The buzz: The Monopoly Park community mall has welcomed a new rooftop bar and restaurant, 61 Saloon, run by the guy behind the long-standing Bu-Lan-Dan-Mek down on Rama 3 Road. Here he teams up with other partners with the aim of bringing quality live music to the neighborhood. 

The décor: The bar adopts a modern industrial style that relies heavily on wood, steel and bare cement with a proper stage for live performances located at one end. Indoors features different levels of seating, with proper dining tables at the entrance and low stools facing the stage. There’s also a super-long wooden table at bar-height, a pool table and a big LCD screen for the weekend football matches. For now, there are a few outdoor seats available, too, with plans for a small bar in a separate outdoor area come next winter.  

The music: The owners are big advocates of live music with old-school covers and various themed line-ups scheduled for each night starting from 8pm onwards. On weekdays (except Wed), the bar kicks off with a folk duo who are members of the YouTube sensation Alarm 9, before the main event; Mon is disco; Tue-Wed is 80s-rock; Thu promises a mix of Thai and Brit alternative rock, from Blur and Oasis to Praw and Moderndog, followed by a reggae band; Fri is pop during prime-time and then acid jazz; Sat is a mixed bag; and Sun starts with an acoustic set of 60s-70s hits and closes with a band performing big hits from the likes of Pink Floyd and Queen.        

The crowd: An after-work crowd in their 20s. 

The price: The emphasis is on bottle sharing with choices ranging from 100 Pipers (B700) to Ballantine’s 12 Years (B1,600), Chivas Regal 12 Years (B1,600) and Chivas Regal 18 Years (B3,250). As for beers, there’s only Singha and Asahi on tap at B180-200/1 liter. Right now there are no cocktails, but this should be rectified soon. Food-wise, chomp down on the signature 61 Burger (sirloin beef, bacon and egg, B200) or chili con carne (B150). The Thai options include nuea toon (beef in herbal soup, B150) and chicken green curry served with crispy roti (B150).

Why you’ll come back: If you’re in the Rama 3 area, this is a new great hang-out spot for some live music and pocket-friendly prices. Vasachol Quadri