March 17, 2010 | Hong Kong

Weather: Broken clouds, 22 °C

Issue #826: Farewell Wing Lee Street
Hiking Book

SOMEPLACE-ELSE

The place: SOMEPLACE-ELSE

  • B/F, The Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers, 20 Nathan Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui
  • Phone: 2721-6151
  • Mon-Thu noon-midnight, Fri-Sat 11am-1am, Sun 11am-midnight

Are they trying to be existential with that name, or are they actually referring to another bar—perhaps the setting of the '80s hit TV show Cheers? Built just a year after the show first aired ("Est. 1983" according to the sign), it's all the wood paneling—walls, tables and booths—the stuffed sailfish, the ship's wheel hanging on the wall, and the decidedly American menu that make us wonder. And after a few drinks, you may well start believing you're in Boston and that Norm will be walking through that door any minute. The resemblance is furthered by the fact that there are no windows in this basement location—just like Cheers. While Norm probably won't make an appearance, this really is the kind of place "where everybody know your name"—or at least makes an effort to learn it. The hostess will ask for your name when you're seated, and will really remember it later when she asks if you need anything else. And all the other staff are equally amicable. The food is pretty much what you'd expect too: standard bar fare. We sampled beef nachos ($68), which were rather small and frankly nothing special—just some tortilla chips with a spoonful of ground meat and a spot of melted cheese on each. The cobb salad ($110) was pretty standard too—chunks of the usual in a bowl of lettuce. The Miss Piggy Sandwich ($88), though ridiculously named, was the by far the highlight. This is a heaping mound of seasoned pulled pork on a Kaiser roll ... kind of like a sloppy Joe, but better. It also came with a heaping pile of fries (anything less would be un-American). While there was absolutely nothing wrong with the food, and while we can't complain about the friendly service, if you're looking for a gourmet meal, you'd be better off heading to one of the restaurants right upstairs (just like the sitcom).