Café entertainment in Asia
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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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Wineshop
With a mixed crowd of Filipino and foreign clientele, the Wineshop is a convivial and unpretentious Spanish-owned wine bar. If you’re excited by the idea of genuine tapas (P40 to P60), you’ll be disappointed by the sardinas (straight from the tin) and bemused by the inclusion of kinilaw (Filipino-style ceviche) and sisig (a sizzling plate of grilled pig jowl bits). The real steal is the house red (P60 a carafe), which is eminently drinkable.
reviewed
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D
Libernard Cafe
Often credited for introducing Chiang Mai to cafe culture is the unassuming Libernard Cafe, run by Pong who roasts her own beans daily, making different adjustments based on the day’s climate conditions. She makes a smooth latte, hardly needing to be spiked with sugar.
reviewed
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Chocoholic
Leave room for desert. This tiny, brightly painted café is an old favourite, dating back to the days when good chocolate was impossible (as opposed to merely inconvenient) to find. Expect cakes, chocolate drinks and a clientele of smiley young things galore.
reviewed
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Sinouk Coffee Shop
In a renovated French shophouse this café is best-known for its coffee, sold both in the cup and by the bag (from US$2 for 250g). They also sell Beerlao and have a small menu of Western dishes.
reviewed
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DMZ Bar & Cafe
Long the leading late-night spot, the beer flows into the night, the tunes match the mood and there is a popular pool table in the middle of things.
reviewed
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Java Coffee Bar
This stylish corner cafe has hard-hitting espressos and silken smoothies, not forgetting some of the comfiest lounge chairs around.
reviewed
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Flury’s
Great espressos (Rs60) and iced-tea (Rs60) layered like a tequila sunrise in an enticing art deco palace-cafe.
reviewed
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Artistic Space of the Sacred
Not your run-of-the-mill joint, this place - is it a bar, an inn? - is run by an artist, and it shows, from the lighting to the colour coordination. Best of all are the inspiring views from the tiered outdoor terraces. A Ming has a gallery full of paintings upstairs and will show you if you ask. He's also set up a four-bed dorm with a Buddhist shrine and a private room with one of the most romantic views in the city.
reviewed
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Wawee Coffee
Almost an attraction in its own right, Soi Kaafae (Coffee Lane on Soi 9, Th Nimmanhaemin) is populated by two bustling coffee shops and lots of laptop-tapping Thais. One of the coffee shops being Wawee Coffee, a local chain that originally started at Mae Sa Elephant Camp and has since expanded to the point of Starbucks saturation. (There’s also a Wawee on Th Ratchadamnoen in the old city.)
reviewed
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Namugeuneul
The unique experience here is the spa footbath, perfect for relaxing those tired and aching feet. The footbath contains over 50 small ‘doctor fish’ who just love nibbling at the dead skin on your feet. It’s a strange sensation, somewhere between tingling and nipping, but your feet do feel refreshed after a 15-minute session, which costs only W2000. Look for ‘Dr Fish’ on the 2nd-floor sign.
reviewed
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Macau Soul
Run by two English retirees, this low-key spot is a hidden gem just down the hill from St Paul’s ruins. The ground floor is elegantly decked out with wooden furniture and stained-glass windows that ooze a comfy, easygoing feel. The basement gets very crowded when it is transformed into a live venue for jazz, blues and country bands. The opening hours vary, so phone ahead before you go.
reviewed
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Harbour Bistro & Cafe
Sandakan's downtown revival plans include ramping up nightlife. Currently, there are a couple of beer bars along Lebuh Tiga and a few joints off Jln Elopura. The Harbour Sq development is creating a fresh centre for evening activities. Harbour Bistro & Cafe offers alfresco dining, coffee and drinks, with an air-conditioned upper-level lodge, open after dark to the wee hours.
reviewed
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Irish Rover Bar & Grill
Travellers like this typical Irish pub specialising in draught Guinness and Kilkenny, along with brews like Singapore’s Tiger and Thailand’s high alcohol–content (but headache-inducing) Chang. Sports fans will appreciate the telly broadcasting English footy matches and South African cricket. The place also features live music, tropical cocktails and pool tables.
reviewed
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Friends Café
Buzzing with everyone from businessmen to young and hip locals, this convivial spot serves espresso drinks in the day and becomes a lively bar at night. It's a hard-to-miss spot right where Jln Melaka Raya 3 meets Jln Taman Melaka Raya. There are light meals like sandwiches and tom yam and the whole place is a wi-fi zone.
reviewed
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Cathi 24
Based in and around the garden of a French colonial home, this little café specialises in therapeutic herbal teas - although the less-pure will also find caffeine and alcohol on offer. At night it's particularly romantic, lit up with oil lamps. Order a drink and free plates of crackers, bread and fruit keep arriving.
reviewed
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Dolly’s Tea Shop
Teak-panels, rattan chairs, tea-crate tables and the regal presence of matriarch Dolly transform what would otherwise be just another unit in the dreary Dakshinapan Shopping Centre into a charming little oasis that attracts a wonderfully eclectic clientele. Toasted sandwiches or apple pie accompany over 50 choices of tea.
reviewed
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Bark Café
A relaxed, easygoing café right next door to the Changi Chapel, the Bark stays fairly low-key even on weekend nights, with a friendly crowd of mainly local residents enjoying the outdoor breeze, pool table, ample beers and excellent local (and international) food. Their 'red plum soda' is evidently of some repute.
reviewed
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Seagulls Restaurant
Although this is a restaurant, the waiters generally look bewildered if you order food. But the location, with a balcony overlooking the sea and views north along the promenade, makes it great for a cheap beer on a warm evening; an expansive downstairs veranda was being constructed when we visited.
reviewed
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Home Sweet Home
This modest café near the intersection of Guangzhou Lu and Shanghai Lu is a far cry from the ubiquitous coffee house chains sprouting up around the city. Choose from a wide range of coffees, pastries and sandwiches - the ice-mint coffee and brownies are a good afternoon pick-me-up.
reviewed
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Café 85°C 85c
This Taiwanese chain serves good-quality, inexpensive coffee and tea, but it’s particularly notable for its bizarre pastries (often savoury, not sweet), if you’re ready to experience a modern-day Chinese breakfast on the go. There are branches throughout Shanghai.
reviewed
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J-Café
Homely and comfy are the watchwords at this breezy café-bar on Heiwa-Ōdōri. Big red couches lend a living-room feel, and graffiti art adorns the walls. Scrumptious waffles, crepes and panini are on offer. The sign outside has a stylized 'j' like an ampersand.
reviewed
