Hong Kong
01-26-2013, 02:47 AM
Here is a break down of Hong Kong for those who are interested. I have been living here for almost a year now, so have been able to hang out in pretty much most of the places worth hitting up.
The post is pretty long, so bear with me. This post covers one of the areas, and the subsequent posts will cover other areas individually.
One thing to keep in mind about Hong Kong is that things change very rapidly here. Places open and close every few months, and there is a possibility that places listed below might not be in existence if you happen to visit in the future or they have changed the name etc.
There are around 4 major areas - Central, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, & Kowloon/Tsim Sha Tsui (TST).
There are a bunch of other places which one can chill out in but are a bit further away from the Central area like Stanley/Aberdeen or Lantau and a bunch of other off the beaten track spots in Northern Territories.
Central:
Well this is the main area for pretty much everything in Hong Kong. Hotels, bars, restaurants, business etc.
In terms of social aspects, Central can be further broken down in to SoHo, NoHo, LKF and Wyndham Street/Upper LKF. SoHo and NoHo are basically the adjoining streets North (NoHo) and South (SoHo) of Hollywood Road.
There is also a little bit of action in the IFC (International Finance Center) area during weekdays, but it is filled with Filipina domestic helpers during the weekend, Sundays especially when it is their day off. They are literally everywhere and just basically camp out on the pedestrian subways, sidewalks, open areas etc, one has to see it to believe.
You will find predominantly westerners here, with a sizable population of local/mainland Chinese people. More local people tend to spread out a bit more and are not in Central all the time.
SoHo:
This is basically just a bunch of streets adjacent to the escalators filled with nothing but bars and restaurants. There are way too many places to break them down individually, so I have only focused on the major/big ones.
A bunch of the happening places are right along the escalator on Shelley Street.
Coast:
This place is a big hit with westerners specifically during sports action and happy hour times. The quality of the crowd is pretty good, but they are mostly in big groups so don't expect to find a lot of one or two sets in terms of girls, and the guy to girl ratio is either equal or towards more guys.
The place is pricier compared to other joints, so not necessarily.
Cicada:
One of my favorite places, tends to be less crowded. Also is easier on the wallet if that matters to you.
Again a spot where girls tend to come in groups, but smaller sized groups and you can easily find groups of 2 or 3 girls by themselves here.
Happy Hour is among the cheapest in Hong Kong. $30 for any cocktail and they are pretty strong as well, and not watered down or anything. The food is also pretty good here, so expect a lot of people around dinner time here, so it becomes difficult to get a table unless you have reservations for dinner.
Staunton's Wine Bar & Nico's:
Owned by the same group, and attracts a similar crowd. You will find a good number of quality girls here, but both places are small (very rare that you will find big places in Hong Kong in general) so get very crowded. But it doesn't really matter since most of the crowd is outside on the street and stairs adjacent to the places.
They are both a it expensive, but the quality of girls makes up for it. Mostly expect to see westerners though, so if you are in to Asian girls, might not be the best place to hit up.
McSorleys & Yorkshire Pudding:
English pubs/restaurants. So you will end up running in to a lot of British people, not that they aren't anywhere else in Hong Kong.
Food is alright, but nothing to go ga-ga over. They are generally busy around Happy Hour/pre-dinner times and you might find some quality here on occasion. Gets crowded when there are Football (soccer) games.
The Globe:
Another very popular expat place, gets very crowded during Happy Hours and during sports telecasts. Crowd is good, and it server a selection of English food and other stuff.
Place is very nice to chill out in, and is pretty lively during the weekend brunch times as well.
Bourbon:
American place, nothing fantastic, but can be good to hit up depending on the day. Does get a some decent girls now and then, but unless it is happening when you walk by, I would say skip it.
There are a numerous other places along Shelley Street, Staunton Street and Elgin Street. So the best idea is to just walk around the area to get a feel for the place, and take it from there.
Wyndham Street:
A "classier" version of LKF pretty much. Hollywood Road becomes Wyndham Street, and the entire street is just bars, loungers, and restaurants next to each other.
There are some very nice places on this street, and the quality of girls is a lot better than LKF in general, at least in my opinion. But then again it depends on your personal tastes. The crowd is predominantly expat and middle class/high income locals and mainland Chinese.
I generally tend to hang out here as opposed to LKF proper or SoHo. The crowd is much nicer and easier on the eyes, plus less shit-faced and wasted people.
Rayne, Tonic, Pulp, Solas, Tivo
These are all places right next to each other or opposite one another and are more or less similar.
They can get very crowded during weekends and finding a spot inside is close to impossible. In any case, the best idea is to generally reserve a table in advance on the outside patio since almost all of these places have an open patio sort of space with a few tables.
You can smoke outside, and they are generally the best seats in the house since you get to enjoy both the crowd inside as well as the flowing traffic on the street which is a great thing.
The quality of girls is pretty good, but it can be hit or miss sometimes. Girls also tend to be a bit more open here and expect a lot of pretty drunk girls/women (you will run in to older women in their 30's here a lot more than anywhere in Central)
The places themselves are pretty alright in terms of decor, and the drinks, but are more expensive than LKF/SoHo. The girls mostly will fall in the 6.5 - 8 category, but you can expect to run in to some 8.5, 9's occasionally here. The manager/hostess at Rayne is decent and cute!
