[stylejj]

Really not mean to sound pretentious. Purely for the sake of good music, big time DJs and the all-dressed-up crowds. So don't throw stones to me please...

I've only been in Hong Kong for three weeks. Below is 100% my personal opinions. If there's any inaccuracy of the information or by any chance, I offended anyone, I apologize in advance.

DRAGON I so far is definitely my favorite, except the woman at the entrance... Well, guess she's just doing her job. Celebs, models and wannabies are all over the place. Great pleasure for the eyes. European style decorated bars and the huge open-air space spread the glamourous signals. Don't quite get the birds thing though. Attempt of culture-mixing probably? It reminds me of the scene of Chinese seniors walking around with their bird cages at six in the morning.
Two weekends ago, they had this guest DJ Bob Sinclair performing in Di. From 10pm onwards, hundreds of people were wandering around at the door and trying to get the access by telling the entry keeper who they were, who they knew and who they could have been. 10% of them got in because their friends booked the table; 10% of them were pulled in by some influential people already inside; 10% of them happened to be wise enough to put their names on the guest list at least two weeks before the day; the rest of 70% tried and waited then tried and waited again... Finally more people left with anger and disappointment. Many of them bad-talked about the woman at the entrance in whispering voice in case they had to go through the same thing again soon. Tons of photographers from all publications were busy with taking shots of almost everyone as if they might have missed someone big in the crowd.
If you think you can never take rejection due to the face issue, try Tuesday and Wednesday night at Di. You will be surprised with the exclusivity of the crowd. More than half of them are models, hairstylists, makeup artists, fashion designers, DJs, media newcomers?etc. The average age is dropped down to early 20s which is another myth since the price of drinks in Di is almost double more than it in the usual bars.

DROP seems a bit trashy to me, actually more than just a bit. But I have to be there at Saturday nights just for the most brilliant house music on the earth. The resident DJ is pretty much worshipped by all the regulars. People raise their fists in the air and punch hard to exhaust their energy.
Once again, the red hair Russian girl makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable by the way she looks at me or rather not looks at me. I try not to look at her in the eyes neither ever since she said, "You have to be invited to become member." Wish she could have done a better job to control the quality of the crowd. Models and big spenders got rejected but silly little ones were welcomed due to some certain connections. The handsome and tall manager inside does the best job I've ever seen comparing all the other club managers. He is accurate, assertive, never too close to the girls but very friendly to the guys who pay for the drinks. No, he is not homosexual. You can tell by the way he pads on other men's shoulders, exactly the way between good buddies.
I wonder how often they had to change the couch cover. People literally were walking and dancing on top of the couches from one to another as there were probably no other ways really. Hundreds of people all squeezed in one tiny space after 3am. Just imagine... Onenightstand seekers, gays, drunken girls altogether challenged the endurance of this dark and pumped up place. The cleaners were constantly pushing the crowd open and working on their duties without looking up or caring who's whom. The air was full of the smell of the "unmentionable".

M1NT is probably the real "members only" club which means to be able to get in, you either are the member or the shareholder or to be put on the guest list by one of them. Quite new and the membership is for sale at HK$5500. Centre Stage residents get discount for $1K plus. Thought it's a pretty good deal. The baby sharks are cute but the music needs to be updated. At Saturday night all I got was two hours non-stopped 90s Hiphop. Shamo shamo... The fire tricks performed by the group of bartenders were rather impressive. It always got people all standing up, cheering and giving claps. Recently, more local people started making their presents to M1nt and less expats. Suspect that the music was the major cause.

HOMEBASE is a secret spot. Don't be surprised if you have lived in HK for more than 10 years but never heard of this place. It is the most popular one among all the clubs that only get packed after 5am and open till 9 or 10am. There is no sign of the bar name but only a weird-looking door keeper getting very busy with selecting the people to come in at 6am. The DJs are supposed to be good. However, they are not allowed to turn up the volume for some reason. Inside the club is quite big with a longish bar in the middle. On the sides there are many huge couches or say beds with people lying around in dark. If Drop is at the scale 6 out of 10 for being dizzy, drunk and happily rotten, then Homebase could get a large 8.5. There is no decoration at all in the washrooms but a small window half open where you can see the sunlight coming up. It feels surreal. Then back inside again, you are suddenly in another world. It is the last chance for the lonely people. So they work on the opposite sex extra hard. My advice is not to wear fancy clothes because the smell left on your clothes the next day could choke you to death, though bringing a pair of sunglasses could be the smart move for getting out in bright with red eye balls and black circles underneath.

