FCC

[ipodaddict]

Anybody a member or ex-member at FCC? What are your opinions of the establishment? What are the crowds like? Is it easy to get into or do they play hard and snooty and have long waiting list like other clubs(to be frank I don't see why anybody would bother to wait that long to pay for something!)

[shri]

Been there several times and know several members. Here are some observations.

- You better know a couple of people there who might be inclined to introduce you to some other like minded people. Lots of colonial types who're moaning the demise of the typewriter and the Raj. Lots of bankers, solicitors and professional types (architects, doctors etc) who all seem to know each other.

- Fewer and fewer press people every year.

- Food is good and reasonaly priced. Alcohol is reasonably priced too. Facilities are OK, nothing memorable.

- Not sure what the wait lists are like. The markets are doing well, which means they might have a wait list. Don't think there are any entrance rirtuals or rings to kiss (although a couple of morons do walk around the bar pretending they own it .. ). Should be fairly straight forward to get in.

[PDLM]

I'm a member. The colonial types are rapidly dying off now (one of the people who Shri describes as thinking he owns the place is clearly on death's door though he hobbles around much more quietly now with a stick). The mix of people varies enormously by time. Most mornings you can see Jake van der Kamp beavering away in the corner of the bar; there are plenty of other journos around as well, but they don't have a sign on so you'd have to know who they are!

Weekday lunchtimes gets a mix of all sorts for the good value sets. Evenings vary a lot (it's quite quiet at this time of year with many expats away). But Friday evening is always heaving and there are then a lot of lawyers and accountants in the bar.

Weekends is a different crowd again - quite a lot of locals, particularly at lunchtime. There are big screens which get dropped down for major sporting stuff - they're going to get quite a lot of rugby use over the coming 3 months. It's a good place for sports if you don't want somewhere that's too packed and which has big screens.

The food is solid, with quite a wide variety, including what I think are excellent anglo-Indian dishes (they have an Indian chef). The more formal dining room upstairs is a great place for a quiet dinner in a small group. They also have some excellent speaker events (ranging from Thaksin Shinawatra, through Donald Tsang, Michael Palin, the head of Greenpeace, the editor of the Economist, and so on).

Surely the essence of a club is that people know each other? That's a good thing, not a bad thing. Yes, it takes a little time to get known, but once you've been there a while and the staff get to know you I think it's a nice base to have. You can pop in any time, feel comfortable reading a paper or book somewhere or almost always find an acquaintance to chat if that's what you feel like.

Some of the drink prices are excellent - house wines from $24/150ml glass upwards. Spirits and bottled beers from about the same (gun mixers included). Draught beer is about $40 and not the best value, relatively.

There's also a small but well-equipped health club with Precor cardio machines (treadmill, bikes, elliptical, AMT), a weights machine and small free weights. It also has a jacuzzi, sauna & steamroom.

For $10,000 to join (as a non-journo) and $950 per month I reckon it's pretty good value if you use the F&B once a week, and even better value if you use the gym or eat/drink there more often.

Last time I asked there was a waiting list of 6 months or so for associates, but that could well have changed. There are no entrance rituals. I guess the average age of the active members is around 40-45, but the oldest two journos (Anthony Lawrence (ex-BBC Far East Correspondent) and Claire Hollingworth) are both approaching 100 and still seen in the club quite often!