The idea of a guitar-strumming accompaniment to one’s coffee is enticing, but rare in Hà Nội, as it is in the US (beatnik legacies nonwithstanding). So I tried out Panacea in the hopes of experiencing some of that magic. Apparently, its a live music venue on occasion, but not at lunch today. Only the hints of a possibilities were there…
The place is nice, though, even without music (I suppose a more talented reviewer would have picked up a guitar and added his or her own…) Decent, although not exceptional, coffee and a homey ambience. A cute bulletin board completes the scene, decorated with child’s art and some nice photos. Makes you feel like you have having a cup in somebody’s bohemian kitchen.
So, I will have to return on some evening to really get a sense of the potential of this place – maybe I can wrangle a date night babysitting gig out of Grandma and Dao and I can check it out.
On an aside, Panacea shares its space with one of the ubiquitous “Apple Stores” that dot the French quarter – an LED version of the Apple Logo hung outside along with the required words “authorized reseller,” even though there are only really four in the entire country. This one is even funnier for its name,1982Benz. What that means, I haven’t a clue, but I suppose it conveys the same sense of luxury accessory that the iPhone and iPad have become. Yes, Apple’s dominance extends to Asia – during my last visit I remember tons of PC clones, but this time around every third middle class person has an iPhone, and an iPad is a common sight at most cafés. I’ve even seen some places offer them for free customer use while sipping.
caphehanoi 