Suggest a night of bingo to your friends and you’ll likely hear protests involving grandmothers and knitting. With no disrespect to grannies, the monthly bingo night at Bund-side institution Mr & Mrs Bund (MMB) is a rowdy booze-fuelled affair that’s a far cry from the stereotypical bingo hall. The bingo doesn’t get going until 11pm but it’s designed to be paired with MMB’s late-night dinner menu, which is decent value at 250RMB for two courses and 300RMB for three.
Those not dining can choose a drinks package – 200RMB will get you two cocktails, but we recommend spending 750RMB for a bottle of strong stuff with mixers to share around. Bingo cards are thrown in with the dinner and drinks packages.
When it comes to the game, these guys do it well. Numbers are drawn digitally, with every screen around the room hooked up showing the current number, previously drawn numbers and whether you need a single line or a full board. You can also see the speed setting – things start off easy enough, but before long the numbers come thick and fast, with total focus required if you want to keep up. The disco soundtrack makes it a high-energy and intense couple of hours, and before you know it, it’s 2am and there’s a man driving around the restaurant on a scooter, the night’s grand prize.
Other prizes range from the impressive – a six-month gym membership to Golden Gloves – to the obscure – size seven Nike basketball trainers. But the offerings as well as the spectacle are enough to keep the attention of the punters. Host Julien Moreno says they have regulars returning month after month, requesting the tables with the best view of the big screen. And we can see why people come back. In a city where most going-out options are just eating and/or getting sloshed, it’s something a little different.
Their April edition is a special one, celebrating an auspicious eight years of bonkers bingo. Book your table, and maybe the next day off work while you’re at it.
Mr & Mrs Bund bingo night 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu. Apr 13. 11pm. Free with any dinner or drinks package. Call 6323 9898 to book.
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