Tom's Bar Blog
10 October 2006
Hello again good followers of Tongan fashion! Its been a really busy month behind the bar with queues of people having to wait their turn to come in recently! And we are not even a nite club! Hey...maybe a Tonga Club could take off here?? Anyway, we have a new menu out next week, full of new drinks and some of the old classic recipies that people can't get enough of. We had a huge box of the old menus, but they have all been pinched, so we are getting a new batch in. By the way, you are more than welcome to take a menu with you and show your friends. Why not try and make a few Tongan cocktails at your next party? if there is anything you need to know or wonder about, feel free to ask next time you stop by or send an email (tom@tongabar.com) :)
10 September 2006Some sad news this week, which we at Tonga Bar will respectively mark and that is the passing of the Tongan King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV. Aged 88, the king died in Auckland, New Zealand after a long illness and a period of national mourning is being marked in Tonga. The news of the King's death comes only weeks after another tragedy struck the tiny Pacific kingdom when Prince Tu'ipelehake, Princess Kaimana and their driver died when a teenager crashed her car into their vehicle during a visit to the US. On this sober note then, I'll sign off for another week and be back with news from the bar world and some possible bartending training courses here in Bergen. Keep in touch, stay safe!.
31 August 2006Yo ho good folk!,ahead of another busy weekend when those old rockers the Rolling Stones hit town, I thought I'd just tell you all about a rum appreciation society that was set up a few years ago by my mate Angus Winchester aka (ex) Mr International Playboy Bartender and now one of the world's most respected analysts and consultants in the drink/bar industry.The Notting Hill Rum Club is originally started out as a forum for rum lovers in London to come together once at month at the famous kitch lounge on Portobello Road,Trailer Happiness. Now I hear from Angus that branches have sprung up in Sydney and Melbourne as well as Amsterdam and Prague. The idea is to learn more about the diversity of rum, its history and how it can be enjoyed. Key industry people come along to the meetings (incidently, they are held at Trailer the first monday of every month, new members welcome!) and share their knowledge. What I have been thinking about lately is the possibility of setting up a Bergen branch, where pwople who want to learn more about rum and get together every now and then to sample some product and hear some guest speakers. It's just an idea at this stage, b ut I reckon Tonga Bar would be a great place to hold it, and be a part of a growing club!. Let me know if you like the sound of it, and be sure to check out the links!. Oh, and finally, if you want to know more about what Angus has created and is currently up to, then check out alconomics"the Science of Spirits, the Business of Pleasure and the Art of the Bartender. It teaches bartenders the mechanics of their jobs and the passion of their profession". Free knowledge from the absolute best in the buisness. Have a great weekend now!.
27 August 2006Another busy Bergen weekend, with Tonga Bar again full to the rafters (or flax and bamboo that is!). The night started early with a birthday party and a hen night bringing in guests with high spirits. Typically around 11pm we had the rush starting which didn't stop until we had to ring the bell at 3am. During the night we had a visit from the good people from the 'sjenkekontroll' who go about town on behalf of the local council checking that bars and clubs are following the rules and regulations. I thought I'd just mention a bit about these guys and why they are important for both us employees and you the guests. To serve booze, and indeed food, an establishment needs a license from the council and (amongst loads of other stuff) it requires that employees have to take various courses, learn rules and regulations about how, who, why, when we can serve or not serve, and check that we follow these rules. Basically these people come unexpected and look for signs that things are in order (or out of order for some!). They look for people who are obviously drunk, look underage, that we have non-alcoholic products for sale, that we are indeed registered as certified workers and so on. No-one should fear these guys because they make for safer, more responsible places to go out and enjoy. Some bars may have it in for them thinking they are just out to make trouble, but in fact, if you run a bar or club and try to bend rules, then inevitably things will backfire, an incident will occur and you may be shut down. Up at Tonga we have a mature but varied clientel and very few 'problems' but now and then we need to act in order to prevent some of the above 'problems'. Norwegians love to go out on weekends and let loose, much like many other places, and most do it responsibly, but when we in the bar have the responsibility of following the liquor laws we don't take chances. If someone appears to be near the limit of what we (and the law) dictates, or approach us obviously over that limit, then we have the right and the responsibility to say no, and in some situations remove the person from the establishment. This judgement is purely subjective on our behalf, but we have been in this buisness long enough to get it right most of the time. We want people to have fun and try to promote a safe atmosphere, so if you get a 'no' from us, don't take it personally or try to make escuses like 'it's my eye drops' or 'he's like that after one glass of beer' or even 'I won't tell anyone!'. I've heard them all, and may have made a bad judgement occasionally, but it's far better to be on the safe side with regards hard liquor. Anyway, as I said the VAST MAJORITY of guests respect the laws and know their limits, I just hope that applies to those in the industry itself. Drink responsibly, respect your fellow guests and those doormen and bartenders you'll meet along the way. Everyone then stands a better chance of having loads of fun and not feeling like you've been headbutted by an elephant the next day!!!
25 August 2006Well, just as I thought bartenders seem to be getting younger and younger, I came across news of New Yorks oldest working bartender who has been shakin' and mixin' since 1948 never missing a day!. He goes by the name Hoy Wong and has served up stars such as Marilyn Munroe and Dean Martin during his incredible 58 year career. So anyway, it makes be scared to think I'll still be mixing in my old age, unless you suggest a bar somewhere in the Cayman Islands.....On the subject of warm weather, summer here in Bergen has been just fantastic and I'm glad a lot of you have been up to see us. We've been turning out the daiquiri's like never before and the popularity of our best seller never ceases to amaze us, but next time you're up why dont you try a variation with the same tropical style. Take a squizz behind us and pick out some of your favourite fresh fruit, we'll spice it up with some quality rum and throw in a sprig of coriander and basil and your taste buds will go off!. Our new menu has been a huge hit this summer and we're in the process of updating it for the autumn, any suggestions or queries about things that grow, things you can drink or things with long fluffy tails, just drop me a mail or come up and say hi. I'm the one who needs a haircut...Atle is the one with 30 shots lined up ready to go and Robert is in the corner dancing to the latest Ministry soundtrack....happy summer days...its soon over :(
21 August 2006Hello and welcome to Tom's bar blog!. Here you'll get the inside take on what goes on behind the scenes at the Tonga Bar, some tips on making better tasting cocktails, news from the bar scene abroad and often just thoughts on bar related stuff, the wierd and wacky, the diverse thoughts of mine on things that move, provoke and exite me. I hope you'll check back regularly to see what's up, and if you learn something or disagree, I'll be happy to hear from you!, mail me at tom@tongabar.com