"The night descends on Hong Kong like a benediction."
This was something quoted from a chef that was interviewed in an issue of Gourmet magazine that I read. I can't remember which chef it was, but I sure liked what he said about HK.
Indeed, the nightlife in HK is incomparable, and how that line resonates 'cos the city never sleeps! The night view of Victoria Harbour from the Kowloon side is definitely a sight to behold with the illuminated buildings. There's so much to do and more importantly, so much to eat once night falls. And so, let me make some mention of the places I checked out in the dark hours.
1) red is a bar and restaurant at the IFC. It's very swanky and chic. During the autumn and winter months, having your meal al fresco by candlelight at the tables outside is something quite nice. The place seemed to be teeming with expatriates and high-flying executive types who are very likely to be working in the IFC as bankers, financial analysts, brokers etc. It seems to me like the place where people go to to be seen.
Whatever you go to red for, just don't go there for the food. My friend and I had the salmon with rice. But it was ssssoooooo bland that I had to add generous amounts of salt and pepper, plus the pesto and sundried tomatoes dip that came with the bread to spice up the dish! OK granted that the dish was from the "Healthy Menu", still it didn't have to be SO tasteless. Even I could have cooked than that! (And that says a lot about the cooking given the fact that I'm quite a klutz in the kitchen...)
The linguine with prawns that another friend had was just as bland. The fish & chips another friend had didn't look particularly appealing either. I mean, it was quite disappointing as I would have expected better food for the exorbitant price we were being charged for the dishes. Not somewhere I would go again.
2) Wasabisabi Japanese restaurant at Food Forum (食通天) in Times Square is another chic place featuring sleek black and red interiors. It reminded me of Aqua at One Peking. The moment you enter, you step onto this cat walk framed by silver bead blinds hanging down from the sides. Oooh, I feel so glam. Hee.
Of course, sleek interiors necessitate a menu with prices just as sleek. There was nothing out of the ordinary here, just normal Japanese fare. Eight of us had a very refreshing and cold sake to share, and two bowls of sukiyaki, a sashimi platter, tempura platter, sushi platter which included a foie gras sushi and a uni (sea urchin) sushi--and I had to make a grab for the latter as I love uni!!! For desserts we had ginger creme brulee, red bean and black sesame ice cream.
Overall, the food was good as the sashimi was very fresh. Nice, but pricey.
3) drop is a bar and club in an obscure corner of Hollywood Road, Soho, and is only opened to members and their guests. I only got in because someone in the group of people I was with was a member. I didn't find anything special about this club frankly. Nothing to behold about the interiors and/or music. And besides, I'm not a huge fan of clubs. Period. The patrons were mainly expatriates and I didn't think very much of the music. I left after one drink.
4) insomnia at Lan Kwai Fong features a live band which was playing a mix of pop music from the 80s to the present on the night I was there. It was a Wednesday night and I was there with my friend and his friends to celebrate his birthday. The band was OK and like all the other bars in LKF, it's mostly an expatriate and tourist clientele.
Posted by DSD at November 28, 2005 8:50 AM