Decibel was opened two months ago on Phan Ke Binh street. It looks more like a garden house than a restaurant, with a garden of morning glories and a few benches with wooden tables. I feel like home right at the first time catch it.
Dreamed up by co-owners: Aymeric Si Cheron, Tuan Cheron, Ludovic Luan Tran and Jessica Gonzales. Decibel is a blend of restaurant, bar and lounge. The ground floor is decorated in a simple style, with plain white walls and wooden tables and chairs. Lacking of detailed and sophisticated features, it impresses the customers by the visual art paintings on the walls.
Those paintings belong to the collection of graphic designer Crazy Monkey, who is well-known in local design industry. “The ground floor is more flexible than the upper,” Si Cheron said. “We focus on the light exposition so it must be no-fuss furnishing.” The walls after the open bar are pasted up with pages from popular manga, giving the Western-themed building a slight Japanese touch.
The second floor is covered in dark blue to make it cozier. This is the lounge-style area, a place for customers to chill out and chit chat. Music is played from different genres, ranging from popular and easy-listening to psychedelic, jazz/blue, dubstep and every other kind of music. Because the owners are hipper than the common people, you might be put in a circumstance in which you are either pissed off or satisfied. For me, this place has become the new source of my desire to discover more versatile songs.
As a restaurant, Decibel offers a special menu of Western food. Prices range from 50,000 VND to 230,000 VND per dish. Recommended treats are Oeufs Cocottes, a French specialty and Croquettas, an authentic Spanish recipe made of mashed potatoes, béchamel, and chicken inside a breadcrumbed fried roll. Oeuf cocotte is made by cooking an egg in a ramequin, with some other ingredients, most often ham and crème fraîche. It is sometimes served with grated cheese on top.
Most of the dishes here are designed by Jessica, who has great experience in hospitality. Though the Vietnamese chef creates most of the food, Jessica also contributes. The drinks list includes coffee, soft drinks and smoothies, with prices ranging from 25,000 VND to 55,000 VND. Wine fanciers can also order a bottle French, Chilean or Australian wine for 450,000 VND to 760,000 VND. The price for a glass of wine is 80,000 VND.
Decibel is not just a place for dinning or drinking. It’s also an event organizer where they hold a lot of interesting events which are changed weekly. The Mustache Party and Tokyo Night are some of their favourite ones. The next upcoming event is Zombie Night, on Friday 13, which promises to attract a lot of party animals. The owners also want to host live music nights and other innovative activities.
“This is a place where all new ideas are welcomed”, Si said.
Daily happy hour: 5 p.m to 8 p.m, 60,000 VND/glass of cocktail.
Address: 79/2/5 Phan Ke Binh, D.1
Text: Pham Chieu. Photos source: Decibel
