Bar review: Vona - chocolate martinis for Sheung Wan hipsters

The vibe: the Sheung Wan end of Hollywood Road is awash with restaurants but a desert for bars. So when one opened a tipsy stumble down the hill from 208 Duecento Otto, it was cause for celebration. Until I saw its name: Bar Vom. But a recent visit revealed it to be actually called Vona (sack the sign maker) — think bar Tonic transplanted from Wyndham Street into hipsterville. The dark lighting and glowing purple accents feel incongruous as you gaze out of the open shopfront windows to the sewing machine shop opposite. But hey, a bar is a bar.

The drinks: OK, the best thing about Vona is that Thursday, Friday and Saturday are all ladies’ nights, offering the fairer sex a complimentary glass of prosecco from 7pm to 9pm. The next best thing is the chocolate martini, a blend of vanilla liqueur, cacao, Kahlua, Baileys, brandy and chocolate. It’s punchy and only costs HK$88 (buy one get one free, before 9pm). The old fashioned — simply bourbon, whisky, bitters and a sugar cube (HK$78) — also hit the spot. The bar snacks such as the pan-fried foie gras topped with salmon roe on toast (HK$168) are definitely nom, not vom.

The verdict: Vona in Sheung Wan makes about as much sense as James Franco appearing at the Occupy Central protests last year. But go with it because it’s fun.

Vona, Hau Fu Commercial Building, 111 Queen’s Road West, Sheung Wan, tel: 2548 8068