Capital cafes hatch a winning combo
Egg-coffee concoction proving a hit with Hanoi’s locals and tourists
HANOI — Coffee and eggs may sound like odd ingredients to turn into a drink, but the concoction has become the trendiest beverage in the Vietnamese capital city.
On Nguyen Huu Huan, one of the endlessly busy streets in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, sits a secluded cafe in a narrow alley where people can find the most authentic version of “ca phe trung”, or Vietnamese egg-coffee mix, in town.
Cafe Giang, which has been in business for more than 70 years, is often packed on both floors with locals and tourists, sitting around old square wooden tables chatting with companions or sipping a cup of the egg-infused coffee.
Nguyen Tri Hoa, owner of Cafe Giang, creates the drink starting with egg yolks, sugar and condensed milk. The mix is then boiled.
The coffee is then added, forming a beautiful and aromatic foam. A teaspoon is provided to eat the foam before drinking the coffee at the bottom.
Egg coffee is served in hot and cold versions. The former comes in a small dish of hot water to maintain its temperature. When the strong coffee taste at the bottom of the cup seeps through the egg — the yellow layer on top — it becomes richer, thick and sweet.
“It’s my favorite choice all year round. But you’d better to take it in autumn and winter to taste the best of it,” said Quan, a 25-year-old Hanoian.
The cold option, introduced in the 2000s, is served in a small glass. Laden with ice, it is consumed with a spoon and tastes almost like coffee-flavored ice cream — more like a dessert than coffee.
‘Wow’ reaction
To foreigners, the “wow” reaction is common when they encounter the unique drink.
“It’s the first time I’ve tried it, it’s a little bit strange but nice,” said Prisca, 26, from France.
Her companion, 27-yearold Vidian from Guadeloupe, came up with the same answer: “It’s a good experience.”
Nguyen Tri Hoa said his father, Nguyen Van Giang, created the drink in 1946 while working as a bar tender at Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel in Hanoi. A milk shortage then forced Giang to cast around for alternatives and he found eggs, which is how the drink was born.
Hoa, the youngest son of the family, is the first one to follow his father’s path. As time has passed, he has enrichened the old menu with several new creations.
“I started to make cocoa eggs and white bean eggs in 1999. And then in 2010, after welcoming so many foreign customers and also traveling a lot, I realized that rum and beer can be great complements to egg,” Hoa said.
While Hoa runs the family’s premise on Nguyen Huu Huan Street, his older sister and brother set up two other egg coffee shops.
Cafe Dinh is on the second floor of a bag shop and though slightly hidden and hard to locate, it offers a nice view over Hanoi’s iconic Hoan Guom Lake.
Cafe Giang Yen Phu, not as crowded as its two siblings, lies outside the Old Quarter.
“When I think about Hanoi, egg coffee is one of the first images to come out, with other things like Hoan Kiem Lake, the Old Quarter or the Literature Temple. It is not just a drink, it is a symbol, a culture of the capital,” said Quan.
When I think about Hanoi, egg coffee is one of the first images to come out ... It is not just a drink, it is a symbol, a culture of the capital.”
Quan, a regular egg coffee drinker from Hanoi