Dartagnan makes a very good point - i used to go to Makati early evening on a work day and have a few beers talk to the bar staff.  Their happy hour runs until 9pm so $25 a beer and they usually have some free snacks (most inedible but some of the chicken and potatoe based stuff is ok and they usually have prawn crackers!)  I never spent a fortune to begin with but the bar staff got to know me very quickly and now they role out the red carpet for me!

I really can not speak highly enough of the staff here, just to give you a few examples of what they have done for me this month:

1.  Invited me to the owners birthday party and plied me with free fizz and food
2.  Offered to throw out a large gang of men who got in to a bit of a disagreement with my friend (it was my friends fault and I took him somewhere else)
3.  Various members of the bar staff have bought me drinks
4.  Introduced girls to me on nights where I wasnt feeling very outgoing, on one night one of the guys picked up a girl from the dance floor and carried her to me and bought her a drink - while it was a little awkward the effort is appreiciated!
5.  Remind me that happy hour is about to end and allow me to put a couple of beers on the slate at happy hour prices

Admittedly I do also buy the staff drinks at inflated prices, however I am always amazed at how often they turn me down when I ask what they want to drink.

All in all it is a very honest bar considering its location and clientele & I would happily pay the entrance fee if asked on the basis that the girls get in for free.  What I really like about this bar is the girls, even the really hardcore who are there every night have day jobs and live over here - it means they have a very different outlook to the working tourists in Escape and Neptunes, it is a far friendlier place and the girls are great fun.  I have had nights where I have gone in there spent a small fortune chatted to loads of girls but ulimately gone home alone and I really dont care as I have had fun and it seems that nights like that seem to come back and reward you as you will get a call/text from some horny indo who wants a good seeing too another time.

Finally find myself with a free night to try out Neptune 2 and I was hit with an entrance fee of 500!! I don't care if it ws like a couple of hundred but 500 seems way too excessive. Being only a Sunday I wasn't sure if there is any talent so I said thanks but no thanks... the piece of paper showing the price was stuck down...

I look Chinese and spoke English to them and was even carrying a camera!

Anyone experienced this huge price rise?

Edit: proof read...

[ Last edited by  citadel at 13-2-2012 00:07 ]

Yeah citadel I had the same experience when i tried to go last year. I also look Chinese and have a friend who has had a similar experience.

Yeah they started me and a friend at 500 a head and we negotiated it down to 200 before we decided this was stupid and walked off. We're both Asian so I feel like that was the reason. Got in once with a group of gweilos without a problem prior.

No Cover Charge at the New Makati the last two times I dropped in.

I had a good time

500 for getting in the Neptune 2 is insane. Better walk away and go to Traffic or anywhere else. Fact is, racism is everywhere and both ways, which isstupid. There is not much to do as they set thte rules at the door. As I'm a gwailo, never been a problem but usually get a lot of crap from taxi drivers (dont like picking up gwailos for some). Its just the way it is.