Openbar is a new app for iPhone that will bring you the best deals on drinking in Hong Kong.

Your iPhone will now be able to tell you where all the Happy Hours are with its GPS map and give you coupons, event guides, friend locator and probably the most important feature that any expat would kill for: English and Chinese addresses to use with taxi drivers!

Do we need to say more before you download it here?

For such a cosmopolitan city sometimes the Hong Kong bar scene can feel a little it like Groundhog Day.

Without meaning to, bar enthusiasts easily find themselves treading the same circuit of watering holes, seeing the same faces, settling into a routine borne mostly out of a perceived lack of options.  If you start getting that feeling, and trust us if you haven’t yet you will, maybe it is time to shake it up a little and maybe you’ll like what you find.

So here they are, our top three bars you have never been to in Hong Kong.

Castro’s Bar

16 Ashley Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong (look up!)

We know.  How could a Cuban themed bar, where all of the staff where matching “Cuban Swim Team” T-shirts be worth the trip across the water?  Well it is.  Castro’s Bar is everything you’re looking for in a good local.  The drinks are big, strong and delicious with a great selection of everything and the best mojitos and caipirinhas in Hong Kong.  Also the atmosphere can’t be beat.

Hidden on the second floor up a non-descript set of stairs, above a fast food stall and next to a massage parlor it is Hong Kong all the way.  Once inside the grime gives way to a simple but tasteful bar filled with the classic Cuban memorabilia you’d expect and best of all there are open windows all the way around the bar space.  Feel the warm breeze blow through the windows, smell the wafting cigar smoke (that’s right, you can smoke), close your eyes and you can almost forget you’re not in Havana.  Or, better yet, open them and enjoy the world-class people watching across Ashley Road.  All that aside, what really makes Castro’s special are the people.

Despite a recent personnel shake-up, (we will never forget you Rose) the staff is as warm, welcoming and talented as ever.  Come in twice and they’ll know your name, a few more times and maybe they’ll send over a free round of your favorite shots. What a lovely place.

Makumba African Bar and Lounge

G/F Garley Bldg, 48 Peel Street, Soho, Central Hong Kong

Recently it seems that, for us, every night out in Central ends at Makumba and those that don’t are never as much fun.  When we first heard about an Africa themed bar in Soho we had absolutely no interest. At best it would be some Hong Kong Disney version of Africa and at worse something much more offensive and depressing.

We finally went one night when we were feeling nostalgic having just moved to Hong Kong from West Africa and the (night) life hasn’t been the same since.  Yes Makumba has animal printed couches, and completely bizarre pseudo-African décor with no regard to cultural context (or even if the stuff came from Africa at all), and yes the Asian bartenders do look uncomfortable in their African outfits but to only see that would be missing the point.  The music is wonderful.

The Togolese DJ plays West Africa’s greatest hits, songs you’ve probably never heard and we thought we would never hear again and the live band is raucous and wonderful. Although if you go every weekend their set does get a bit repetitive.  The most commonly heard language at Makumba is West African French and the crowd is truly diverse in a way hard to find elsewhere in Hong Kong: Africans, Hong Kong hipsters, tourists, lounge dwellers and a handful of the high-heeled set who must have gotten lost on the way to Lilly and Bloom.  Also they have real African food, try finding that anywhere else, and drinks we’ve only ever seen in Africa; try a bissap (hibiscus juice) and gin or a bucket of cold Castel beers.

The staff is fantastic, the music is invigorating and most of all every night at Makumba is an absolute blast. It never misses. Keep an open mind and you will never leave unhappy. Never.

Le Boudoir

Basement, 65 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong

Fine. You’ve probably heard of it.

But it is small, dark and thinks it’s secret so we’re putting it on the list. Le Boudoir is Pastis’ slutty sultry older sister.  Just head next door, through the thick velvet curtain and down three flights of stairs and you’ll find yourself in a softly glowing wonderland with an interior equal parts Versailles, speakeasy and fin de siècle brothel.  The lushly decorated and cozy bar is one narrow space filled with French antique lounge furniture and more chandeliers and pink velvet than thought possible.

