Entertainment in Asia
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A
Tuba
Part storage room for over-the-top vintage furniture, part friendly local boozer, this bizarre bar certainly doesn't lack in character. Indulge in a whole bottle for once and don't miss the delicious chicken wings.
reviewed
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B
Take Out Comedy Club
Consistent stand-up and improv acts (in Cantonese and English) bring in the punters to this basement venue established by Chinese-American stand-up Jami Gong.
reviewed
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C
Punchline Comedy Club
A veteran on the scene – in fact the only regular comedy venue for many years – the Punchline Comedy Club hosts local and imported acts every third Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9pm to 11pm. Entry costs around $300.
reviewed
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D
Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre
You can't leave Hanoi without seeing a traditional water-puppet show. The shows, which appeal to all ages, are charming, picaresque entertainments accompanied by a traditional Vietnamese pit orchestra. Order your tickets early in the day for the best seats. Your hotel can probably help.
reviewed
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E
Acoustic Bar
The leading live-music venue in town, Acoustic pays homage to Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and other rock ’n’ roll legends. Vietnam’s leading musicians flock here for cameo cover versions and, judging by the numbers that turn up nightly, the crowd just can’t get enough.
reviewed
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F
Tiānqiáo Acrobatics Theatre
West of the Temple of Heaven, this is one of Běijīng's most popular venues. The entrance is down the eastern side of the building.
reviewed
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G
Full Moon
Full Moon is a tiny chill-out bar and den of iniquity that draws a mixed Nepali-foreign clientele.
reviewed
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H
High Spirits
Brand new bar that's caught the attention of the student population. Has a nice open terrace.
reviewed
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I
A-Bar
This is a raucous student izakaya with a log-cabin interior located in the Kiyamachi area. There’s a big menu to choose from and everything’s cheap. The best part comes when they add up the bill – you’ll swear they’ve undercharged you by half. It’s a little tough to find – look for the small black-and-white sign at the top of a flight of concrete steps above a place called Reims.
reviewed
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Ageha
This gigantic waterside club rivals any you’d find in LA or Ibiza. Mostly international DJs appear here, with Japanese DJs filling out the mix. Counterbalancing the thumping dance floors are lounge spaces and a little pool area. Free buses run to the club every half-hour from the east side of Shibuya Station on Roppongi-dōri; bring photo ID.
reviewed
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J
Bo’s Coffee Club
A super popular Cebuano franchise that makes genuine top-notch espresso along with the usual mocha, latte and frappé selections. A favourite with both students and business types, this is a good air-con escape from the streets and there’s free wi-fi with any hot drink. There’s another outlet on Pres Osmeña Blvd and a third at Ayala Center.
reviewed
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K
Before & Now
An energetic bar that’s good for its pop-rock-funk playlist, Milan-trained chef and buzzing crowd. If you run out of conversation topics, contemplate the ramifications of Bono-as-Superman, as depicted on one of local artist Tran Trung Linh’s pop-art portraits on the walls (the eclectic mix includes Lenin, Mao, Che, Marilyn and Gandhi).
reviewed
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L
Bar 109
Tired of rubbing, er, shoulders with working girls in the Wanch? Well, even if not, the 109 will give you 110 reasons to flock here. It’s a serious chill-out zone cobbled from a 1920s-vintage bakery and divided into three sections, including a bar, a covered ‘outside’ area and a 1st-floor balcony.
reviewed
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M
Warehouse
A popular bolt hole for expats escaping the madness of Bar St, this ‘local’ has lured many a traveller in for table football and indie anthems. The bar food is more cosmopolitan than most and best enjoyed from the 45-degree angle of a satellite chair. Free wi-fi.
reviewed
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Bluefrog
The most exciting thing to happen to Mumbai’s music scene in a long time, Bluefrog is a concert space, production studio, restaurant and one of Mumbai’s most happening spaces. It hosts exceptional local and international acts, and has cool booth seating.
reviewed
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N
Liquid Lounge
The coolest (and loudest) pub in town, this place has funky posters and neon-lit interiors, including a backlit Les Paul guitar replica dangling above the bar! A good selection of beers is on offer, and its staff in floral shirts are a courteous lot.
reviewed
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O
Samui Shamrock
More classic than chic, Samui Shamrock is a good-times pub where house bands belt out dated cover tunes that inspire the tipsy crowd to sing along. At some point in the night you’ll hear ‘Hotel California’, the ultimate foreigner tribute song.
reviewed
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P
Temple Club
As the night wears on, the only worshipping going on at this temple is ‘all hail the ale’. Loud tunes (often too loud) and some liberally minded local girls (some are actually boys) draw a dance crowd. Mad happy-hours from 10am to 10pm.
reviewed
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Q
Kantin 21
Funky open-air place where you can watch traffic by day and groove to acoustic guitar or garage-band rock by night. There's a long drinks list (jugs of Long Island iced tea for 75,000Rp), fresh juices and a few local snacks.
reviewed
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R
Sam & Dave
Like its sister bars around Japan, Sam & Dave's vacillates between being somewhere fun to shake your ass, and just another boozy big-beat meat-market nightclub. Hope for a good crowd and you could be lucky, whatever you fancy. It's best Fridays and Saturdays.
reviewed
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S
Port Saïd
One of the few night-clubs in Dushanbe. Most women in these clubs are prostitutes so solo female travellers should think twice about going alone.
reviewed
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T
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U
Bobby Brewers
This is a contemporary cafe set over three floors, and the range of coffees here is professional. There are also juices, sandwiches, pastas and salads, plus movies upstairs.
reviewed
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V
Equinox Bar
Acoustic jam sessions are held every Thursday and Saturday night in this animated bar. Happy hour 17:00 to 20:00.
reviewed
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W
Night market
This veritable marvel and phenomenon alone justifies trips to Kāifēng, especially at weekends. Join the scrums weaving between stalls busy with hollering Hui Muslim chefs cooking up kebabs and náng bread, red-faced popcorn sellers and vendors of shāo bing sesame-seed cakes, cured meats, foul-smelling chòu gānzi (臭干子; dry strips of doufu), sweet potatoes, crab kebabs, sugar-coated pears and Thai scented cakes. Pass on the yāxuě tāng (鸭血汤; duck blood soup) if you insist.
Among the flames jetting from ovens and steam rising in clouds prance the hearty vendors of xìngrén chá (杏仁茶; almond tea). A sugary sauce (the consistency of wallpaper paste) made fr…
reviewed
