Mink Saturdays @ Martin Place Bar

On August 9, 2014, in Martin Place Bar, by J T

I’ve been living in a country town. I’ve made a special weekend trip to Sydney to visit friends, family, and a new club event. Let’s check it out!

Back looking to the front

Mink @ Martin Place Bar

Mink has been running since July 2014

Essentials:
Opening Hours:

10:30?? – 2:15AM

Address:

51 Martin Place, Martin Place, Sydney

Parking:

Come later in the night and you can find street parking within 2-3 blocks around.

Website:

Event: https://www.facebook.com/minksaturdays

Venue: http://www.martinplacebar.com.au

Promoters: Clique: https://www.facebook.com/cliquesydney

Occurrence:
Every Saturday since July 2014. Prior there was another short-lived event, #Fabric run by competitors Syndicate Events

Dress Code / Door Policy:
Theres no dress code enforced tonight. People wore whatever they wanted.

Entry Fee / Cover Charge:
Paid $25 at the door.
There are weekly free entry specials so long as you enter the venue before 11:30 or before midnight.

Guestlist:

mink@clique-ent.com

Cloak Room:
Didn’t use cloak room facilities tonight, but based on earlier events, you are probably looking at $5 / item.

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Embassy Club @ Zeta Bar Sydney

On April 19, 2014, in Hip Hop, House, RnB, Zeta Bar, by J T

The promoters for the old popular Saturday nights at Zeta Bar called it a day, and the gap has been filled by Urban Agent et al, for tonight’s event. Let’s check it out!

11:50AM

11:50AM

Embassy @ Zeta Bar

This review encompasses multiple visits: Grand Opening night (May 2013), various visits in between, and a 19th May 2014 full visit.

Essentials:
Opening Hours:
09:00PM – 04:00AM

Address:
Hilton Hotel, accessed via 488 George St. Zeta Bar is on Level 4, but you need to wait outside in line as the elevator is guarded by security.

Venue Website:
http://www.hiltonsydney.com.au

Event Website:
https://www.facebook.com/embassysydney/

Promoters:
Urban Agent, et al.

Occurrence:
Every Saturday since May 2013

Dress Code / Door Policy:
Encouraged that collared shirt and dress shoes for guys, and at least decent dresses for girls. Not too casual. Quite a number of guys were very suited up / dressed well. No homo.
I got in most recently (20/4/14) with a t-shirt, jeans and my running shoes. I was not planning to go clubbing this particular revisit.

Entry Fee / Cover Charge:
$25 Standard entry if you are coming off the street
$15 before 11:30PM if you submitted a guestlist. Grand opening, I got the $15, then the week after I sent my own guestlist a day before and they didn’t find my list on the night, so I had to pay $25 second time round..

Drinks
I didn’t purchase drinks here.

Bottle Service
$330AUD for a bottle of 750mL Grey Goose with unlimited soft drinks – Only available for reserved tables.

Passouts:
No passouts before midnight.
Lockout laws in place.

Guestlist:
embassy@ua.com.au

Cloak Room:
$5 for any item in the cloak room. The cloak room is just as you walk in on the left wall, at the realms of the dancefloor.

Tonight:
Assessment Times
:
19th April 2014: 11PM-03:00AM
10th May 2013: 11:30PM – 1:30AM
3rd May 2013 (Grand Opening): 11:20PM – 2:30AM

Outside Line:
(19/4/14 ; 11:30PM) Took about 10 minutes of lining up.
At 11:20PM: (3/4/13) It took 5 minutes to get to the front of the line, but at that point in time, the venue reached “capacity” at 400 people. I had to wait a further 20 minutes (11:45PM) before I could be let in. No idea how long the people behind me had to wait but it would have to be had been quite some time.

Inside:
The layout has remained exactly the same. Elevator to take you up to level 4. Come out and turn left to enter the near front of the narrow, marble stone, hallway-like venue. On the right is the DJ set with dancefloor (for about 50 people) and “fireplace” which isn’t really on. There is also the largest of the reserved areas, which is the same size as the dancefloor.

