Go Posh in Admiralty
Escape the crowds, the drunks and all the noise of LKF with this area's exquisite bars.
Ed and I start off the night at The Lawn (The Upper House, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, 2918-1838), The Upper House’s posh outdoor space complete with real grass, artsy sculptures and garden chairs. Unfortunately, it’s 7:30pm and we’ve just missed last call at seven—we’re told if we want drinks, we’ll need to order at Café Gray Deluxe (the hotel’s proper bar on the 49th floor), and then bring the drinks down ourselves. We contemplate our situation for a whole two seconds before deciding we’re happy right where we are, drinks or no. It’s calm and quiet out here, and the weather’s perfect. There’s some soothing resort-style lounge music playing in the background, keeping us glued to our seats right below the lit-up staircase. Up the stairs is where the umbrella-topped tables and cushy chairs are, and most of them are taken—but we’re content in our spots, and continue to sit back and stare at the sky, not even bothering with small talk. We’re cheating a little by skipping on the drinks, but we know from previous experience that Café Gray has a solid cocktail menu.
We haven’t had dinner, so after 20 minutes of loitering around, we head out towards Lobster Bar and Grill (6/F, Island Shangri-La, Supreme Court Road, Admiralty, 2820-8560) via a stroll through the beautiful outdoor terrace connected to the bar, the Banyan Tree Garden. The people in the garden are slightly more animated than those at The Lawn, but the conversations are still reserved and low-key. Once inside, the ambience totally changes. The crowd is happy and rowdy—some folks are perched by the bar, some have staked out comfy seats in the corner. There’s a live jazz band on the side to help keep the atmosphere lively. There’s also a proper dining section further in, but that’s not what most people are here for. We grab a seat by the bar and proceed to indulge in a rather expensive but delicious meal of fish and chips and Portobello salad. The bread basket is also amazing, and we can’t get enough. But keeping in mind that we’re supposed to be here for the drinks, we dutifully check out the cocktail menu, too. I order a non-alcoholic Island Supreme mocktail (hey, it’s made of fresh mangoes and passionfruit—plus I’d already had a couple glasses of wine for lunch), while Ed gets a beer to go with his fish. The drinks here are quite reasonably priced compared to the food, and aren’t any more expensive than the bars in Lan Kwai Fong.
Just up the slope from the Shangri-La is Ammo (9 Justice Drive, Admiralty, 2537-9888), the new restaurant slash bar at the Asia Society opened by restaurateur Tony Cheng (who's behind Hainan Shaoye and The Drawing Room). Originally, we had planned to come here straight after the Shangri-La, but a check on the time indicates it’s not even 10pm, which means Ammo will most likely still be a bit of a snooze, piping in boring, failsafe classical music. (We actually went to Ammo the weekend before, and witnessed how the venue transitions from uppity restaurant to an upbeat bar later in the night.) Questionable music choices aside, the place is posh—there are lots of metallic and copper touches to pay tribute to the site’s past as a munitions storehouse for the British military, and the floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of the lush greenery just outside make this bar and eatery one-of-a-kind.
Instead, we walk on over to Star Street, deliberating whether to check out Slim’s (1 Wing Fung St., Wan Chai, 2528-1661)—where patrons liberally toss peanut shells across the floor—or more exclusive rooftop enclave Barcepage (23 Wing Fung St., Wan Chai, 2861-3130), where the outdoorsy, one-with-nature vibe is very similar to The Lawn’s. We don’t feel like peanuts, and risk falling asleep at Barcepage, so we head eastward towards J Residence instead, where the bar at Madam Sixty Ate (Shop 8, 1/F, 60 Johnston Rd., Wan Chai, 2527-2558) awaits. Located just outside the dining area, the bar has an eclectic living-room feel, with low coffee tables, plush seats and a magnificent floor-to-ceiling bookshelf on the side. With Charlotte Gainsbourg and Noisettes to keep the mood, we order two cups of masala chai. In our defense, we’re getting tired from all the walking, and most importantly, we’re getting old. Alcohol is no longer drunk out of obligation (unless there are friends in tow, of course). Madam Sixty Ate does have a comprehensive drinks and desserts menu, so you can kick it up a notch if you really want to. When we finish our highly satisfying teas, we admit defeat and hop in a taxi home—but not before realizing we’ve found our new favorite ‘hood for a night out.