Lobster Bar

I am a bar snob. I just am. I have resided too much of my life in Las Vegas, where we get very serious abour bar wear, bartenders, flair, chairs, glasses, liquor, booze and customer service all it pertains to a cocktail served across a bar!
Lobster Bar is special. Not only is it located in Island Shangri-​La hotel (which screams high end customer service), but Lobster Bar takes unique great pride in their establishment as a Taj Mahal of crafted cocktails in Hong Kong. A friend of mine back in Las Vegas told me that this bar was on a Top 10 list she recently read about. Being a full time martini drinker who takes a vacation from my beverage of choice in the summer time, I was blown away by my experience with their crafted cocktails at Lobster Bar last night.
The ambiance of the Lobster Bar that spills into the well-​appointed Lobster Grill is welcoming. Light blues, detailed stained glass windows, hard woods, maroons, great lighting… everything is there to enjoy your time at the bar or in one of their comfy couches.
After ordering our two drinks, be prepared for a little wait time. Not because the bartender is busy with throngs of customers, but because of the time, care and preparation that goes into making these special concoctions. Really quite special a special craft. We enjoyed a Genever Smash and a Lemon Sherbet Bishop. Order a drink, take a sip and then ask to relook at the drink menu to see the ingredients. The ingredients and flavors come to life when you see them and then consume them at the same time.
I realize that booze is a time old tradition shared by millions across the world. Lobster Bar is special and a twist to this tradition. You can get a drink anywhere, but do yourself a favor and go to Lobster Bar and order one of their crafted cocktails. It will be a drink you will not soon forget!

This year, while being in Hong Kong, the one place I have repeatedly visited was this place. In a city so vibrant with energy, and so many places to go, with so many people walking around at any time of day it is hard to find a place to unwind during the afterhours of work… and then there is this place. Located right in the Shangra-​La, it’s actually not too aparent to the eyes if you do not know where you are going. I remember the first time entering here, as I met my friend who works not too far from here, and asked we have a drink… somewhere we can talk. Coming in here around 6PM this place seemed like the normal suit & tie afterwork affair, many people having their workbags/​briefcases on the floor enjoying a bevy (or two), noticing some surf & turf platters (it is called the Lobster Bar afterall), the women, dressed in their own office attire, heels, your occassional pretty purse, everyone seemed to be celebrating the end of the workday.
On every occassion I have been here, we have always chosen the patio portion, and you get the same attentive service that you would if you were inside. Looking through their extensive menu, as I’ve only been here for drinks, you will find a good selection of wine’s from the glass… to the whole bottle. Other things of mention would be their cocktail selection of mixed martini’s detailing every ingredient used in the concoction, a variety of worldly whisky’s (bourbon, Japanese, Canadian, Tenesse, scotch. to name a few), grappa, single malts, cognac’s, tequila’s, ports… if you are in for a good (quality) stiff drink, this is the spot for you. This is the Shangra-​La, and with that name you would need a good bar to uphold exactly what you are bringing to the public, or what maybe expected, especially located in the financial district of Admiralty.
There have been times that I have been lost in the allure of sitting here and looking at the skyline, with the Conrad on one side. and the Lippo building on the other side, and where this patio is located… it’s amazing that there is so much going down on the ground, with thousands of people moving to get to their destination, yet you have no feel of this here in the epicenter of this local. If you stay late enough, where darkness rolls in, candles are lit at the table where you are sitting, and if you come here regularly, the servers do take notice, as did our waitress where we came two days in a row. If your looking for the extravegent Hong Kong views. that you see on tv’s. or in some movie that has featured this city. you will not get it here, but if you are looking for a place to relax… have some of the finer drinks cause you deserve it… and you find yourself in Admiralty, I definite recommend coming here and opening the menu and ordering something and just let time slip away for that one moment while the city of Hong Kong keeps moving at the face pace it does without you once noticing it.