Turn left and walk down the hallway to the rear. On your left is the long main bar which serves cocktails and standard drinks. It can serve probably 15-20 people.

At the far end is the second bar, to hold 10 people at the frontline. In this rear there is a second, “minor”  DJ playing beats separate to the main area at the front.

On the right are small curtained off reserved areas for people who like sitting down in a nightclub.There are about 2 large reserved areas and 3 smaller, non-enclosed areas which are just like sofas. On the far left is the outdoor smoking area / terrace overlooking george st.

It’s quite the long and narrow place and almost resembles Martin Place Bar (where the same promoters used to promote) but more relaxed and classier.

Bathroom Facilities:
Pretty well maintained. The kind where there is a permanent person in the washroom giving you paper towels.

Music Style:
Mostly Rnb, Top 40 and some daring trance / house / EDM tracks. Lots of hands in the air kind of tunes.

Crowd:
(19/4/14) Mostly Aussie Asians. Mix of ages, but mostly people in their mid-20’s late 20’s.
(2013)Opening night it was a mix of Asian and non-Asians who thought it was a regular night. The following week there was pretty much all Asians.

Ratio:
Not too favourable. There were plenty of guys to go around the place. Best guesstimate 1 girl to 3 guys.

Entertainment:
No extra MC’s or dancers

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Since Kinki @ City Hotel stopped, two events have popped up. Fabric, and tonight’s review – Taboo. We were at a booze cruise earlier, a bit tired but still keen to club. Lets check it out!

Taboo @ Verandah Bar, Sydney

Taboo used to run, years ago, down beneath Mr B’s hotel, then I think it popped up at Equilibrium / World Square Pub,  before going into hiding again. It’s finally made a return to Verandah Bar.

DJ booth

DJ booth (yes that’s a purse)

Essentials:
Opening Hours:

9:30AM – 4:00AM (?)

Address:

55-65 Elizabeth St
Entry is only available from Elizabeth St for the club event.

Venue Website:

http://www.verandah.com.au

Event Website:

http://www.fb.com/TabooSydney

Promoters:

Kick On Entertainment, Got Game Entertainment, X, As One Ent, B Diamond

Occurrence:
Tonight is the public grand opening. There was a VIP only soft launch the previous week. The event aims to run every Saturday from March 2014

Dress Code / Door Policy:
“Strict Dress Code Applies” is encouraged.  I got in with black pants, shoes, and a daggy striped jumper. My female friends wore simple black dresses. One wore flats, other heels.

Entry Fee / Cover Charge:

Paid $25 at the door full entry.

$20 on guestlist. Unknown what time the guestlist expires, but typically a guestlist will end at 11:30PM or Midnight.

Passouts/Lockout:

1:30AM Lockout applies tonight to this venue

Guestlist:

info@taboosaturdays.com.au

Table / Bottle Service

Available on enquiry. Prices unknown.

Cloak Room:
$5 Cloak per item, $2 for recheck

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It’s a grand opening, some friends were going and I had some time – so let’s check it out!

#Fabric Saturdays @ Martin Place Bar

It appears the promoters Syndicate Events and their friends have decided to end the old Kinki event and go with two separate events next door to each other. Tonight let’s suss out the offering at Martin Place Bar – #Fabric (One assumes the hashtag is silent)

2:15 // Main Room

2:15 // Main Room

Essentials:
Opening Hours:
10:00PM – 3:00AM(?) unconfirmed

Address:
51 Martin Place

Venue Website:
http://www.martinplacebar.com.au

Event Website:
http://www.fb.com/ClubFabric

Promoters:
Syndicate Events, Colab

Occurrence:
Every Saturday since March 2014

Dress Code / Door Policy:
There is no longer a dress code recommended or enforced tonight as per previous events here. Half the crowd was casual and the other half, smart casual. I got in with just a t-shirt, pants and shoes. My friend Marty got in wearing his hat. It would probably be too much to ask patrons to dance to EDM in a business shirt. Or is it?

