Filed under: Cafe Su Da, Ice Coffee, baguette, coffee, deli, drinks, food, french bread, resturants, snacks, traditional foods, vietnamese foods
Here is a quickie, after my great lunch at Huynh I had to stop at one of my favorite places for CAFE SUA DA- Ice coffee with condensed milk and French bread. As you know the French occupied Vietnam for years and before it was Vietnam it was called Indochina. The French did make a big impression and influenced food and culture as well. The place I like to get a great cup of coffee is at Banh Mi Che Cali. This place specializes in great Vietnamese deli sandwiches, bread, snacks, spring rolls, the usual affair of a deli in Little Saigon. When you walk in this place the wift of butter and fresh baked baguettes puts you in a European enthusiasm.
The other reason I love this place is that they make CAFE SUA DA the old way. Using deep French roast coffee (probably Cafe Du Monde French Roast brand) with chicory to smooth out the bitterness that is associated with strong coffee. The old ways of making Cafe Sua Da is truly an art. It is usually done by pouring hot boiling water in a an individual metal coffee drip and slowly brewing by gravity into a cup with a couple of tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk. Most places in Little Saigon want to take the cheaper method and use regular cofee with adding Coffee Mate or worse whip cream to become more of a “frappacino” instead of an espresso type of milk with rich milk. One taste will keep your caffeine buzzz going for hours and has a tastes of sweet milk and a slight bitterness like your first bite of chocolate.
I bought a couple of baguettes for later and a cup to keep me going through the day. I give 5 RUBS FOR THE ICE COFFEE AND 4 RUBS FOR THE BREAD. With so many French Bakeries in Little Saigon I will have to provide you another blog on all the different types of French Bread and pastries in the area for another day.
