Really? Egg coffee is a thing? Yes it is – and in Hanoi many people simply can’t do without it. The beginnings of egg coffee can be traced back to the early 1940s, when Mr Nguyen Giang was working as a barman at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi hotel. The story goes that one night, Mr Giang ran out of milk to serve with the coffee. As a substitute he used a concoction of egg yolks and condensed milk to make, what is known today in Vietnam as, egg coffee or cà phê trứng. Such a success was cà phê trứng that Mr Giang opened a cafe in 1946 and egg coffee has been a part of Hanoi ever since.
The original egg coffee shop has moved a couple of times but is still run today by family members. It is run today by Tri (son of original owner), on a small lane on Nguyen Huu Huan Street in the city’s old quarter. It’s tempting to drink the coffee as it’s served, beautiful and simple, however, drinkers should stir it all together to create balance, like mixing yin and yang. At 60 years old, Tri has been making it for most of his life and now produces a coffee borne of persistence, perfectionism and love. Drink it and you will see what we mean!