The crowd is hip but as of yet very friendly and the drinks, if pricey, are strong and out-of-this-world tasty.  Where other bars would be described as crowed this one is intimate and the softly playing Franco-techno somehow pulls everything together perfectly. Our favorite pre-party place, Le Boudoir is perfect for a quiet evening with friends over champagne cocktails or a less quiet evening making new friends over absinthe shots.  Either way Le Boudoir is always a good time.  Take out-of-towners there and they will think you are unbelievably cool.  Also, if I remember correctly they have an outdoor back porch, but like most great bars I’m pretty sure I don’t remember correctly at all.

Proud Scot and esteemed actor Brian Cox – he who created Wolverine in X2, was just recently in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and not to mention the original Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter – sat down with Esquire to pronounce 40 whiskey brand names to help you out at the bar, the liquor store, and beyond.

From Glenlivet to Glenmorangie to Glenkinchie to Laphroaig: hear the rest of them here.

Sure it’s Monday and you might have just come off a huge weekend bender on the beach – but you’ll need to keep yourself paced for next weekend.

So while it’s true beer connoisseurs might find Hong Kong discouraging. Sometimes a Blue Girl or Carlsberg just won’t do. But don’t despair! You can still find a great beer that even the pickiest palette will appreciate.

You just have to know where to look, and this is where we like to go to get a few beers from Central to Quarry Bay.

The Globe

One of Hong Kong’s favorite bars, everyone knows the Globe. The Globe’s twelve beers on tap represent the largest selection of tap-beers in Hong Kong including Hong Kong’s own Typhoon beer. The tap selection changes seasonally and is augmented by an impressive list of over 70 bottled beers from around the world. The Globe’s new newer location more easily accommodates its large and loyal following.

The Pawn

Hong Kong has a fair number of places boasting extensive lists of British beers so disagreement on best British beer bar (The Trafalgar, Beer Bay etc. etc.) can become heated. The Pawn is our choice because of its enviable location, lush interior and impressive list of fine British brews that can be difficult to find elsewhere. Plus, in terms of beating the heat nothing compares to a cold one on The Pawn’s lovely balcony.

Frites

This Belgian eatery and  beer house knows its Belgian beer.  Built around the concept that while many restaurants emphasize wine pairings for their food, few take beer as seriously, Frites prides itself on its attention to beer and beer lovers.  Beer is poured it the traditional Belgian way, ensuring the best taste possible out of their 80+ premium Belgian beers on offer.  They have three locations in Hong Kong and the hearty food is as good almost as good as the beer; seeing as Belgian beers are known for their high alcohol content, you might just need it.

The Globe

• 45-53 Graham St, Central, Hong Kong

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The Pawn

• 62 Johnston Rd, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

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Frites:

• Frites Central, Shop 1 & 2, 1/F, Queen’s Place, 74 Queen’s Road, Central, Hong Kong
• Frites Quarry Bay, Oxford House, G/F, Tai Koo Place, 979 King’s Road Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
• Frites Wanchai, Shop 6, 1/F, Causeway Centre, 282 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

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When you look over to Hong Kong side from Tsim Sha Tsui be prepared to see this new Samsung signboard.

Samsung launched similar signboards in New York and London, so while we don’t necessarily need another neon sign in our sky, it is interesting that the Korean company chose HK as the third city and not somewhere closer to their headquarters like Seoul or Shanghai.

It must be because Samsung have managed to work their signboard into the Symphony of Light events that happen over the harbor. In order to tie in with that show, the Samsung LED signboard will cast a light into the sky over Victoria Harbor from 8:00-8:15pm every night. Images on the signage will synchronize with the music, while the signage emits colors into the sky together with the lighting, spotlights and lasers from buildings on both sides of the harbor. And no doubt from 8:16pm onwards there will be “messages” about Samsung’s line of products.

OK so it’s not a total hard-sell from Samsung, the signage will show “Welcome” messages in various languages and show the time such as the time at certain times every morning, to convenience people on both sides of the harbor.

And you can get on the signboard too; Samsung will allow Hong Kong citizens and tourists to post messages through the LED signage during festivals. The first session will be hosted from Sept. 23 to 27. You can go to their site here (English and Chinese) to post your message and it’ll be shown on the Samsung LED signage from 7:30-8:00pm and 8:15-8:45pm on Oct. 1, China’s National Day.

