Cobalt For the pre-party dinner 30th Floor, Pullman Hotel, 148 Tran Hung Dao, Q1, Ho Chi Minh City Cobalt is new on the scene, only opening with its brand new hotel home early last month. Yet it’s already one of the more alluring rooftop destinations in Ho Chi Minh City. Perched on the 23rd floor of The Pullman Hotel, Cobalt’s name suggests its décor colour palette — a collection of slate greys and dusty blues. Even the floor is a matte concrete, accented only with dancing overhead lights and ornate chandeliers. It feels hyper-modern and borderline industrial — the main materials are metal, glass and concrete — but quirky design elements like tweed lounge chairs and bare light bulbs lend Cobalt a certain
youthful edginess. The drawback of the interior is the sound. The music often gets uncomfortably loud and the lack of anything soft fills the place with echo. It would make sense in a nightclub, but not for what is mainly geared to be a dining establishment. Yet, for a younger crowd that treats dinner more like a pre-party, the glamorous energy and decent array of classic cocktails makes Cobalt a great dinner location with something a little different. Plus, there’s both an open-air terrace and an enclosed lounge area, so a breath of fresh air doesn’t mean having to put up with gusting winds.
February 2014 Word | 49