Le Pub

Way back when in Sydney I loved a local. For way too many years to mention my local pub was the Cricketer’s Arms Hotel in Surry Hills, cold beer, cool music, friendly smiling staff. Le Pub has all these things, minus the spliff potential in the beer garden. This is the first in a series that is pretty much about places that I visit so often that I find it almost impossible to write anything about them. I have been trying to review this place since the beginning of Sticky Rice but have had difficulty getting past the eternal rewrite. So here goes. We'll just dive in and hope for the best.

Le Pub’s blood red walls grab your attention as soon as you walk through the entrance. The front area has traditional drums for tables and chairs with a couple of higher stool seats right at the front for the traditional Hanoi past time of people watching.

The beer is icy cold and the range impressive, from all the usual suspects in the local range to a fine array of imported ales. Cocktails are mixed to a standard that any fast shaking barman would be proud of, vivid in colour, complementing the artwork on the walls by local as well as expat artists, the exhibitions changing every now and again. There's also a selection of wine available, and the staff have recently been given tips by a travelling barista, on how to make the best espresso in town.

The crowd is made up of a mixture of tourists, backpackers and expats, although not many locals. The kitchen at Le Pub serves up food, both Vietnamese and western.

This place is slightly affiliated with KOTO, the training organization, and has a similar staff training ethic, in fact some KOTO graduates work here. The staff are fantastic, Matt the manager is ever friendly, what else can I say?

Drop in, have a drink, see for yourself.

Le Pub
25 Hang Be
Old Quarter, Hanoi

Comments

[Robyn]

Cricketer's Arms, eh? Enjoyed more than a few *very* cold beers there when we were in Sydney last autumn. Small world.... Congrats on the mention in the NYT, by the way. ;-)

[Preya]

Imported ales you say? I'll have to check it out next time I visit; I can't stand the piss they serve at most places in Hanoi, sorry for the language:)

[Matt]

Thanks Kate, have a beer with your name on it here. See you soon.