The Diamond Vancouver is located on the second floor at Maple Tree Square in Gastown. It is kiddie corner to Six Acres, Chill Winston and L’abattoir. The Diamond is a great place for cocktails, happy hour and night cap. The Diamond, co-owner Josh Pape also owns Wildebeest with co-owner James Iranzad. Josh Pape was a bartender at Chambar previously and James Iranzad owns Abigail’s Party and Cartel Taco.

The ambiance at The Diamond is cozy and has an old school vibe with brass, brick wall and aged windows. Cocktails and highballs are skillfully handcrafted and there is a good selection of wine and beer.

I welcome Absinthe, Campari, Vermout, and Bourbon during Happy Hour (on a Tuesday that feels like another Monday. Though the drinks are wonderful, though I can’t seem to say the same about the food. We ordered an assortment of Prawn ceviche, four cheese dip and some hand-cut salsa and chips. All seemed very standard, bland and felt more from a branded jar at your local grocery store. French Fries are missing from the menu and would be a great additional – especially with some homemade ketchup! Nonetheless, nothing a great tasting Bicicletta or Moscow Mule can’t forgive.

Bicicletta #2 $10: Campari, Italian Vermouth, Gerwurztraminer, Grapefruit Twist. A boozy drink semi bitter but delicious. I do like an Old Fashioned finish from time to time.

Moscow Mule $15: lime juice, vodka, ginger beer. The Diamond uses premium Absolut Vodka hence the slap in price tag. This is a perfect summer drink. It can be easily made at home too with this simple Moscow Mule Recipe.  I also recommend the Isabella: sparkling wine, mango and ginger basil. Or the Penicillin.

Tricycle Grapefruit Radler: Try this sweet / sour combination of a Radler from Parallel 49 Brewing Co. Pours a cloudy peach color with bittersweet profiles of grapefruit and less apparent beer lager base. Surely I could polish a few without feeling like I’m drinking booze. 3.0% alcohol slightly more than my favorite Grapefruit Stiegl Radler.

After a few drinks, are you grammatically correct? Cheers to a good night!

The Diamond – Cocktails & Supper
URL: di6mond.com
Cuisine: Lounges, Bar, Mexican
Hours

Mon Closed
Tue 5:30 pm – 1:00 am
Wed 5:30 pm – 1:00 am
Thu 5:30 pm – 1:00 am
Fri 5:30 pm – 2:00 am
Sat 5:30 pm – 2:00 am
Sun 5:30 pm – 12:00 am

6 Powell St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1E7
(604) 568-8272

Ilan Cafe Bar (formerly Jem Bar and Lounge), is a chic relaxed bar in the hoods of LKF (Lan Kwai Fong) in Central, Hong Kong. We stumbled here on a quite Monday night (God, how great it is to be on vacation), late after dinner. Normally, we’re told they have live acoustic music here.

The streets were quite and we were thankful for being able to sit down, enjoy a hookah (or three) without being rushed, pushed, or bulldozed over.

A glass of Riesling always goes well during those hot summer January

Green apple is always a crowd favorite for some water pipe action.

Don’t forget to check-in with Foursquare to unlock a free shooter.

Another great place for great scenery and hookah is at Vibes, at The Mira Hong Kong Hotel.

Ilan Cafe Bar
URL: http://ilanhk.com/
Cuisine: Bar, Hookah
Hours
Mon – Thu: 5:00 pm – 1:00 am
Fri: 5:00 pm – 3:00 am
Sat: 7:00 pm – 3:00 am

8 Wo On Lane, Lan Kwai Fong (D’Aguilar Street) | 香港中環蘭桂坊和安里8號地下
Central, Hong Kong
+852 2521 8585

Booking.com

Bard and Banker Victoria, BC has an interesting history since it first opened in 1862 as the Bank of British Columbia until 1988. Robert Service emerged as an notable employee and wrote poems such as The Cremation of Sam McGee, etc. Although you may not care for poems and stories, but looking at the historic photos, one can`t help but wonder what life would`ve been like hundreds of years ago. I like my technology, so I probably would not cope well if ever transported back.

Compared to bars in London, ones that that have been refurbished Grace Bar Piccadilly with beautiful bird cages and white chairs, Bard and Banker is classy. It`s maintained the classical gentlemen charisma and charm. Gold and brass finishing with dark wooden furnishing and upholstered leather booth seats.  Live music runs Wednesday thru Saturday nights, defining the ultimate pub experience.

It`s almost hard to picture the empty 12000 sq.ft. bank below transformed into today`s pub serving domestic, imported beers, scotch, cocktails and even lunch specials. What an experience it was to swirl my glass of Macallan 25. I can`t say that the service was great or the food was delicious; but love the swagger and its decor.

Bard and Banker Victoria

1022 Government Street Victoria, BC V8W 1X7
(250) 953-9993