What would be really cool is if you could Twitter the tag #SamsungHongKong at a specific time and your message would appear on the signboard.

Hey, if you’re going to burn the electricity to do this you might as well give us something we can use, right? At least the event brought out the lovely Ms. Gaile Lai, someone who can light up the harbor without any electricity:

This is just too amazingly cool not to share. By now you’ve seen this amazing 59-foot Gundam in the day being assembled (see photos here and here) but now its just been plugged in and you can hear the “gasp” of a zillion fanboys around the blogosphere all at once. And what a great way to start off your week!

More night photos at Pink Tentacle. Video below:

Cocktails and 8-ball at the first iPhanatics Hong Kong gathering.

Hey we’re having our first gadget event on March 17th at Racks in Central, and you are invited.

It’s called iPhanatics and it’s all about iPhones and iPods. We’ll be having some moderated talk on news, apps, tips and tricks with drink specials, 8-ball and lucky draw for some fancy iPhone 3G cases. And its absolutely free!

If you are interested please click on over to iPhanatics.com and register your email. All the details are there and all are welcome but we have a limited space at Racks in Central so best that you reister as soon as you can.

You can also join the Facebook group for this and keep up the iPhone chit chat there.

We’re sure you’ve been following the latest resurgence of everyone’s favorite Hong Kong bad boy Edison Chen, as he testifies in court in Vancouver about the photos that took Hong Kong by storm this time last year.

So in honor of the four women that he just had to name again and bring back into the spotlight who had hoped this would have blown over by now, we’re going to showcase them to you from happier times and that Hong Kong people have to get over themselves and let these beautiful and talented girls back into the spotlight. Sorry no nudity here, just these pretty ladies looking their best.

First up, we have Cecilia Cheung (張柏芝):

This is Gillian Chung (鍾欣桐), formerly of the pop-group Twins.

This is model Rachel Ngan (顏穎思):

and finally actress Bobo Chen (陳文媛):

Apparently this scandal has died down enough that the producers of Edison’s last Hong Kong movie “The Sniper” will actually release it to the public, and even more bizarre at the Hong Kong International Film Festival on March 24 – we can’t wait to see what kind of reception it gets.

By the way, can you still buy these?

Usher in the Year of the Ox with spectacular dishes and special festive offers from the Sheraton Hong Kong. Avail Sheraton’s Chinese New Year puddings at discounted price at the Cake & Wine Shop. Win Delight, Silver, Golden, Jade and Diamond hampers worth upto HK$1688.

On January 27 witness gorgeous events like the Lion Dance at the Hotel Lobby, the God of Wealth at the Café, which is an exciting walk around Celestial Court and Unkai and Fireworks Display at Victoria Harbor.

Enjoy lavish lunch, tea or dinner buffet at The Café from 26th to 28th January. Savor Festive Dim Sum lunch, Fortune Set Menu and Spring Dinner Menus at the Celestial Court from 24th January to 1st February. Join your friends, family or social acquaintances and business associates to soak in the joys of Chinese New Year. You can have dinner at the Sky Lounge or Oyster & Wine Bar while watching the charming Fireworks Display at Victoria Harbor.

Some of the exciting offers:

• Turnip/ Traditional New Year Pudding: HK$138
• Lunch Buffet (at The Café): HK$258 (Adult)/HK$129 (Child)
• Dinner Buffet (at The Café): HK$258 (Adult)/HK$129 (Child)
• Firework’s Night Set Dinner (Sky Lounge): HK$918 per person
• Firework’s Night Dinner (Oyster & Wine Bar): HK$1,488 per person on food & beverage (Minimum spend)

The Chinese New Year special dinner buffet consists of Chinese Corner, Seafood Counter, Japanese Counter, Cheese Station, Congee station, Western Hot Dishes and Desserts.

It’s Party Time again!!!

Well we didn’t post alot about the Hallowe’en going-on’s in Hong Kong this week unfortunately, but in lieu of that we wanted to at least acknowledge the night of the living dead and to warn you to stay away from Lan Kwai Fong tonight if you have even an inkling of wanting to go there, unless running around a steel maze and being pointed and laughed at by little kids is your thing.