L'usine (Ho Chi Minh)

So, Ho Chi Minh has basically become synonymous with cafes for me. Since I decided to just chill while there, I ended up doing nothing but going to dinner and cafes. On my final night, my friend's girlfriend invited me to her house for a wonderful home-cooked meal. But of course, we stopped by a cafe for coffee and desert first. My final cafe of the trip was L'usine.

So, according to the little handout thing that I found in the store, L'usine is not only a cafe, but also a fashion boutique and art gallery. And the building itself dates back to the 1800s (though I doubt it's the original building...). The building has been used as a ballroom, a hotel, apartment building, government offices, and a garment factory. It's a pretty cool and contemporary place now, I will give them credit for that. And there is definitely a feel of "boutique" to the store, especially due to the quite high prices.

But anyway, back to the cafe bit. It was really cozy, but not in that small cute kind of way. It feels like a bunch of university students should be in there studying. It looked like the majority of the people in there were, I'm guessing, expats. The place was open with several communal tables, which I'm sure gave it that "we should be studying" feel. The vases of flowers added to that as well. My friends and I actually had to move our flowers over so that we could see each other and have a conversation.

As for the food and drinks, I think we all ordered cappuccinos. The food was, and I can't express how happy this made me, CUPCAKES! I love cupcakes! There's something about them that just make me so happy. And Japan doesn't believe in them or something. So I haven't had a cupcake since my last day at work in the US. That was nearly four years ago. I had a cupcake! My friends both got red velvet cupcakes. I had to ask what cupcakes were available, and as the waitress was citing the varieties available, I tried to make a decision. Then she said the magic words "Lemon Drop". I love lemon sweets so the decision became really easy really fast.

It was definitely a decision well made. The cappuccino was really good. But the cupcake is the thing that I remember most fondly. It was beautiful to look at and smile-inducing to eat. Now, the cupcake may not have actually been that good. It might have been that I hadn't had one in about four years. But I'm pretty sure that if I lived near this cafe, I'd be all sorts of knowledgeable from studying all the time, but I'd also be all sorts of chunky from eating cupcakes all the time too. Luckily for my waistline, I live in Japan.

Order: Cappuccino and Lemon Drop Cupcake (60,000 and 55,000VND respectively)
Review: Why isn't this in Tokyo? I wish I had easy access to this place...

Website: http://lusinespace.com/
Location: District 1, HCMC

Phuc Minh Coffee (Ho Chi Minh)

So, as I mentioned in the previous blog, I went a cafe the first night I arrived in Vietnam but I didn't really pay attention to it. So on the second full day while my friend was at work, I walked back over there. I stayed for about 4 hours or so. I actually ended up going again the next day too. And were I to have stayed longer, I would have gone again, I'm sure.

The cafe itself is not particularly cozy but it is comfortable. It's quite open and bright. The temperature is nice and the music was quite amusing. They played a lot of older pop from the 90s and early 2000s. But every once in a while they'd play something completely random like Hikaru Utada's "First Love". On top of all that, the staff was quite nice and always smiling.

So in visiting there twice and for such extended periods of time, I had ordered quite a bit. Three Vietnamese White Coffees (2 hot and 1 iced), a watermelon juice, a club sandwich, and fries. Everything was quite good, especially the drinks. However, I drank two coffees on the first day and had some problems later. Vietnamese coffee is quite strong and with the added sugar, I had a small case of the jitters. I then crashed a bit later. Hence the juice the next day.

So, this is probably not a cafe that I would go out of my way for. But I definitely definitely appreciated it being so close. If I lived in the area, I would be a regular for sure.

Order: 3 Vietnamese White Coffees, Watermelon Juice, Club Sandwich, and Fries (I forget the prices, but probably average)
Review: I'm so happy it was there for me!

Website: http://www.phucminhcoffee.com/
Location: District 7, HCMC

Sozo (Ho Chi Minh)

So, after visiting Cambodia, I went over to Vietnam to visit an old friend. He had to work during the day and he said in the evening there was nothing much more to do than eat dinner and drink coffee. So every day that I was there, there was a cafe visit. The first night we went to a place near his flat. But I was so excited to see him after two years that I didn't pay attention to it then.

The second night we went to a rather interesting cafe in a different district. According to my friend, someone started this initiative where they take in street kids and train them to work in the cafe so that they can make some sort of living instead of just being street kids. And now when he says "kids", he doesn't mean little ones or anything, they're teens or young adults.

We ended up getting coffee and a cake, even though it was before dinner. I know, what rebels. My friend went with carrot cake and I, after some deliberation, went with passion fruit cheesecake. Vietnam coffee for me. Cappuccino for him.

So, I discovered that I love Vietnam coffee but I'm also glad that it's not really available so often on menus in Japan because I would probably end up with diabetes before my next birthday. It's so sweet and delicious, but also quite strong. Perfect! And the passion fruit cheesecake? Basically it was edible happiness. I had a bite of the cheesecake and it was good but I will say that I made the better choice out of the two desserts.

As for the cafe, it was really cozy and cafe like. There were two floors, and since the second floor was air conditioned, we went with that floor. They had three big comfy looking chairs that were all occupied so we sat at a table. In the corner, they also had a bookshelf full of books that you could buy or exchange for. Basically, everything a cafe should be and have.

So we only went there once, but went I visit Ho Chi Minh again, I will definitely revisit Sozo. After all, they're "restoring hope, changing lives".

Order: Vietnamese White Coffee (50,000VND) and Passion Fruit Cheesecake (60,000VND)
Review: Great place with a great cause

Website: http://web.mac.com/sozoasia/Site/Home.html
Location: 176 Bui Vien, District 1, Ho Chi Minh

Cafe Puka Puka (Siem Reap)

So, I've gone international with this one. On vacation in Cambodia I've seen lots of cafes and it's a shame that I never stopped in any of the ones near my guesthouse. I should have and will when I come back to Cambodia for a revenge match. But anyway, this one qualifies as "good enough".

I had a free day and I was all templed out so I went on a walk to find a cookie shop with souvenirs aimed towards the Japanese. Madam Sachiko Angkor Cookies is a cookie shop that was opened by a Japanese woman. I needed something to bring back to work so I decided to go there. It wasn't a long walk, only about 30 minutes. But it was hot! So when I came out the cookie shop and saw the cafe's menu with fruit shakes on it, I could do nothing but stop inside.

Now, typically I go the coffee route with cafes, right? Well not with the last two, but usually. Anyway, today was another day that I deviated from the coffee path. I ordered a watermelon shake. And let me tell you, I regret nothing! Not only was it cold and refreshing in general, it was also super delicious. It was probably the best decision I made that day.

The cafe itself was also quite nice. I think the shop is somehow connected to the cookie shop, so the staff was similar in brightness. The customer service had a slight Japanese feel to it and to add to that, all the signs were written in both English and Japanese. The place was bright and clean. There was a cute outside seating area underneath some trees with pink flowers.

It was on the way towards the Angkor Wat temples so if you were going there by bicycle or you were getting cookies from Madam Sachiko's, I would definitely suggest stopping into the little oasis. And you should get the watermelon shake. Oh, and if you're lucky, it might come with a glass of cold lotus tea.

Order: Watermelon Shake ($2)
Review: A little oasis after a long hot walk

Website: Cafe Puka Puka
Location: Next door to Angkor Cookies Shop

Cafe Skipa

As I mentioned in my last post, my friend and I explored Kagurazaka looking for a good cafe. Since we had lunch in one place, we decided to get afternoon coffee and tea (He's English) in another place. One of the first places we passed at the beginning of our explorations was a cute looking place called Cafe Skipa. So after walking off a bit of the lunch we ate at Canal Cafe, we went back to check out Cafe Skipa.

We made a excellent choice. The cafe is very cozy and cute. Quite small but it was a weekday afternoon so it wasn't a problem. It's all wood - building and furniture. After checking out their website, I found out that the place was originally a small newspaper company and was then used as a planning office. (I'm not sure what kind of planning). It became a cafe around the end of 2010.