Entry Fee / Cover Charge:

$20 Full cover charge, and $15 for guestlist entry! Wow, no longer $25 entry? $20 is back on par with other ‘premium clubs’ (barring Ivy/Marquee) but these guys were previously charging  $25 for other events. Perhaps people are getting tired of clubbing, or perhaps there is lots and lots of competition. Perhaps they make all the money with bottle service.Perhaps paying $20 for a small venue like Martin Place Bar is more appropriate.

It’s probably a mix of these factors and, in the end, the average tight ass punter wins. 

Passouts/Lockout:
Passouts/Stamps to re-enter are fine. However 1:30AM lockout laws apply to this venue.

Guestlist:
Visit the Facebook page for details.

Cloak Room:

$5 for checking in your item
$2 for recheck.

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Landed in Taipei at around 8PM from Sydney with some friends. So tired but we have been told that we are to go clubbing tonight. I have no say in the matter whatsoever.. oh.. alriiight. So we have come to Room 18 for ‘pre clubbing’. ie Clubbing before going to a more popular club. This tends to be normal here… here we go!

Bar staff

Bar staff


Website:
 http://www.room18.com.tw/
Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/Room18.Taipei

Address: b1, No. 88, Songren Rd., Taipei
Contact: +8862 23452778
Opening Days: WED / FRI / SAT : pm 10:30 ~ am 05:00 (視當日營業狀況而定). Today is a Saturday night.
Dress Code / Door Policy: People don’t give a crap what you wear. Casual is fine, because clubs get quite warm. We wore sports shoes, jeans, and a dress shirt to be safe.
Entry Fee / Cover Charge: Unknown. Our friend got us in free. We also skipped the line.
Passouts: Unknown.
Guestlist: Please refer to website
Cloak Room: Unknown if available

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Always wanted to go here. Last time I lined up but the line was like an hour long. So tonight was another chance to go. Had some predrinks and off we went – here we go!

Starfuckers (SF) @ Club 77, Kings Cross / Potts Point – Saturday 30th Mar 2013

A longstanding event known for its messiness and gay friendly crowd.

Crowd at 1:30AM

Crowd at 1:30AM

Essentials:
Opening Hours:
10:00PM – 6:00AM

Address:
77 William Street, Woolloomooloo (Potts Point / Kings Cross)

Venue Website:
http://www.starfuckers.com.au

Event Website:
http://www.starfuckers.com.au, https://www.facebook.com/pages/STARFUCKERS/25283175755

Promoters:
Self promoted?

Occurrence:
Every Saturday since March 2006.

Dress Code / Door Policy:
There is no strict door policy at all. Singlets, shorts are welcome. Sneakers and dirty shoes are fine too. People wore hats inside, while I just had jeans, a t-shirt and my Easter Bunny ears on. Quite the casual affair.

So basically leave your collared shirt and white shoes at home.

Entry Fee / Cover Charge:
$20 at the door. (we got in at Midnight)

Passouts:
None

Guestlist:
Unknown.

Cloak Room:
Couldn’t find one / Not available.

Tonight:
Assessment Time
:
12:00AM- 3:30AM

Outside Line:
We were welcomed by a crossdressing easter bunny. The line only had 5 or 6 people when we got here and we were in within 5 minutes. This was surprising because last time I tried to line up here, the place was at capacity and the line wait was about 1 hour.

Inside:
Walk down underground to enter the rear of the club. To the left are lounges and the bar. The right side of the place has two or three big sofas as well, with the main dancefloor in a lower and upper part. The lower part holds 25-30 people while the upper part is a mini square-like/stage that can also hold 20-30 people. Behind this podium, at the far end of the club, is the DJ booth. Adjacent to the DJ booth on the right are the ladies bathroom is a small smoking area. To the left is a dancing cage for 2-3 people, and a pinball machine.

Previous porn mag decorations of penises and vaginas since my last visit (of which i rated it 0/10) have been rid of, and now the walls around the bathrooms are quite empty and boring.

Bar Prices / Line: (
Didn’t drink here tonight, but the line was always looking short. With three bartenders at the helm you wouldn’t have to wait long.

Bathroom Facilities:
A bit “wet” on the floor.

