Our favorite brunch spot in HCMC

This was our favorite place to have breakfast in HCMC Vietnam on out trip there last November 2011. All thanks to Chie of The Nomad’s Black Book for recommending this fab resto! The best thing about it is it’s totally walking distance from our hotel, La Jolie. The food is great and cheaper than Jakarta for this kind of ambiance and quality of food (think cheap Social House). Again this is late (as you will notice the Christmas decor hehe) but I am finally posting it because my friends Bea and Martin are going and I promised to give them a HCMC Hitlist (coming soon!).

It’s tucked in a little alley full of painting vendors off the main street of Đồng Khởi (near the Christian Louboutin boutique).  You might get confused at first. but just walk to the end of this and you’ll see signs leading up!

I absolutely ADOR the interior design of the place. I even love the location. Despite being in convenient and busy Đồng Khởi  street, it is still private and cozy. It’s industrial-chic made homey – it just makes you wanna have a long drawn out breakfast/brunch with a book OR magazine. It’s also the perfect place to get some work done with free WIFI.

Every morning we would split a Bánh mì – a Vietnamese baguette sandwiches stuffed with veggies and meat. The French-influenced  Baguette is crusty on the outside and airy on the inside. The servings in L’Usine are big with a yummy side salad so perfect for breakfast with our favorite Vietnamese iced coffee. Salivating just thinking about it!

This particular meal was brunch so we decided to take advantage of the cheap prices (again by Jakarta standards) and order a cheese platter (VND 110,000 or about USD 5.30) and a glass of house wine (VND 85 or USD 4) for me. For dessert we had a red velvet cupcake which was  perfectly moist and delicious.

After you’ve had our fill, you can check out their fabulous store. Unfortunately they don’t allow taking pictures inside so I only got to take that one shot below. Their lifestyle store has chic, cute and quirky apparel, accessories, home decor, kitchen accessories , etc. I thought of Chuzai Living when I was in their store. Below are a few of my finds. 

The items they have in the store aren’t cheap, but are of good quality and design. I really would’ve wanted one of the red bird cages but I think I shopped enough already! I got these Wetter Wonton bamboo tweezers (VND 130,000 or USD 6 est.) which I use for cooking or as serving tongs. Super useful! My Bruneian friend taught me that tongs are  great for cooking noodles. #SoTrue. I also got Wetter Wonton small bamboo spoons (VND 220,000 or USD 10) for tucking into jars of tea leaves, sugar, etc.

Bamboo is an eco-friendly material and and easily renewable resource that does not use any pesticides. Bamboo is naturally antibacterial that resists mold, which makes it hygienic for kitchen or bathroom use .

I also got this long necklace (I had to wind it double to fit in the picture) that is made to benefit an orphanage. The thin chain is delicate but sturdy, and the crocheted accents are unique. I love that some of the crocheted rings are metallic.  Fashion for a cause. #Loveit

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH ME ON

FACEBOOK / TWITTER / BLOGLOVIN’ / PINTEREST / POLYVORE

La Cafeteria De L’usine

• 151 Đồng Khởi, 1st Floor, District 1, Saigon
• +84 (0) 8 6674 3565
• Mon – Sun: 10:00 – 22:00
• info@lusinespace.com
• Follow on Pinterest
• Follow on Twitter
• Like on Facebook