Taipei's first Carnegie's officially opens tomorrow night, though the
bar-club's trial run has been going on for close to a month now. During
the first week of its soft opening, its time-honored practice of getting
girls drunk and having them dance on the bar made a quick impression on
the local scene. A number of curious locals came in looking for the "gangguan hsiou"(鋼管秀), or pole dance, and so did the cops. As a result,
the bar's handrails have been taken down and the practice has been
temporarily halted. Still, the establishment continues to belch old rock
out onto a residential section of Anho Road every time someone opens the
single set of doors at the entrance. And the management wonders why the
police keep harassing them.
In case the name sounds familiar, Carnegie's is already long established
in both Hong Kong and Singapore. So one can expect some quaint vestiges
of colonialism, like a Chinese staff that speaks perfect English and
good service. The decor is Hard Rock Cafe-ish, and basic business
concepts seem to include loud music, a "party" atmosphere and a crowd
mixing young, hot girls and dirty old men. Beer prices start at NT$170,
and every Wednesday women drink champagne for free.
What's probably best about Carnegie's is that it will combine with
Saints and Sinners and Watersheds to create a new bar circuit on Anho
Road, providing a welcome alternative to the increasingly monotonous
Shihta pub scene. Carnegie's is located at 100 Anho Rd., Sec. 2, Taipei
(台北市安和路2段100號), and opens daily for lunch at 11:30am. Drawing
from an expat style menu, food is served until 10pm. Drinks are cheaper
in the daytime and cheapest from 6pm to 7pm (standard drinks for NT$80).
Closing time varies, but the place has stayed open past 5am on weekends.
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