Vietnamese place to be seen
A very popular cafe with middle class moneyed high fashion Vietnamese wanting to be seen, and to be seen as having leisure time. Dripping with gold and jewellery and makeup, Vietnamese patrons like to let it be known that they have the time to sit around here and sip coffee and read newspapers while their money is being made elsewhere.

This is not a mainstream networking place. You don't see business lunches being conducted. Mainly populated by small groups of young people, couples and solitaries. A couple of years ago is was a favourite daytime haunt of the off-duty demimonde. Now it seems to be more straight fashionables.

When I was there again the other day - not my choice of venue by any stretch - 5 of us, me and my 4 VNese companions ate brunch for 200,000 VND, very cheap.

But it is a crowded place, too small for the vast number of fashionables who want to pack in. Always bumping against flower pots, cement columns or the next table, it is not a comfortable dining experience, especially for a lanky foreigner.

My companions enjoyed their soups and fried rice, but my would-be ham, egg & salad sandwich was abominable.

Waitboys surly and unpleasant.

Music at ear-blasting disco levels even in mid-morning, and TV monitors flickering everywhere make for too much sensory overload for an old grump like me.    [07 Nov 2007 09:29:03]

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