I noticed the Le Gecko while strolling around Sapa's beautiful lake area. I took note of its beautiful colours and exteriors, and later had a look at the breakfast menu. It's so hard to come across vegetarian options in Vietnam, so I was delighted to find vegetarian combos for breakfast, still called pétit déjeuner here. For breakfast the next day, I made a beeline for this pretty restaurant with lake views. Le Gecko has beautiful aesthetics. Its dark maroon colours, dark furniture and beige walls, give it a charming old-worldly, much-loved uncle sort of appearance. The café is on two floors. The higher floor has clearer views of the lake, but the ground floor has a quaint feeling of sitting in one's own living room, so I preferred sitting on one of the comfortable sofas with a centre-table like antiquish piece. The service is warm and friendly, unobtrusive yet attentive. I ordered a granola combo for breakfast. It came with a huge bowl of crunchy granola and six different kinds of fruit, fresh yoghurt and Vietnamese milk coffee. I loved the colours and the presentation. The taste of both the granola bowl and the coffee was like a dream. After this sumptuous breakfast, I couldn't resist ordering another Vietnamese coffee. Le Gecko's coffees are a must try, though they've a wide variety of other beverages - hot, cold and iced. The café accepts cards without any extra charges, so that's an additional advantage if you're a traveller fed up of the bank's extortionate cash-withdrawal charges!