{Shoptalk} Le Van Au Furniture

I now feel a little bit more in the secret Saigon know with reader Franziska's revelation of a stockpile of charming old, restored furniture - the kind you wish you could find but seems few and far between in rapidly modernising Saigon.

Wrought iron lanterns, antique wooden chests, art deco sideboards and gorgeous chests of drawers compete for space in a rustic old tin roofed shed, with a further (and better) treasure trove inside a dark, cavernous warehouse through an old wooden blue door to the right.

No purchases were made (this time) but thoughts of sending pieces home by the shipping crate load definitely crossed my mind!

Where? Look for the Pho 2000 on Pasteur, just off Le Loi and across the road from the Paris Deli and Cafe Terrace at Saigon Centre. Enter the decrepit looking archway to the right that leads to a motorbike parking area, and all will be revealed!

Le Van Au Furniture, 122 Pasteur, D1, Saigon, Tel: 0903 701 426

{Cafe Crush} Farm, Saigon

Just as I was in a bit of a Saigon cafe rut, sticking to a few tried and true favourites and thinking all the good places had been discovered, along comes Farm - and only a stone's throw from my apartment!

It started with a sign, which we initially thought to be leading to some kind of produce purveyor (fresh food from an organic farm in Dalat, perhaps?)...

After heading down a wider than usual residential laneway, complete with potted plants outside every building Farm was revealed...

A heavy wooden door slid open to reveal a garden-like entrance, low wooden ceiling and a cavernous space with cute, farm themed touches - mini hessian sacks as pillows, watering cans and flowers as table centrepieces and coffee tables constructed of chicken wire. A mix of antique cameras, clocks and chairs were thrown in for good measure, to create a kitsch and very creative space - a totally unexpected find in our little patch of the city!

Go for: A 'Cafe Farm' - a bowl full of iced coffee laced with liqueur
Not for: Lunch - the food menu is minimal, it's more of a drinks place. But there is ice-cream!

Farm, 214/19/8C Nguyen Van Nguyen, Tan Dinh Ward, D1, Tel: (08) 3848 2515