The title of this post is a little deceptive. I did play table tennis at King Pong, but I still need a bit of practice before I rule.

After work, Ryan and I headed to SoHo for an hour-long game at the ping pong club and it looked pretty serious when we got there – sweaty men with short shorts and lightning speed. But we were relieved to see it could be a pretty casual activity too, thanks to a bar. We grabbed a couple of beers, a couple of bats and picked a table.

I haven’t played ping pong in years, but it soon came back to me – and it actually got pretty sweaty (I could’ve done with some of those short shorts). Ryan and I had a few practice rounds before launching into games.

This was so much fun, especially because we were well matched. He was using all sorts of low serves and cheeky spin, while I managed to knock the balls right on the edges of the table. But he ended up beating me 4-2 and was on track to win the last game when we were told our hour was up. Great fun – for a date, to hang out with friends or for a bit of exercise. There are about 10 tables, which meant there was no wait and no need to book on a Monday night, but I bet it gets pretty busy at the weekends.

Even though I bet it’s pretty popular, you might not know it was here if you just passed by. But I’d keep an eye out for it. When we were finishing off our beers at the bar, Jason Biggs even peered into the window – so you’ll never know who’ll you’ll see there.

King Pong is on Vandam Street, between Varick and 6th Ave, and is open M-F 3-11 and Sat, Sun 11-11. $10 per person or $30 to reserve a table. The website is here.