A Paper Paradise

If you love craft, scrapbooking or just beautiful things in general...this store will make you weep.  I have spent countless hours in here just getting lost in the beauty, the kitchness, the colour, the treasure upon treasure that you stumble upon.  I may also have passed out for a few hours one time due to the heat but I digress.  This little treasure trove has all things crafty.  Boxes, paper, decorations, ribbons, ornaments...seriously that does not cover a one hundredth of it.  Feast your eyes on this!

It was all too much for this lady.  Either that or she has realised that in Australia this stuff would be selling at quadruple the price!

You will find Ngan Thong at 55A Pasteur St.  Take a fan and a bit of patience.  You will be rewarded tenfold.

Artist at Work

No matter how many times I see these guys down in Buu Vien work, it always astounds me.

Their talent is jaw dropping.  Obviously some are better than others but the majority of them have more talent in their little finger than I could ever dream of having in my whole body.  The can literally copy anything.  I must get organised and take our favourite family photo down and get the family portrait done.  Even if you don't buy, it's amazing to just sit there and watch them at work.

A Travellers Best Friend

I bought this handy little device for Nick for Christmas.  I cannot tell you how useful it has been.  In this new day and age of budget air travel, baggage limitations seem to have become stricter than ever.  We are forever trying to figure out if our bags are over weight and we are going to get stung with those ridiculously high excess baggage costs.  This little number takes the guess work out of the equation.  There is a loop at the bottom that you just attach to the handle of your suitcase then you simply lift the bag by the travel scale handle and check the weight.  It even has a nifty little tape measure that comes out the side if they a super conscious with cabin baggage sizes.  I have not seen them sold here in Vietnam but there are plenty on the internet.  I wished I had have bought it years ago!

Tiny Dancer

A totally self indulgent post for family and friends back home.  My how my little girl is growing up.  Activities started again this week and they are so happy to get back into the swing of things.  She is the blur with the black leotard.  Just try keeping a 4 year old, in room full of 4 year olds, still!

Brotzeit in Ho Chi Minh City

We recently had a lovely set lunch at the new German restaurant Brotzeit at Khumo link next to the Intercontinental.  I'm not sure how long it has been open but it's a fairly new player in the restaurant scene.  If you have a hankering for all things German, this is the spot for you.

A HUGE variety of German ales on their menu.

As you can see, the prices for a set 2 course lunch are more than reasonable.  Coming in at under $10 I think will serve them well.

The view from our balcony table overlooks busy Hai Ba Trung.

Not being a huge beer drinker I barely know my ales from my stouts but there seemed to be something for everyone.

There is a nice little bar area as you first walk in that would be fun with a big group sitting around the communal table.

The first starter was a carrot soup and by all accounts, was a winner.

This was the stuffed ham baguette and I was not expecting too much.  In fact, I had no idea what it was going to be stuffed with!

Turns out to be stuffed with the most delicious potato mixture and I simply loved it.  Potatoes are one of my favourite foods so I was in heaven.  The bread it was sitting on was full of grains and very obviously home made.

But the REAL star of the show was the schnitzel.

Cooked to absolute perfection.  The crumbing was light and not at all oily.  You can choose your potato side of choice and I went with the potato salad.  Very nice indeed.

Purists of the schniddy look away now.  I find just having a squeeze of lemon not enough so mine came with a mushroom gravy.

On the side was also was what I think a cranberry paste which really topped off one of the best schnitzels I have had in Saigon.  The menu is quite  extensive and they have a wide selection of sausages and even some great looking salads.  I saw a platter come out and I have to tell you it looked incredible.  This is definitely a place the Moggys will come back to when a need a carb load.  I can highly recommend.

Napoly Restaurant

The Moggys are on the hunt for a new breakfast spot so we thought we would try somewhere close by, Napoly. Right on "Turtle Lake" it is Italian themed with a Vietnamese coffee shop twist.

Breakfast consisting of 3 mains and 5 drinks set us back nearly $30 which is pretty pricey for a local(ish) place.  It was pretty good but nope, not our new spot.  The search continues.....