DJs:
Starfuckers – The trio include Mr Disorder, DJ Hookie, DJ Trentertainment

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This weekend I’m in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a wedding. So while I’m here, it’s time to visit the club well regarded by the locals, Zouk Club.

Line up to the club (11PM)

Line up to the club (11PM)

Saturdays @ Zouk Nightclub, KL, Malaysia

Zouk Club is the sister / child club of the original Zouk Club in Singapore (apparently it has lost a bit of its glam with the Singaporean locals compared to newer establishments, but here in KL it still is as popular as ever.)

Essentials:

Opening Hours:
Club: 10:00PM? – 3AM. The 3AM shutdown was only enforced for Zouk this year. It was enforced by the government for public safety reasons (also other clubs close here at 3AM so you’re not missing out).

The Cafe area of Zouk (outdoor bar) is open from 10AM in the morning

Address:
113, Jalan Ampang 50450 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Parking: There is nearby parking on the opposite side of the road.

Venue and Event Websitehttp://www.zoukclub.com.my

Occurrence: Zouk is open every day of the week except Monday.

Dress Code / Door Policy: The Legal age is 21 here, however only the Zouk (main room) of the club is open for 21 year olds. All other areas require patrons to be 23 years or older. This is probably to target more of the working class crowd. Thank god I am no longer a teenager. I suppose its also better to stop the children from drinking from an early age.

Dress code – casual is okay but to use the upstairs Aristo room and Terrace Garden, you must be dressed sharp (collared shirt, dress shoes at a minimum is advised)

Entry Fee / Cover Charge: Something like 45 Ringgit (approx $15AUD at the time of writing) for the guys. Girls get cheaper entry or free entry.

Guestlist: Contact the Facebook page for details

Cloak Room: I don’t remember seeing any cloak rooms

Tonight:
Assessment Time
: 10:30PM – 3:00AM

Outside Line: At 10:30PM there were not excited punters lining up. It was empty – we strolled in, and the cigarette/other company promo girls at the front were all over us like they have never seen a customer before. The line started getting longer at 11:30PM and by midnight the line was pretty long, perhaps a 15 minute wait to get in.

Inside/Atmosphere:
Zouk is split in primarily three large dance rooms and three smaller dance rooms with associated drinking areas. Most of these rooms focus on seating and drinking with relatively small dancefloor areas:

1. Zouk / Pleasure Dome Area. This is the primary room for Zouk Club. All ages above 21 are welcome here. Large room with main dancefloor and second balcony level. Lounges around the walls. LED lights / screens above along the balcony looking down on the floor. Quite a darker, club atmosphere

2. Phuture Room: Also a two level balcony setup. Big projection wall on the left for video clips to be played. Lounges/VIP areas around the walls and above on the balcony. Little stick out dance areas for attention whores as well. Bar in the back. Dancefloor to hold about 40-50 people. A more “friendly” lighting scenario where its lighter.

3. Velvet: A louder two tiered room. Lower tier upon walking in is just a bar with carpeted floor and tables, chairs for people to mingle. Dark lighting. Upper tier is also relatively medium-dark lit dancefloor, with many VIP/reserved bottle service tables around. Also podiums around the immediate vicinity of the dancefloor, closely guarded by security. I jumped up on the podium and started shuffling, but security didn’t like it and pulled me off. It’s loud, and I think much more people were in this room than that of the Phuture Room. By peak of the night (midnight-2:30AM), this room had literally no moving space. If you got caught up in the dancefloor it was almost impossible to get out.

Velvet Room - random podium clubbing

Velvet Room – random podium clubbing

 

4. Aristo and Roof Garden: Appeared to be a more relaxed room, and I would guess one of the last rooms to get full of people. This was the last room to have music setup and was one of the first rooms to close when the place started to close up. Don’t bother going to this room unless you’re the quiet or seductive type.

5. Barsonic Room: A smaller, intimate room but still blurting out some tunes. Didn’t get to spend time in here sadly.

6. Terrace Bar: It’s just an outdoor bar to take a break from it all or have a ciggie.

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