What?
It was just a day after setting foot in Vietnam – in a small, lakeside cafe stationed in the heart of Hanoi’s crazy hubbub – that I was first presented with egg coffee. When the barista gave me the spiel about a local specialty that involved chucking raw egg into my morning brew I was, needless to say, pretty sceptical. Yet after some convincing I gave it a go, and just one spoonful in I realised quite how wrong I had been to pass judgement. Cà phê trứng tastes (I’m sorry) egg-cellent.
Egg coffee is MUCH more appetising than the name suggests: trust me on this one.
It consists off a sweet, creamy foam, formed by whisking condensed milk together with raw egg yolk over a bowl of boiling water.
A small amount of coffee (and sometimes sugar or butter) is added to the mix then it’s whisked again.
Finally the mixture is poured over a shot of strong, black coffee and hey presto!
The resulting concoction is rich, intense and full of contrast: smooth, airy, super-sweet egg on top and intensely bitter, Vietnamese coffee underneath.
It’s a unique taste that’s hard to describe to someone who’s yet to try it. Imagine raw merengue mix served on top of an espresso.
It was in 1940’s Hanoi that this dessert-like beverage first came to fruition. At a time when the country faced fresh milk shortages, one local bartender got creative with his substitutes. His masterpiece, egg coffee, was immensely popular and he subsequently opened the first cafe to sell it, which still operates to this day (despite having moved a few times).
Nowadays, with the drinks popularity booming more than ever amongst both locals and tourists, it’s readily available in cities across Vietnam. Saigon, the country’s biggest metropolis, has no shortage of cafes serving it.
Where?
3T Cà Phê Trứng
You’d expect nothing but the best from a cafe with egg coffee in their name and 3T doesn’t fall short of the mark; the cà phê trứng here is absolutely cracking **sigh**. The foam is airy, smooth and perfectly sweet: one of the best you can get your hands on outside Hanoi. Alongside the aforementioned, you’ll find a number of other oddities on the menu such as iced egg coffee (cà phê trứng đá) and durian coffee (cà phê sầu riêng), for anyone brave enough to try it.
35K VND. Open 7am-11pm every day. 355 Hoàng Sa, Tân Định, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Quan Xô Bồ
This quirky, highly photogenic cafe is normally packed full of Vietnamese students and shutter-happy teens. Egg-spect bright decor, nice riverside views and a good selection of tasty, modern Viet drinks. Their super fluffy cà phê trứng is served in a bowl of warm water to keep the bottom hot whilst you work away at the mound of eggy foam. Those fancying something a bit cooler should be sure to also try their coconut coffee (cà phê cốt dừa).
38K VND. Open 8.30am-11pm every day. 11 Phan Đình Phùng, Phường 17, Phú Nhuận, Hồ Chí Minh. You’ll can access this cafe from both on and under the bridge but most parking is located under.
Mira Coffee
Nestled away in a quiet backstreet just north of the canal is Mira, one of my favourite local cafes. It offers a bright, cosy space and, most importantly, some proper, strong-as-it-gets Vietnamese coffee. The cà phê trứng here is full of contrast: rich egg batter above and a shot of overpoweringly bitter, thick, robusta underneath.
35K VND. Open 8am-11pm Every Day. 87/9 Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Phường 3, Bình Thạnh, Hồ Chí Minh
Vietphin Coffee 89B
If you’re looking for artsy presentation and more coffee-heavy egg coffee then make your way to Vietphin: a centrally located cafe offering a unique, elegantly served, espresso-style cà phê trứng. Forget about the pretentious appearance for a minute: the caffeine dosage in the egg coffee here is big enough to leave to you wide-eyed and shaking like an epileptic for the rest of the afternoon.
55k VND. Open 7am-11pm every day. 89 Cách Mạng Tháng Tám, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Balzar De Cafe
Swing by Balzar to enjoy a creamy, runnier egg coffee, brewed with hand-roasted beans and topped with a ton of foam, without shelling out too much money. This local cafe exclusively uses robusta coffee harvested from their own plantation in Dalat. Eggs aside, don’t miss their rich and milky pandan leaf coffee (cà phê sữa dứa).
35K VND. Open 6am-11pm every day. 187 Hoàng Sa, Tân Định, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh.