At a time when many small restaurants and bars in Hong Kong are opening and closing faster than a short-time hooker’s thighs, Peel Street in Soho has re-invented itself, every bar and restaurant is thriving and is no longer the long-suffering street suffering from sound ordinances and being a pain in the arse to Peel Fresco.
Peel Fresco, once the only ‘live’ venue for jazz, is still there and though not a fan of Classical Mondays, Karaoke Tuesdays etc, it has reinvented itself and is surviving- along with a number of new restaurants and bars that have opened extremely quickly on Peel Street and are attracting a far cooler crowd than neighboring streets.
Coolness attracts coolness and it’s interesting to see jockeys and horse owners who are extremely picky about where to hang out, dining at restaurants like Tangerine, one of my favorite restaurants- great Thai dishes including Thai Tapas, a good wine list, an authentic Thai chef and VERY cost-effective.
On Saturday night when neighboring Lower Elgin Street was more dead than a door knob with a few locals filtering through and Grahame Street was barely surviving, Peel Street was more than “APEELING” with the racing crowd making the area their regular new stomping ground and bringing in their big spending friends before hitting those exclusive gentlemen’s clubs hidden in LKF.
How and why has all this happened and with even Joyce Is Not Here which was to close forever being refurbished and set to reopen soon?
Perhaps, the constant hassling by the police has eased off, the undesirables who did a roaring cocaine trade in their restaurant have moved out and a few tenants with clout and protection have moved in?
Meanwhile, we wait with bated breath to see if the much-hyped Akiko Hairdo Bar in Lower Elgin Street which is looking more and more like a white elephant will ever open its doors for real business and not months of “promotion” whereas the street’s tiny and secluded gentlemen’s club attracts zero women.
I also have to wonder if anyone will take a chance and move into what was Liquid Lounge, a venue that has never done well for anyone and is said to be haunted by many superstitious locals. Spooky, baby! Boo!
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