Odds and ends from Vietnam - eats, drinks and the ladies

Mogambo
50 Pasteur St, dist 1
HCM 

Getting myself up to date so its got me scouring my notebooks and reviewing my photos for interesting stuff.

Firstly lets talk about eats, drinks and cute Vietnamese ladies.

                                               Mogambo

Starting with my favorite eating, drinking and all around hang out spot, Mogambo. This is old style cool Saigon, expat friendly and kicked back, kind of like a Vietnamese version of cheers in a jungle motif with Lani, the gregarious owner in the middle of the action.  Lani and her American husband (sad to say he is no longer with us) originally opened on Thi Sach St, guessing at least 14 years ago, anyway that was about the time of my first visit (1999).  In the photo you see Lani in the background and two of her wonderful wait staff, Linh and Deip.   Mogambo as in keeping with it's original American founders roots has an American based menu with what else but hamburgs at it's core.  However, there is also good but basic Mexican fare.  My friend swears by the nachos but to me it just doesn't seem right to be eating nachos in Vietnam but I'm a fan of their hamburgs, go figure, as its also far from traditional Vietnamese food. Oh ya, just about forgot about their homemade apple pie, baked  fresh daily. Overall Lani has a good mix of European and Vietnamese entries also along with a good wine list.

Bar seats are the best for you and your ice cold Saigon beer as you can easily chat up the cute and friendly wait staff or Lani while eavesdropping on the expats down the bar from you and their conversations about the goings on in Saigon..








                                                                    Number 5 Bar


After hamberging down and a couple drinks at Mogambo it's time to head out.  Push back your bar stool, wish everyone well, stumble out the door, look to your left and it's  Number five bar.  You say to yourself, if you're anything like me - just a quick stop for the preverbal nightcap - good intentions anyway.

Number 5 it is said got its name because it was the owner Heinz's 5 location, the others were closed for one reason or another by powers other than Heinz's.

Mogambo is pretty compact with a bar lining one side with just enough room behind it for a server and the other side of the room is fitted with a couple booths and a few tables.  Though I'm thinking they must have  seating upstairs or somewhere out of the main area as I often see groups pass through and disappear.   Anyway, Loni never turns anyone away.   While Number 5 is a different deal, probably twice the size as Mogambo with an oval shaped bar in the center, tables lining both walls and in front as you walk in, pool table and on again off again live music emanating from one of the back corners.

Number 5 has food but mostly the bar snack stuff except for a pretty good roast dinner (posted on the wall) but the big draw is the great looking and friendly waitstaff and did I mention the mini skirt clad, great looking and friendly waitstaff.  Also, for the I wanna peak early guys there's the 100,000 dong all you can drink ice cold draft beers from 3:00 til 7:00 pm. This is a no hassle happy hour deal, one of the great looking ladies behind the bar will set a coaster on the bar in front of you, ask your name for the tab and your preference Tiger or San Miguel (San Miguel for me) and until happy hour is over they will make sure you always have beer.

Okay, back to the girls, the oval bar that you just pulled a bar stool up too, holds bunches of  gorgeous Vietnamese ladies wearing different outfits every night but always variations of short skirts and low cut tops.  They stand or perch on the other side of the bar and talk with you like your the most wonderful man in the world.   You can show your gratitude by her a drink and leaving a tip but it's up to you.  Note: all tips go into a tip jar so if you're really smitten and want to be remembered, palm some money and pass it to her as you leave.



                                                                           Bread and Butter

                                                                                                               

Dan owner- Bread and Butter
40/24 Bui Vien St
dist 1,  Saigon

No girls but hamburgs, fish and chips and simple western fare at Bread and Butter owned and managed by an american named Dan..  Oh ya and any kind of beer you want as long as it's Huda from Hue.  It's pretty good stuff that Huda, maybe worth
the trip just for that.  Bread and butter is a little place that could be referred to as the proverbial hole in the wall establishment, down one alley over from De Tham, between Pham Ngu Lao and Bui Vien Street.

I'm not a fan of the Pham Ngu Lao backpacker area but it's a good spot to find little cafes and restaurants catering to western expats as Dan does at Bread and Butter.  Though unlike Mogambo or Number 5 bar where you find a mix of professions, Bread and Butter is popular mostly with the expat English teachers set.  I'm thinking part of this is that Dan does some teaching also.  Inside isn't much, kind of an old school Vietnam thing, un airconditioned, with a bar and a couple tables along with Dan's lending library.  The library is based  on the honor system, meaning you take a book and either bring it back or replace it with another.  Once again a good place to pick on some or in this case take part in some interesting conversations, especially discussions about US based conspiracy stuff or to the other extreme, dancing with the stars.  

Still pawing through my notebooks and photos, so will have more coming soon..


                                                                 

Until next time - Doug