Of all the watering holes in bustling Yaw Min Gyi, most outstanding is The Social House, a modern, western style bar that has become a favourite since opening around the time of last year’s FIFA World Cup.
Enter the bar and you’ll find yourself on a terrace consisting of several tables and a TV screen. Inside is a spacious seating area with drinking-related quotes on the wall, two more TV screens and a projector screen, making it an attractive place to watch live sports.
Background music is played regularly and sometimes a little too loud, but the staff are always willing to turn it down. They tend to remember customers’ drinks too, or at least mine, whenever you turn up again. Then on Friday and Saturday evenings they have a band playing live music.
Asian barbecue dishes are the main fare and I would nominate their kitchen for the best fried chicken wings (4,000 kyats) and thighs (3,500 kyats) in Yangon. Choose from six different sauces or stick with the honey garlic, which adds that final touch to the perfectly cooked crispy chicken.
Other flavourful dishes include the spicy (not so spicy) dan dan noodles (3,500 kyats), flat rice noodles with gravy sauce (3,500 kyats) and barbecue skewers (900–1,400 kyats per stick). ‘Big share plates’ are also on offer but don’t let the ‘big’ fool you as the portion sizes are practically the same as the main meals.
Draught and bottled beers range from 1,500-3,800 kyats while imported beers and cider start from 3,500 kyats. And on most nights, you can get a free beer after you have had two Myanmar beers or two Japanese Kirin beers.
However, if you prefer something fancier, The Social House offers quality cocktails. The Long Island Ice Tea, Sex on the Beach, and Mojito all have just the right amount of flavour and alcohol. Oh, and if you’re like me and you like a good old Black Label whiskey blended with soda water, you’re only paying in the region of 3,500 kyats.
All Myanmar Mix reviews are done impartially and independently.
Address: 18/A Bo Yar Nyunt Street, Dagon Township, 11421, Yangon
Opening Hours: 10.30am to 1am, Monday–Sunday
Contact: 09 765 533388
