Bobby Brewers Cafe

At the time we were living in the tourist district, looking for a long-term rental in Saigon, it happened that we popped in at Bobby Brewers at 45 Bui Vien St. - a place about which I had read many good reviews, pompously advertised by Word HCMC.

Bobby Brewers @ 45 Bui VienSt.

Maybe I had high expectations about this place - but it just didn't impress me at all. It's a common coffee place (not at all special, as advertised), laid out on 3 floors and heavily populated by expats.  The third floor at the location on Bui Vien is a movie lounge, where they showcase various recent international productions. Maybe it's a good thing, I don't know - I prefer to watch a DVD at home or in a much larger, or at least not-so-claustrophobic place, even if it's free. Though I think it can be cool for a tourist to have dinner in front of a movie home theater at the end of their first crazy day in Saigon.

The waiters - top notch! I could not drink the iced coffee I ordered, so I asked for a fresh pineapple juice - "No ice, please!" Of course I got an iced one - maybe because I had previously asked for an iced drink, and any other thing I could have said was pointless. Then asked for green tea and got black. International menu - fast-food, not so cheap for a place that looks like an airport eatery. But their smoothies and frappuccinos, and juices compensate for that.

I should not have been that mean - I think I will go there again, maybe to one of the locations in District 3, either to make sure my first impression was right or to do penance.

Bobby Brewers - www.bobbybrewers.com

45 Bui Vien Street, Q1; 86 Pham Ngoc Thach, Q3; 306/8 Ng. Thi Minh Khai. Q3; 400B Le Van Sy Street, Q3