All right Jack
WHEN I ASKED READERS to name their favourite Hong Kong pub (Post Magazine, June 8), I did not expect such an overwhelming flood of e-mails. There were votes for Delaney's in Wan Chai, the Captain's Grill at the Mandarin Oriental, Central, Dicken's Bar at the Excelsior, Causeway Bay, and Schnurrbart in Lan Kwai Fong. But an overwhelming majority voted for the Dublin Jack. This Irish bar (37 Cochrane Street, Central, tel: 2543 0081) must be doing something right. I decided to roll down the Mid-Levels escalator on a wet Sunday morning to renew my acquaintance with this Irish institution.
At 11am, the Dublin Jack had a 'morning after' look: freshly scrubbed with no trace of stale beer or spilled chips, but a distinct atmosphere of having recovered from a busy Saturday night. The bartenders were relaxed and exchanging racing tips with the customers, some of whom were practising their golf swings on the green- and pink-tiled floor. I spotted a University of Hong Kong professor walking in with his two young children, and a couple of regulars perched by the wood-mullioned window, Sunday papers in hand, watching the world go by. It is that kind of pub, 'a home from home for the Irish in Hong Kong', as described by reader Phil Smyth; a 'local gathering hall for people of all nationalities, ages and interests' for reader Carol Wolfson.
There is a relaxed friendliness about the place, starting with the welcome at the door and the amiability of the patrons and staff, even on the nights when a rugby broadcast makes it difficult to elbow your way through the crowd. The cheery main bar hums with the 'craic' and leads to two levels: the dark and dignified Writers' Bar downstairs, crammed with photos of Irish poets; and the cosy Country Cottage level upstairs, which offers a bit of privacy and good Irish food. The big screens beaming sports events, the vintage Guinness posters and the eccentric bric-a-brac - an old sewing machine here and a cardboard suitcase there - complete the Irish pub look.
On good days the Guinness Stout ($60) is probably better than anywhere else in Hong Kong. It comes from Malaysia and spends four days in air-conditioned comfort in a room behind the bar before being tapped. Although it does not have the fresh, smooth, slightly chocolatey taste of Guinness served in Dublin, it has the usual charred malt flavour, a bitter palate and a very Asian sharp-and-sour zing to it. However, on the bar's rare 'off' days, the Guinness does not taste so fresh.
You can also order Harp on tap ($52). It is a pale gold, slightly malty and fruity lager with a short-lived head. Some people like its crisp drinkability, others find it a little thin and watery. A few die-hards have been known to top it with Guinness, forming their own versions of what is called a Half and Half.
But the top-selling draft here is Kilkenny ($60), a smooth, easy drink from the Irish town famous for its marble and its brewery. It is a reddish ale with a creamy head and light aftertaste, with traces of caramel and burned toffee that come from the slightly baked 100 per cent Irish malts used in the brewing process. Other beers on tap are Tetleys ($60) and Carlsberg ($49) as well as a Cantonese favourite, Strongbow Cider ($52). All make excellent accompaniments to the formidable Irish stew ($95), steak pie marinated in red wine ($108) and the full Irish breakfast ($99) of bacon, eggs, sausages and black pudding that leaves no room for lunch. My personal favourite is the Baileys Irish Cream cheesecake ($45), a heady indulgence with a glass of red wine on the side.
But the Dublin Jack's biggest drawcard is its whiskey menu, which lists 41 Irish whiskeys and more than 100 Scottish single malts. This is the cellar that supplied former United States president Bill Clinton with Bushmills when everyone else in town failed. But that's another story.
