All the world converges in a good cup of coffee

Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk. By Ser Myo-ja

HANOI - My first encounter with Vietnamese coffee was during my freshman year of college in Pittsburgh. I had my first cup at Tram’s Kitchen on a cold Saturday, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Unfortunately, it is hard to find in Seoul. Although some Vietnamese restaurants claim that they serve it, the brew is hardly satisfying.

But last month, I finally took my first trip to Vietnam to report on the Korea-Vietnam presidential summit. Each cup of coffee served at the press center and the restaurants there was good, but I was determined to check out Cafe Pho Co, which was recommended by a friend who had recently visited the place.

The cafe is famous for its hidden location, but I managed to find it between deadlines. Its entrance is hidden in a dark, narrow alley inside a clothing shop. When I came to the end of the passageway, there was a courtyard with several motorbikes, and a Vietnamese lady greeted me with an English menu.

The menu has a wide variety of hot and cold coffee and tea variations. It also has unique items such as coffee with egg, but I stuck with a simple coffee with milk (20,000 dong, or $1.12).

After ordering, I carefully went up the spiral stairs until I reached the top of the building, which overlooks Hoan Kiem Lake. In October, the weather was still a bit hot and humid, and the breeze on the top floor felt refreshing. After a few minutes, the lady climbed up the stairs to deliver the coffee. The pitch-black, thick coffee was served in a tiny white cup, and there was a layer of condensed milk at the bottom. I used a teaspoon to carefully mix the two, and a beautiful swirl appeared inside my cup. After a few more stirs, my drink, now a handsome mahogany brown, was ready.

You’ll either like it or hate it. The bitterness of the coffee and the sweetness of the milk are overwhelming, but they complement each other perfectly. It’s almost like having your life reduced to the contents of your cup, and I felt like I had found the balance in the universe as I mixed the two.

After finishing my coffee and enjoying the gorgeous sunset over the lake, I came down the stairs and tried to pay my bill. The lady who took my order pretended that she spoke no English, and insisted that I pay $70 by writing the number on a small piece of paper. Shocked, I was about to run away, but I pulled myself together and put on my angry tourist face. Only after I demanded to look at the menu and showed her that my bill was 70,000 dong, or $3.92, did she back down and mumble “sorry.”

This ruined the experience somewhat, but if I have another chance to visit Hanoi I will probably go back for the coffee and the view. By then, I should probably also learn how to say the numbers in Vietnamese.

[myoja@joongang.co.kr]

Cafe Pho Co

Location: 11 Pho Hang Gai, Hanoi, Vietnam

Telephone: 84-4-828-5080

korea joongAng daily

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All the world converges in a good cup of coffee

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