In search of the perfect cà phê
I like to consider myself some brand of coffee connoisseur. My daily habit began when I was 15 years old and I've never looked back. Viet Nam is famous for its strong coffee, and Saigon is notorious for its cafe scene. Every street has at least one roadside stand selling 50 cent cà phê and one trendy coffee shop with drinks starting at about one dollar. Though I'll stumble upon the occasional Starbucks in HCMC, the American chain has nothing on the homegrown establishments.
One of the beautiful things about coffee in Viet Nam is that people actually sit down and enjoy the beverage. I have yet to see someone run into his or her neighborhood cafe, hurriedly order a drink from the barista, and rush out. Some places don't even serve coffee to go ("take away"), or at least they don't advertise it. You often order your drink, sit on a tiny stool and watch motorbikes whizz past.
Due to my lactose intolerance (which is extremely inconvenient as a foodie), I chose my go-to coffee order within 24 hours of landing: cà phê đá. This is about two shots of strong coffee poured over a full glass of ice, sometimes with a dash of sugar. I rotate between visiting roadside pushcarts and an array of cafes. I have yet to find the perfect cup of cà phê, but here are some variations I've tried in District 1:
I stumbled upon Mộc Cafe on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I was running some errands, but a balcony covered in shrubbery caught my eye. That's one of the neat things about Saigon - you often have to look up to find the best establishments. I braved a set of steep, unsteady stairs and followed the orchids to Mộc Cafe. Like many cafes in the city, it was filled with young locals sipping their drinks and typing away on their laptops.
I received a complimentary tra da - iced tea - with my cà phê đá, as is common in Viet Nam. The coffee and tea were both delicious, but nothing life changing. The Mộc Cafe garden, though, was spectacular. Much like my hometown of Washington, D.C., Saigon is filled with trees and gardens, even in the heart of the city. Mộc Cafe is a perfect example of this, and an ideal place to spend an afternoon.
I found Stop Coffee while walking to work during my second week on the job. My office is located in a central part of the city and is surrounded by countless cafes. I was looking for a coffee place to call my own, so I initially tried a different store each day. Stop Coffee's staff is friendly, the drinks are reasonably priced (my cà phê đá comes in at $1.25), and the coffee is strong. Food quality is an issue in Viet Nam, and the coffee some vendors sell is not always what the customer thinks it is. With this in mind, I try to be careful about where I order my daily cà phê đá. Stop Coffee has become my trusted and relatively inexpensive daily source of caffeine.
Of all the cafes I've been to thus far in Saigon, A cafe Specialty coffee is by far my favorite. It's a small, two-story neighborhood joint I found in my first few days in the city. The cafe is filled with hefty Vietnamese books, traditional art and textiles, and sturdy wood furniture. Each time I'm there, I feel like I'm in a museum.
A cafe Specialty coffee has both local favorites and imported roasts. My first view visits, I ordered my standard cà phê đá. I recently tried something different, though - cà phê ú lành. It similar to a cold brew - strong and chilled, but not watered down with melting ice. It's pricey at about $2.50 for just a cup (I know, I sound absurd), but is well worth the money.
A cafe Specialty coffee is the kind of spot I bring my Kindle to on Saturday mornings to catch up on reading. It's where I go to escape the traffic and sometimes overwhelming energy that pulses through Saigon. It's my little oasis in the heart of the city.