapas restaurant. The reviews were also quite good but I haven't had the chance to try out their food yet. The service was also excellent and the staff were helpful and talkative.

The only small complaint would be the music, on both occasions, it was playing some super 1980s stuff which I think was quite out of place for the setting. The volume was perfect, however, for casual conversations. Besides the choice of music, I think The Catch is an excellent location to host small intimate parties, grab an after dinner drink or catch up with old friends over a few pints.

A few photos: