Food & Travel Review: Eat Saigon- L'usine Cafe

L'usine is what i would consider my ideal cafe. It is tucked away on the 2nd storey above a Vietnamese arts gallery. As i walked through the alley, what greeted me was a motorcycle parking garage which was kinda dodgy. Up the stairs i went and immediately i fell in love. This is quite similar to PS cafe but with a little more quirkiness.

High ceilings, open and airy space. Perfect place to while the afternoon away.  Notice the similarities to PS? This is more relaxing i feel, people just leave you alone to do your own thing unlike in Sg where the servers make you feel you've overstayed your welcome. 

I love the long benches in the different sections of the cafe. Perfect for gatherings. Doesn't matter if you are sitting next to strangers. Who knows if they may become friends right? 

Quirky wallpaper. Z thought it was a picture of some gentleman. I thought it was quite disturbing the first time i saw it. Then we realized it's actually Sun Wu Kong in a suit! This is not something i would have in my house though. Imagine those monkey eyes following you wherever you go. Shudders.
L'usine also has a retail space within the cafe. It feels very much like UO and looks exactly like an old warehouse. Love the natural light that filters in through the huge window panes and the little red bird cages from the wooden beamed ceilings. I bought a rubber watch (O clock) from italy and another foldable sports glasses from Sunpocket. Super cool stuff!

Finally onto the food. I can't say that i've tried much but their baked goods are out of this world. My favorite? CUPCAKES! The cupcakes are by Sweet + Sour and they are the moist-est thing you can find. I am no cupcake fan but i've fallen in love. Even the little cupcake place S brought me to in NYC couldn't beat this. I doubt Magnolia is as good. :P Great flavors- Chocolate, black and white, vanilla, choc-cinnamon etc. This is me eating my favorite flavour! Choc-caramel! 

This is the S'mores flavored one. Chocolate based cupcake with melted marshmallow top which is really creamy and light and not overpowering in sweetness. It has a hidden secret inside- graham swirls!!! How wonderful is that?

This is chocolate mint if i'm not wrong. Cute. But i'm not a choc mint fan so didn't try this.
The berry muffins are good too. Crusty muffin top with a moist interior and icing on top.
Cheese platter. Not sure what sort it is but both Z and i prefer soft cheese better. So creamy it spreads like condensed milk on the crackers. Yums. Z likens the biscuit to 'Chicken in a biscuit'. Could try that for a cheese platter next time!

The red velvet is not very consistent though. The one time i tried it was dry but Z's was moist. Cream cheese frosting was good though. 

I was so hooked on the cupcakes i had to have them for desserts after dinner so we packed them. Our second hotel in Saigon was at Oscar Saigon and L'usine is just around the corner from there. Yay!

About my favorite choc-caramel- look carefully at the center! There's a chunk of melted caramel inside. It's like a kinder bueno. Love searching for treasures and surprises and the center is my favorite part. :))

Enjoying my cupcake in the comfort of our room. I finished 2 cupcakes on my own. Z didn't get much. :P 

This is how Bliss looks like. Or Contentment. Or maybe Gluttony. A bit unglamorous but honestly the tummy was doing a song and dance session right there and then. :)) If there's a reason why i'd fly to Saigon for a weekend trip it would be for the cupcakes. 

So if you are headed there, pop by L'usine. And get me a cupcake when you come back? Tyvm!!

L'usine
Et la cafeteria de l'usine
151/1 1st Floor, Dong Khoi Street
District 1
Saigon, Vietnam

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