Put a little Kochi in your life on clubbing nights
By Kawehi Haug
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I was determined to make an early night of it last Saturday. Because it occurred to me while I was planning my weekend that there must be people out there who are doing things before midnight.
Quick tangent: When did midnight become the default start time for all club events? Seriously. Midnight on a Thursday just isn't doable for the majority of the working adult population.
Back to the people who do things before midnight. They exist. And on the weekends, they hang out at Kochi Lounge.
To clarify: Just because they're out before midnight doesn't mean that they're home before dawn. I wasn't looking for people with no lives (sorry people — you know who you are), I was just looking for pre-deep-night hot spots to prove my theory that this city isn't entirely lifeless before the witching hour.
KOCHI RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
Where: 1936 S. King St., next to Gulick Deli
When: 5 p.m.-2 a.m. daily, but the place goes off Fridays and Saturdays.
Parking: There's a decent-sized lot at the restaurant. There's also parking on Young Street behind the restaurant, and there is $3 valet parking Friday and Saturday nights.
Getting in: There's no cover charge or age of admission, because the place doubles as a family restaurant.
It's more restaurant than lounge, but after 10 p.m., the restaurant makes a sudden shift from family eatery to pre-club party headquarters, and the lounge vibe starts to seep into the dining room.
We're here for the pre-party party: Kochi is presumably where everyone goes before they hit the clubs. The young and the beautiful come dressed to kill, order fried rice and shoyu 'ahi (a little something to drink on), and maybe a starter cocktail, and then hit the town. Why go clubbing hungry if you don't have to?
Parking is not for transients only: The lounge, which is next to the larger and more brightly lit dining room, is where the hangers-on go. It's the landing spot for people whose first and last stop is Kochi. The decor is simple and elegant (think someone's den in a middle-class home) and the drinks are strong and fairly priced ($4 for a vodka cran).
Get that club feeling without actually going to a club: Kochi is like the holding room for clubbers. Sitting at one of the four-seat tables eating a late dinner in the same room as people who are obviously gearing up for a long night is enough to give the club-shy (or the club-saturated) a taste of the night life without actually having to live the night life. That's great news. And it's something no other venue offers: clubbing by proxy.
Are those people coming out of the Gulick Deli kitchen? Kochi Restaurant and Lounge is the sister site to Gulick Deli. It's the ceramic-plate-and-table-service counterpart to Gulick's bento-box sensibility. But the important stuff is the same: The food is local and homemade, and the atmosphere follows suit. This is as unpretentious as you can get while still being dressed up.
Speaking of the food: The restaurant serves food until 2 a.m. The menu is long, with everything from garlic fried rice to saimin to musubi to rib-eye steak to braised kurobuta pork.
Party on a school night: Kochi also hosts a Tuesday-night party with DJs spinning hip-hop, neo soul, R&B '80s.
The heat factor: The indoor temperature at Kochi is super cool — and perfectly suited to large crowds and full bellies.
Raising the bar: Kochi has a full bar with good call and well prices, and reasonable premium prices.
The price of a club soda with lime: $3.
Reach Kawehi Haug at khaug@honoluluadvertiser.com.
