Hear the phrases ‘world’s finest espresso’ and it’s doubtless you consider an espresso in a tiny cup, downed in a single gulp by a George Clooney-esque gent at a espresso counter in Italy.
Or possibly you image hessian baggage full of the best roasted beans lugged over the shoulder of a shirtless Colombian farmer. Or maybe you think about bespectacled penny farthing aficionados downing double-shot soy lattes in a Melbourne café, as they twirl their moustaches and talk about inner-city rooftop beehives. Level is, it’s unlikely Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, springs to thoughts.
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However it was in Hanoi, on a latest journey, that I guzzled among the finest espresso I’ve had in years. It wasn’t my traditional café latte both. Within the sticky warmth of the Vietnam summer season, I imbibed café sua da, aka a Vietnamese iced espresso, at any and each alternative. Coarsely floor beans are loaded right into a drip filter, which ever-so-slowly spits out super-strong espresso, one drop at a time, into the ready cup under (good issues take time, proper?). Add some ice cubes and a few tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk and also you’ve obtained a really scrumptious, very caffeinated chilled cup of joe.
However there’s extra to Hanoi than the refreshing icy brew. A lot, rather more. On my remaining afternoon in Vietnam, after I’d strolled round Hoan Kiem Lake forlornly questioning how I used to be going to get via my days breakfasting on muesli reasonably than pho and sitting on a chair reasonably than a tiny stool once I returned house, I remembered there was nonetheless one espresso left to attempt, and one café during which to attempt it.
Picture by Patrick O’Neill
Giang Café, located in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it alley in Hanoi, has been serving up its specialty brew for over 70 years (albeit in several elements of town). However what’s it that has vacationers shunning extra ‘comfy’ espresso institutions and locals giving mentioned vacationers the furry eyeball after they can’t get a desk on the slim two-storey café? Ca phe trung. Egg espresso.
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After zig-zagging via the streets of the Outdated Quarter, my coffee-drinking confederate and I stand on the footpath trying up on the signal, checking the blue dot on the map on our telephones, peering down the alley – this has obtained to the be the place, proper? So well-known is Giang that a number of rival cafes have opened their very own equally named espresso homes, or emblazoned their street-front blackboards with ‘Unique egg espresso served right here!’ or ‘Greatest egg espresso in Hanoi!!!’. However primarily based on the stream of individuals going out and in of the slim passage, we’re sure we’re in the suitable place.
A surly man behind a money register glares at us once we arrive; a blender whizzes noisily within the small kitchen behind him. “Desk for 2?” we gesture. He waves us up the staircase nonchalantly, with a flick of his wrist.
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The small upstairs space is rammed. Low tables, surrounded by even decrease stools, are crowded with all types: males in enterprise fits, their jackets folded rigorously over briefcases and shirtsleeves rolled to the elbows; fresh-faced backpackers flicking via dog-eared journey tomes; one younger couple who, we’re positive, met the night time earlier than and are persevering with their vacation romance over a cup of town’s well-known beverage. We settle ourselves at a desk within the nook, order two iced egg coffees, and wait.
Picture by John Invoice
As a result of shortage of contemporary milk in Vietnam (due to a scarcity of cows and problem in preserving milk cool within the pre-refrigeration days), espresso drinkers needed to get inventive. A whisked egg right here, a dollop of condensed milk there, the occasional knob of butter and cheese, have all been credited with the ca phe truong’s deliciousness. And scrumptious it’s. A younger waiter, deftly balancing a tray of 15 or so drinks, ambles via the group of keen faces, lastly arriving at our desk. “Ca phe truong,” he publicizes, inserting the 2 drinks in entrance of us earlier than disappearing down the steps.
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We peer into our glasses, like a pair of archaeologists at an excavation web site. One third is taken up by a layer of caramel-coloured espresso, adopted by a smattering of ice cubes, pressed shut towards the glass. Then, the piece de resistance: the whipped egg concoction. Perfected in 1946 by Nyugen Giang (the inventor of the drink and founding father of the café, which is now run by his son), the custard-like combination is made up of egg yolks, espresso powder, condensed milk, butter and cheese (though actual portions are a carefully guarded secret). We stir all of it collectively, clink collectively our glasses, and take a sip.
In fact, it’s to die for; extra of a dessert than a thirst-quenching pick-me-up. As we drink, we hypothesise concerning the couple sitting throughout the room. When did they meet? It should have been final night time. The place are they from? Bratislava and Iceland, clearly. Do they even share a typical language? Who wants phrases while you’re in love? The waiter strikes across the room, delivering iced and sizzling coffees (served in a mug, sitting in a small bowl of sizzling water, to maintain the drink at simply the suitable temperature) as patrons come and go.
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After scraping the final of the coffee-eggy-deliciousness from our glasses with a spoon, we hoist our backpacks on and head down the steps and out onto the busy Hanoi avenue. Bikes, a whole lot of them, zoom by, as bicycles laden with helium balloons, rice cookers and market-fresh flowers slowly wheel by. This metropolis by no means stops. Have to be all of the caffeine.
Drink all of the espresso in Vietnam on an Intrepid small group journey. You’ll prefer it a latte!
Characteristic picture by Vietnam Inventory Photos, Shutterstock.