Fu Kun Wu, thanks for everything
Monday, June 19, 2006
…For all the good drinks, that is. Fu Kun Wu, a.k.a. Dr. Wu @ Thaiku, is a neat lounge that's made to look like a Chinese apothecary tucked away in the back of Thaiku Restaurant. It has its own little entrance off 22nd Ave, easy-to-miss on purpose, to increase that mysterious factor (kinda cheesy but oh well). Inside it’s dimly lit with a small bar space and little round tables tucked away in corners, with teak drawers lining up the walls as decoration. The very Asian space kind of looks like the chief designer of Cost Plus went to town. Once seated it’s very cozy. They also have a narrower space downstairs with a few booths to spill out to when it’s really crowded - darker and smaller, the space reminiscent of an opium den.
They have a variety of very interesting drinks made with herbal elixir. My favorite is Oolong teani – a sweet Oolong tea martini-like concoction with bits of crushed ice. If you’ve gotten hot from drinks at other bars, it’ll cool you down right away. Definitely have a couple of those. Their famous Yohito, which is a Mojito made with Yohimbe herb, is also very good (and big). You're only allowed one Yohito per night because Yohimbe in it is supposedly very potent. The drink named something flower (okay, maybe by then I was a bit drunk) is also delicious.
Having the restaurant attached to it has its benefits – you can get very good bites, obviously. But the drinks are very good they can stand on their own. I’m glad I visited, and I’ll be back for more Oolong teani’s.