3 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Phone: 377 7888. Open 11.30 am until 2 am, seven days a week.
No bookings.
WELCOME to Hype City Central. Hope you had fun playing with Bruce Willis' grubby hand prints as you were whiling away the last half hour sucking in carbon monoxide from Canton Road. Just another hour to go before you're seated, please cash in at the bar in the meantime.
Forget the 'it's a Monday night so it won't be full' logic, an hour's wait is standard. Even on a rainy Sunday lunchtime when the joint was empty, a 30-minute wait for a table was declared until the over-zealous staff realised it was ridiculous.
But once you have been admitted to the inner sanctum, it is hard to begrudge the pony-tailed poseurs with security earpieces on the door and the set-up to get you spending in the bar. Irritations are erased by a Goldfinger ($55), a delectable margarita cocktail with orange juice, or a cold beer from a selection with prices ranging from $32 to $45. Time passes quickly when you're gawking at the memorabilia: Kevin Costner's Robin Hood suit, the pod from Alien, a wheel from Ben Hur's chariot and The Green Hornet's car. A dress worn by Marilyn Monroe looks as though it has been pegged in at the back and, for the record, the movie was made in 1953, not 1935 as captioned.
Patience is rewarded by hearty helpings of California-Mex cuisine. Don't overlook the appetisers. Gold Fingers, delicious spring rolls stuffed with shrimp, scallops, squid and minced pork ($49) are a must as are the tender buffalo wings served with chunky bleu cheese dressing ($49). The Texas nachos ($58) are an interesting improvisation with chunks of smoked chicken and grilled onions. Blackened shrimp ($72) goes down a treat with delicious Creole mustard.
The fajitas are a wise choice for those pacing themselves for dessert, with a choice of chicken, beef or shrimp ($125), or a combination plate ($145). For those hankering for a burger and chips, it's hard to go past the Turkey burger ($78) with cranberry sauce, salad and some of the best chips in Hong Kong. The bleu cheeseburger ($88) is too heavy on the cheese though the steak sandwich ($90) is better suited to the dressing.