THE NIGHT STUFF
Work-in-progress Opium Den isn't smokin' just yet

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Staff Writer

Bartender Katherine Burr serves up a glass of red at the Opium Den and Champagne Bar at Indigo Eurasian Cuisine in Chinatown. Drinks are also available at Indigo's Green Room next door. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Mind you, I'm no expert on opium or opium dens — heck, the ornate London parlor in which Johnny Depp inhaled poppy fumes in "From Hell" looked authentic enough for my eyes. Still, I was a bit excited as I made my way down the red brick alley separating Indigo from the Green Room, somewhat seedily lit by large red lanterns, minutes after midnight on a recent Friday.

Just beyond the Green Room entrance, through a pair of Chinese wooden doors, and — OK — just past a couple of Reyn Spooner-types chatting BMW lease programs and nursing frou-frou drinks, we found the Opium Den. Or at least its champagne bar — literally tucked into a corner of a small lantern-lit entryway to the den.

About as knowledgeable a champagne connoisseur as I am an opium expert, I asked bartender Katherine Burr for advice navigating the bar's 20 or so brands of bubbly — everything from a glass of Delbeck for $9 to a $225 bottle of Dom Perignon.

"Whatever the good stuff is," I replied after Burr helpfully queried my taste in champagne. "Uh, by the glass."

Offered several suggestions, I settled on a single-serve bottle of Piper Heidsieck over a Pommery ($14.75). My partner in night stuff opted for a vanilla martini from the neighboring Green Room's full bar.

The Opium Den itself was less-fabulously appointed than I expected. A couple dozen wooden chairs scattered around tables bordering the room and a long hardwood bench taking up half the length of one wall made the empty dance space in the center of the room seem larger than it was. Large red lanterns hung from the high ceilings, but were left unlit in favor of soft-glowing track lights and votives.

Still, the den — most likely, a work in progress as far as its furnishings go — did have its share of wonderful eccentricities. A large antique opium bed hugged both a corner of the room and a couple in a hot embrace comfortably. Next to it, a glass cabinet housed a small collection of opium paraphernalia — pipes, vials, etc. A hand-carved wooden mural that once adorned Honolulu's long-gone Zebra Bar — owned by the brother of Nat King Cole, whose more famous sibling sometimes played there — stretches the entire length of the den's makai wall.

Though our visit fell on a post-Fourth of July Friday night, we were still disheartened to find the Opium Den woefully underpopulated less than a week after opening to a full "where's-the-free-pupu?" VIP crowd. The head count peaked at about a dozen when we entered and dwindled thereafter, largely ignoring DJ John Yao's delicious mix of jazzy house grooves tinged with Brazilian and African influences.

Understandably, restaurant manager Alexus Swenson said Indigo management was still gauging what worked best in the den, entertainment-wise. A live performance by The Boyz two nights earlier drew the largest crowd of the room's first three days of business.

Still, we found the Opium Den and Champagne Bar a welcome addition to the already charming and slightly cinematic after-dark aesthetics of Indigo and the Green Room. With a game plan effectively incorporating all three venues, the right promotion and an already great staff, the downtown wannabe-upscale night spot could one day be the draw it deserves to be.

Got a night spot or regular club event you'd like us to check out? Reach Derek Paiva at 525-8005 or dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com.

What: The Opium Den and Champagne Bar

Where: Indigo Eurasian Cuisine, 1121 Nu'uanu Ave., 521-2900

When: 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays (after final Phantasma show). Live entertainment on Wednesdays, DJ Thursdays through Saturdays

Cover: No

Under 21 OK?: No

Age of crowd: Twentysomethings

The dress CODE: Smart casual and business attire

Attire we saw: For both sexes: casual to fairly dressy. On the guys: T-shirts, sweaters or dress shirts (solids and aloha prints) with jeans or dress slacks; even a skull cap. On the women: dresses, camisoles or stretch tops with capris

Our arrival/departure: midnight/1:30 a.m. on a Friday night

What we drank: Piper Heidsieck champagne ($12.50 a glass); vanilla martini ($6, from Indigo's neighboring Green Room)

How crowded was it?: Between a half-dozen and a dozen people

QUEUE?: No

Sample music: "Speak My Mind" (Miguel Graca), "Afterlife Mix" (Shoe Monkey), "You Make Me Feel Like (Peace, Love & Happiness)" (A:XUS)

Dancing?: Yes ... though most of the collected were just lounging

Interior in a nutshell: A somewhat sparsely furnished opium den, circa late 19th century

You gotta see this: Actually, you gotta sit on this: an antique opium bed comfortable for two, tolerable for three

Overheard line of the night: "I don't know if house is good for that antique cabinet." — A patron noticing the music decibel level's effect on a glass display of opium paraphernalia