Insomnia

NileGuide Expert tip:

The staff prefer smooth soul music to raucous punk so keep that in mind when you are in the saddle with the tunes

Description:

• Many of the bars at this end of Le Thanh Ton have a slightly seedy edge to them – with scantily clad girls posited outside to lure in Japanese and Korean businessmen.This intimate venue, however, is a far more convivial place to hang out. The ubiquitous 'friendly hostesses' mean that the clientele is predominantly male, which is a shame as the bar is actually one of the coolest hangouts in town. Comfortable sofas are perfect for lounging on and a large television makes the bar a decent alternative to the rowdy sports bars elsewhere when it comes to catching a game. The best thing about Insomnia, however, is its anything goes policy towards music. A laptop at the bar is rigged up to some decent speakers and a well-stocked I Tunes library and the availability of You Tube makes compiling a late-night playlist a cinch. A word of warning though – don't put the 13th Floor Elevators on as this writer may have soured the staff towards the acid-soaked psychedelic Texans through drunken overexposure.