Cé La Vi and Lan Kwai Fong – Hong Kong Nightlife

After our trip to The Peak, it was time for dinner. Ac said she knew a Mexican place.

“Is it good?”

“ They have cheap margarita pitchers”.

“Ok, we’re going.”

We had a couple of not very memorable Mexican dishes along with our frozen margaritas, while talking about the good old days. AC and I have known each other since our early 20s. At that time we both wanted to move to New York and find Mr. Big, but we were stuck in Sweden, studying for a degree in a topic none of us found very exciting. Isn’t it funny, how a margarita pitcher suddenly makes you remember those days as the best days of your life?

We hadn’t planned to go out, but it’s not every night you’re in Hong Kong with one of your best friends, so just going back to bed wasn’t really an option either. After the Mexican dinner, we therefore headed down to Lan Kwai Fong. Lan Kwai Fong is the entertainment district on Hong Kong Island, and while it might be both touristy and tacky, it’s perfect for those nights, when you just want to have fun with one of your best friends.

We ended at the fancy rooftop bar Cé La Vi. It wasn’t The Peak, but the view was still nice enough to justify the pricey drinks. Everybody was there. The male expat, who had a little bit too much to drink and was trying too hard to chat up some local girls. The giggling Malaysian girls who didn’t drink alcohol, but who really hoped to meet a cute guy, and the group of Hong Kong Hi-So YPs, with fancy haircuts and champagne bottles on the table.

I think we were the only females not wearing heels on Cé La Vi that evening, and even after our margarita pitcher, I felt terribly under-dressed. Most other girls at Ce La Vi were wearing gorgeous, fitted cocktail dresses and expensive designer bags, so if there was an elephant in the room (or on the roof top bar), it was definitely AC and I.

Rooftop bars like Cé La Vi all look the same no matter where in the world you are. The décor would either be black and red or minimalistic white, and the music would be laid-back lounge or anything Beyoncé. It reminds me that I’ve never seen any heavy metal rooftop bars. Maybe it’s a safety issue? Maybe people would get dizzy from the headbanging and fall off the roof?

Now back to Cé La Vi and rooftop bars in general. Some might find places like this utterly boring and insipid, but not me. As a matter of fact, I’ve grown very fond of the predictability of these places, much in that same strange way that I sometimes get excited about finding a McDonalds abroad. Same settings, same crowd and same procedure as last year.

This also happened that night:

An old Swedish guy with a heavy Swedish accent tries to strike up a conversation in the bar, and we ask him, if he’s Swedish. “Yes, how could you tell?” “…”

• I stole found a big Santa beard and insisted on wearing it all night despite ACs protests.

• When a glass was about to fall from the bar, I revealed my unknown super-ninja powers and caught it before it hit the floor.

• I might be too old for clubbing, but I never get too old for rooftop bars and cocktails with a view.

My Hong Kong Blog

Cé La Vi, 25/F California Tower, 30-32 D’Aguilar St, Lan Kwai Fong, Central, Hong Kong