Divino:
A wine bar, with good Italian food. One of my favorites to take girls here, very relaxed atmosphere and great ambiance.
Their wine list is extensive, and if you are in to wine, then a great spot to post up on one of their tables near the door which opens on to the street. You will find some good girls here on occasion, but not necessarily a great place in terms of volume.
So much more suited to take a girl when meeting second time or so, rather than if you are out to approach girls.
Wagyu:
More of a dinner spot, but they do get a sizable crowd in their bar area and a lot of people on the street outside the bar area which is open.
Don't generally go here, but have seen some stunners here, so cannot comment much on it.
Dragon-i:
Touted to be the best club in Hong Kong, but far from it on a personal perspective. The place gets some points for the quality of girls, but this is a very hit or miss thing, and can be downright crappy sometimes.
Not really worth all the hype around it, but that said it can be popping some times on the right night. Check it out, but don't get your hopes high and you should be alright. Bonus if the night you hit it turns out to be great.
Places inside the LKF Hotel
There are a number of places inside the LKF hotel including the Tanzania Ballroom. Not among my regular hang outs so cannot go much in to detail.
But they are pretty popular especially a couple of the places which are on the higher floors of the hotel for their views. More snobbish crowd, and it is confined inside the hotel so it is not necessarily a great place unless you are specifically taking a girl/date there.
LKF:
Basically below Wyndham Street and possibly the most crowded place in Central during the weekends. There is absolutely nothing to do here but drink and party, and more often than not it happens on the street as well as inside the establishments here.
Can get extremely crowded during major holidays and occasions to the point where you have to queue up for 3 to 4 blocks just enter the area/street.
Volar:
One of the popular clubs in LKF, and it is pretty good on its day. Weekends the place is filled with quality girls, and also during some weekdays depending on what is happening there on that day.
A bit snobbish with a bunch of bouncers who are very controlling and selective. They expect everyone to be decked up and dressed to impress so keep that in mind. The quality of girls somewhat makes up for their service which is not necessarily great generally speaking. Pretty big place for LKF and it will be packed, so more options.
Insomnia:
Sister place to Dusk Till Dawn in Wan Chai. Similar set up with a live Asian band, and they are most probably singing rock classics etc. It can be pretty fun sometimes, but it does get crowded and can be pretty dull a lot of the times.
Quality of girls is nothing to write home about, but the crowd is a lot more receptive so easier to approach.
Al's Diner:
This place gets special mention although it is nothing spectacular just for the sheer fact that you will find the most easy to approach and drunk girls here in LKF most of the time, thanks to their jelly shots which are extremely popular to the point where you have to wait in line to get the shots on weekends.
The shots themselves are pretty mediocre, made with sub-standard vodka but they definitely are potent and do the job they are intended to do - get people drunk.
Girls aren't necessarily great, but they definitely are easy to approach and more receptive given that most of them are way past the happy/tipsy stage and just plain drunk.
Stormies, The China Bar, La Bodega:
All three of them are right next to each other, adjacent to Volar and opposite of Al's Diner. They can be pretty hit or miss, but I have always had a good run especially in The China Bar.
The quality of girls is alright, you will see the occasional stunner but mostly girls in the 6 - 7.5 range more or less. Expect a lot of tourists in these places from Japan, Korea and the mainland.
La Bodega can be a lot of fun on the right night and is Spanish, and the crowd is generally good on these nights. But all of them are very small places so finding a spot to post is the biggest problem.
The back side and the front area near the door of The China Bar has some tables if you want to get a bottle or make a reservation, but the front is only worth it if you want some space. The back gets jammed up since it is right next to the dance floor.
Marlin:
A special mention to this place for their challenge. It is a shot place and they have something around 200 on the menu.
For $198 you can get 10 shots and there is an open challenge to finish them in the quickest time. The leader board is posted outside for those who want to know what they are up against.
Beijing Club, Magnum, Play, Prive:
Probably the best clubs in the area, much bigger than the other places, and gets good quality girls on a regular basis.
Getting in is a whole another story though, and expect to queue up outside on the street for a while if you get there after 11:30, unless you get bottle service and the likes or have the place on lock down.
Definitely suggest hitting these places since the crowd is great, and if you smoke the smoking areas are great places to approach girls in these spots. Crowd is generally very receptive and should not be hard to get in to the swing of things quickly.
There are a lot more places in this area, and just too many to list out individually including The Hard Rock Cafe (I would avoid it, since it is pretty crappy). Also a note, there is a place called Sugar Dolls opposite HRC, which is geared toward ladyboys/transvestites so watch out.
You will also run in to girls on the street offering P4P action, if that is your scene. But it is not as blatant as the Wan Chai area.
NoHo:
Much less action in this area, but there are a couple of nice spots here and there. Lyndhurst Terrace is the street leading in to Hollywood road, and you will find a bunch of places on this street which are pretty good.
There is an Italian place at the corner called La Pinola which I personally like, and can be pretty good during Happy Hours and pre-dinner on weekends.
A lot of restaurants in this section, so good for food options on the night out.
That is a well a "brief" rundown of Central, as I mentioned in the post earlier there are just too many places to list them out individually. If I remember some other notable places I will add them in later.
Hope the info helps, the other districts coming soon!
Game is not about sex. Sex is a by-product, albeit an excellent one, it is the thrill of the hunt!!