The home of good ol’ North American-style comfort food here in Vientiane is Joma Bakery Café. It’s the place to find pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, a hot iced cinnamon bun after an early morning bike ride, a tasty Greek salad that won’t give you tummy trouble, a killer BLT and many other treats that offer a safe and nostalgic break from Southeast Asian fare.

On weekend mornings, we often lug our laptops to Joma for breakfast and free wifi. This morning, Carol, Tony and I checked out the restaurant’s new branch. We had heard they were building a separate play area for youngsters, but unfortunately, that area was still under construction.

We had scarcely popped the first bites of “Bagel Egger” in our mouths before the place erupted with children. Determined to get our money’s worth, I gulped down my free refill, but then we made a break for it.

Note to self: Stick to the two-story, decidedly kid-unfriendly Joma Bakery Café downtown.

Here’s Carol in the midst of the Romper Room bedlam. Just as I turned off the camera, one of the urchins leapt on the sofa and landed on her shoulder.