THE NIGHT STUFF
Harmony and hook-ups at Feng Shui

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Jessica Eji of Kahala, Brenda Bauer of Kane'ohe and Jonathan Wilson of Kane'ohe chat on the Hyatt Regency Waikiki's outdoor pool deck. Photos by Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

Dancers have a choice of two dance floors at the Feng Shui weekly party.

The weekly party really packs 'em in at the Ciao Mein restaurant. At right in the foreground, that's Chris Knoot and Ashley Freeman, dancing with the rest of the crowd.

The 400-plus post-midnight revelers who showed up in force for last week's special edition of the Saturday weekly were certainly curious. They overflowed from the roomy interiors of Ciao Mein restaurant into the equally accommodating expanse of the Hyatt Regency Waikiki's fourth-floor outdoor pool deck.

The large turnout was a nice surprise on a evening filled with other intriguing after-hours Waikiki parties to choose from (Twilight at the Hanohano Room; Rebel Girl Underground's first birthday at Chuck's Cellar, The Goodness at The W). But even without the multicolored bead necklaces handed to us upon entering and the near-invisible Mardi Gras theme, it's not difficult to decipher why Feng Shui has been doing well since going from monthly to weekly late last year.

Feng Shui is blessed with a great location and inventive layout. Want to dance? Explore the restaurant interior, where two dance floors and a handful of side rooms ideal for hidden conversations offer a range of music volumes. Want to check out the action on Kalakaua Avenue, chat with music as a background, or have a smoke? Chill outside on the pool deck with its two bars and enough deck chairs to spare.

Hardly a fan of parties whose hosts simply don't know when to stop letting people through the doors, I was pleased that Feng Shui managed to keep an impressively roomy feel about it despite drawing a large crowd. Inside or outside, there was always a place where one could get away from the masses for some privacy.

The crowd was nicely diverse, as well — a mix of patrons that, based on fashion choices (hip-hop, dressed-up and Gap culture were duly represented), looked as if they could've stumbled out of any one of the other Waikiki parties. Another Feng Shui reality impossible not to notice: the serious amount of very serious macking going on.

"Are you both married?" an eager male asked of two women apparently bent on taking him for all the cash he could spend on drinks for them. Both women answered affirmatively.

"Good ... 'cause so am I," he purred, proudly displaying the wedding ring to prove it. Yuck.

Another bonus for yours truly, as a former Hyatt Waikiki employee: watching mid-level managers I still recognized nervously eyeing the club crowd as it traipsed carefree (but quite well-behaved) through every nook of Ciao Mein's well-appointed environs.

That would've been entertainment, beads or no beads.

Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8005.

WHAT: Feng Shui

WHERE: Ciao Mein, fourth floor, Hyatt Regency Waikiki, 2424 Kalakaua Ave., 923-2426

WHEN: 9:30 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturdays

OUR ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE: Midnight/1:30 a.m.

COVER: $10

YOUNGER THAN 21 OK?: No

AGE OF CROWD: 20s-40s

WHAT TO WEAR: Dressy or casual. The crowd is a mix of both, but leans more toward the casual.

PEAK CROWD WHILE THERE: 400-plus

QUEUE?: Yes (5 minutes)

THE LAYOUT: Two dance floors and main bar inside, with ample booth and table seating; two bars and deck chair seating outside

THE SOUNDTRACK: DJed electronica and house in the "Green Room"; current top-40, hip-hop and R&B in the "Honeydip Hideout." Uh-huh, it's really called the "Honeydip Hideout."

BATHROOM ATTENDANT HOLDING PAPER TOWELS HOSTAGE?: No

FENG SHUI: According to Merriam Webster's Online Dictionary ... a Chinese geomantic practice in which a structure or site is chosen or configured so as to harmonize with the spiritual forces that inhabit it; or auspicious orientation, placement, or arrangement as determined by feng shui

MARDI GRAS: According to the same dictionary ... Shrove Tuesday, often observed (as in New Orleans) with parades and festivities; a carnival period climaxing on Shrove Tuesday; or a festive occasion resembling a pre-Lenten Mardi Gras

MARRIED: According to same dictionary ... being in the state of matrimony; of or relating to marriage; or a married person

Night notes ...

Ocean Club's Piranha Room Sin City brings in DJs Noey and Miss Joy from the Luxor Hotel's RA Nightclub for another Las Vegas-themed night of fashion and dance. The monthly still has a queue for late arrivals, so show up early. Doors open at 8 p.m. Saturday with $5 cover; $10 entry after 9 p.m.

Lion's Den takes on a last-Saturday-of-the-month residency at Indigo Eurasian Cuisine this weekend with a intriguing lineup of DJs and sonics. Liloa (dancehall/reggae), I-chard (mc/selectah), Dr. Dread (dub/jungle) and MetalLX (drum-n-bass) take turns on the tables. From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Got $50? That's right, $50. Singles In Town, a new magazine "about being single, celebrating it, and capturing all the finer elements of being single in Honolulu," celebrates its launch on Saturday night with a party for the just-got-paid set. The event will also offer a sneak peek at what promoter Aya promises will soon be The Top of Honolulu, a private members-only nightclub lounge in the penthouse of Century Center. Piqued? Loaded? From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., 1730 Kalakaua Ave., 40th floor, 21 and older. Full open bar and pupu. More information at www.aya-experience.com.

Get your live blues off-shore with a second edition of the KIPO Blues Cruise. Bluzilla with Keahi Conjugacion and Jeff Said No! provide the blues on the Navatek 1. Pier 6 check-in will be between 7:45 and 8 p.m. The cruise departs at 8:20 p.m. Call 973-1311 for information and reservations.

And Go Jimmy Go continues its final round of Honolulu shows before leaving for the Mainland in April with a Studio 1 show, 9 p.m. Saturday. Cover is $6, 21 and older.