VOLAR is actually easy to make an entry by sending an email to make the reservation early during the weekdays. However, you have to be extremely punctual. Say if you tell them you are going to be there at 12.30am and you come at 1am, the security guard will put a motionless face on and shake his head slowly. Then you realize you are screwed.
The good thing about Volar is that it has two rooms playing hiphop and house at each. So it pretty much satisfies everyone's need. The crowd is also more mixed with half locals and half expats. Since it is quite big inside, you could at least have some space to dance freely. It is easier to meet people there if that's what you are up for.

HEIHEI is made for the hiphop and R&B lovers. Very few expats go there because it has the longest queue outside and God knows when your turn is. The membership is only for $3K plus and you can spend it on drinks which is a very fair deal. Unfortunately it only allows the member to bring one guest in. So if you hang out with a large group normally, it is rather useless. The interior is very shining and beautiful. But you get way too distracted by marking your territory to appreciate it. The young local crowd drove me nuts when they kept pushing me from left to right fearlessly. Eventually I had to hold my elbows up and make two sharp triangles in order to protect myself. Thanked my height and the high heels, it got them pretty good. I'd say it's THE place to get hooked up. The girls there didn't seem to know the existence of the word "rejection". They just went with the flow. It's definitely the club where shy guys should get trained to become players.

ARMANI BAR looks nothing but posh. The bar, the couches, the lighting... pretty much everything is carefully chosen and decorated. You can get the best service there among all the "exclusive clubs". Waiters and bartenders are super polite and speaking perfect English. Since JP Morgan is located right above it and many other major banks are also nearby, it has somehow become the unofficial bankers' hangout. All men there wear tailored or branded suits which is absolutely a pleasant view for women. If any of you women have this obsess for dating investment bankers, it is no doubt where you should be more often.
Try the Bellinis with specially served caviar on top of their Bellini selection. It makes perfect sense. The music is quite low so that it allows people to exchange opinions about the trades, markets, transactions... or simply how much money they have just made today.

Right, that was my report of the last three weeks. So far, I have been to another 20ish clubs and bars that are not so "exclusive" but as fun as the ones above. Have to say that in Hong Kong, you can always find a way to "live life to the full".

Peace!

[KnowItAll]

>> Don't quite get the birds thing though

I used to work in that building and was told by my local colleagues that it is a fung shui thing.

[minmin]

is it now? i had no problem entering at all in the past. i always wonder if the restrooms there were unisex though...

[Monde]

Originally Posted by minmin

is it now? i had no problem entering at all in the past. i always wonder if the restrooms there were unisex though...

Same here Minmin. But I ahve decided that I am getting too old to continue partying until 9am - 10am.

[jimbo]

Originally Posted by Monde

Same here Minmin. But I ahve decided that I am getting too old to continue partying until 9am - 10am.

Know the feeling! 1 a.m is my limit now.

[stylejj]

Originally Posted by minmin

is it now? i had no problem entering at all in the past. i always wonder if the restrooms there were unisex though...

Well, I guess it depends on what time you go. It takes you almost half an hour to queue outside around 5.30am if your face is not familiar to the doorman.

Did you guys need to pay the entrance fee before? Now you have to pay once again if your don't know the people there.

[stylejj]

Originally Posted by KnowItAll

>> Don't quite get the birds thing though

I used to work in that building and was told by my local colleagues that it is a fung shui thing.

Thanks! Good to know. It must have been convenient to drop by anytime when you used to work in the same building.

Btw, to correct something in my email just sent to you, the business trip has been postponed to Monday. So I am free tomorrow night to meet.

[KnowItAll]

>> It must have been convenient to drop by anytime

Their Dim Sum lunches were *good*. Never went there for drinks after work. I'm neither the posh and pretty people type or the trendy club type.

[beachball]

Just a few quick comments:

Originally Posted by stylejj

HOMEBASE is a secret spot. Don't be surprised if you have lived in HK for more than 10 years but never heard of this place.

Secret - me thinks not. There are very few people who do NOT know of Homebase - people actually going there is a complete different matter, though... (apparently in part due to the fact that it is/used to be one of the main destinations for males with "nontraditional preferences").
I have never queued (except for waiting for the elevator ) or paid entrance fee. It does have a sign, too.
Definitely not exclusive and very much a hit-and-miss kind of place - is "on" maybe one out of ten nights, but then it is great.

Originally Posted by stylejj

HEIHEI is made for the hiphop and R&B lovers. Very few expats go there because it has the longest queue outside and God knows when your turn is.

Sadly no longer the case, largely due to its reputation as a pick-up joint, HeiHei has almost as many ham sup gweilo crawling all over the place as Wanchai...
Door policy is non-existent - just walk straight to the front of the line with as many people as you like.

[beachball]

Originally Posted by minmin

is it now? i had no problem entering at all in the past. i always wonder if the restrooms there were unisex though...

Not unisex - guys to the right, girls to the left/straight ahead. That said, quite a bit of "sexual confusion" in Homebase and at 08.00 in the morning not many people care...