The woman working there that day was quite sweet. She kindly provided us with the English menu, which neither of us needed, but we both appreciated the kind gesture. My friend ordered the earl grey tea and I, shaking things up a bit, went with the chai tea. Another excellent choice. As soon as it came out, we could smell the cinnamon and spice. And it tasted as good as it smelled. I imagine their coffee is fine, but I would recommend their chai instead.


Order: Chai tea (¥500)
Review: I would definitely come here again.

Website: http://www.cafe-skipa.com/
Access: Kagurazaka station (a few minutes walk)

Canal Cafe

So a friend of mine has also become interested in local cafes. So when our schedules occasionally align, we seek out an interesting one. Last time I chose the Hammock cafe. This time he chose going to an area of town sometimes referred to as "the Paris of Tokyo" and seeing what we came across. So I'm not sure who is calling Kagurazaka "the Paris of Tokyo" or what that's even supposed to mean. My friend said that the title might be a bit much, but at any rate, there's quite a few cafes to choose from there.

We ended up visiting two cafes. The first of them was Canal Cafe. It was such a nice day that when we spotted the seating area along the canal, we were sold. We headed in around lunch time, so we each got a Caesar Salad and a drink. I saw Sakura Tea on the menu, and thinking it actually meant Sakura tea, which I'm a huge fan of, I got that instead of coffee. It turns out that Sakura tea is just a brand of iced tea. And I don't like iced tea. But that's not the cafe's fault so I won't hold that against them.


So anyway, about the cafe. We sat on the "deck side" which meant it was basically a cafe. Drinks and a couple dishes to choose from. If you go inside, it's actually an Italian restaurant. We also found out that the "canal" is actually the only remaining part of the old outer moat of the old Edo castle. Somehow it's also connecting to a rowing team. But now the rowing is done by customers paying a few hundred yen per 30 minutes.

The atmosphere is quite nice. When the weather is good, we both decided this was an ideal date spot. The food, while a little pricey for a cafe for lunch, was pretty good. And if it was for a date, the price wasn't that bad either. I can't say how the drinks were since I didn't like what I ordered. My friend said his was nothing special but it wasn't terrible either. So overall, we both approved but decided that we wouldn't be coming here with each other again.





Order: Caesar Salad and "Sakura" iced tea (I forgot the price)
Review: Nice date spot

Website: http://www.canalcafe.jp/
Access: Iidabashi Station (less than a five minute walk)

Cafe Pause

So my friend (the one from my first caffeinated adventure) and I decided to head to her local cafe after work since we both finished early and at the same time. We got on the train and went all the way out there only to discover that they were closed! We were pretty disappointed, but we weren't about to give up. So we got on the train and headed to the nearest train hub, Ikebukuro. Surely there would be a good cafe somewhere around there, right?

Image from Cafe Pause's Website

So we did a little Google searching and eventually found Cafe Pause. It's on a bit of a back road so it took us a little work to find it but we eventually did. We had to wait a few minutes to get seated because they were pretty full but it was just a few minutes. We ended up at the counter facing the street which meant we got to people watch too.

My friend and I ended up ordering toast and coffee. My friend got plain buttered toast and I got ham and cheese toast. We both ended up getting two cups of the house blend in the end. The coffee was pretty good. Not the best but definitely better than a few places I've been. Obviously it must have been okay since we both ended up with seconds. As for the toast, it really is a hard dish to mess up.

The place was pretty nice. Quiet and comfortable. They also had free wifi and that's always appreciated. The staff was like most are in these places. Polite but not particularly warm. I wouldn't be excited about going back but I wouldn't be opposed to it either.

Order: House Blend Coffee - 2 cups (¥400ea) and Ham & Cheese Toast (¥350)
Review: I'd recommend it to someone who wants a place to do some email checking and whatnot.

Website: http://cafepause.jp/
Access: Ikebukuro Station (About 10 to 15 minutes)