Vietnamese Lifestyle Café Arrives in
Kuala Lumpur
It
started with the owners visiting Hanoi and they discovered the acclaimed Cộng Cà Phê Vietnamese coffee café.
With a staggering 62 café outlets in Vietnam, the Cộng Cà Phê also has ventured its first international outlet in
Korea before landing on our shore on 14 November this year.
Cộng Cà Phê started back in 2007 by a local
singer as a small coffee place in the old coffee Trieu Viet Vuong street in
Hanoi. Concepting the café after the singer’s own yesteryear memories of
Vietnamese culture, the café oozes with warmth of a typical Vietnamese home
filled with knick-knacks and books. At the same time, the coffee experience
offers coffee lovers a time to sip the robust “Phin” style coffee and enjoy a
moment of leisure at the café.
Cộng Cà Phê opened its first outlet in Nu
Sentral. Located strategically on lower ground, the café seats 36 pax for now
with two levels. A minimalist menu with signatures of variations of Vietnamese
coffee as well as Western coffees and Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches along with snacks is available for now.
The
café also has some Vietnamese inspired souvenirs available for purchase…
Echoing
the low seating concept in Vietnam, diners can truly enjoy the culture of the
country on the ground level or head up to the regular seating that is flanked
by a wall panel filled with books and other trinkets. In fact, the café’s décor,
books and ornaments, are literally imported from the origin of the country to
ensure its authenticity concept of the coffee chain. Staffs are dressed olive
green t-shirts and caps to add to the café’s concept of Vietnam’s socialism
era.
Being
an ardent Vietnamese coffee lover myself, I was truly satiated with Cộng Cà Phê Hanoian Coffee with Condensed
Milk (RM10.90 hot | RM11.90 iced). The 3-layer coffee is not only pretty at
sight but has enough oomph to kick some adrenalin going for the day.
Dark and
robust, the caffeinated note is delightfully aromatic. Coupled with the
imported layer of Vietnamese condensed milk, the Hanoian Coffee has just the
right balance of sweetness and creaminess.
Cộng Cà Phê also has a series of Vietnamese
coffee made with coconut milk for added richness and aroma. The Bac
Xiu or Coffee with Coconut
(RM12.90 hot | RM13.90 iced) has that luscious aroma of coconut to match the
robust coffee note. It is indeed creamier with a rich smoothness that lingers
nicely. We tried both versions – hot and cold and find them acceptably
delicious with a solid note of coffee hit.
The
Coconut Milk with Coffee Smoothie
(RM14.90 short | RM16.90 tall) came highly recommended as one of their most
popular beverages at the café. The frosty and creamy smoothie is utterly
delicious in every sip. The coconut aroma and flavour is pronounced in the
smoothie and eases out to usual bold coffee note so for those who prefer a
subtle coffee not, this would be perfect. Even my little one gave his thumbs up
for the smoothie!
Perhaps
the Vietnamese coffees was so deliciously satisfying, the Cappuccino (RM12.90 hot | RM13.90 iced) wasn’t as pronouncedly good
as the formers. Still, the coffee is faultless and has the usual markings of
what is expected in a good cup of cappuccino.
If
coffee is not your thing, Cộng Cà Phê
also has tea available. A good option is the Peach Tea with Passionfruit (RM13.90 hot | RM14.90 iced). Served
with a flowered fresh passionfruit, the hot tea was fruity and appealing on the
palate. The combination of peach and passionfruit is very enjoyable.
And
if coffee or tea is not to your liking, then order their Lime Juice (RM10.90). Refreshingly tangy and citrusy, this one is
thirst-quenching.
At
the moment, Cộng Cà Phê does not
offer a lot of options for food but what they have is sufficiently satisfying
for light meals or snacks. Feeling peckish? Order their Sunflower seeds
(RM4.90) to nibble on with your coffee or tea. Else there is cake, brownie,
muffin or Croissant with Condensed Milk
(RM6.90).
Malaysians
have long accepted Vietnamese bánh mì and today, we are blessed to have quite a
few of these sandwiches available on our shore. That said, Cộng Cà Phê bánh mì selections have all the right ticks of a yummy
classic bánh mi. The French baguette is light, airy and very crispy and almost
crumbly. Made to a strict recipe from Cộng
Cà Phê, all the sandwiches we tried was very appetizing and tasty.
Whether
you are opting for the Chicken Ham Bánh Mì
(RM13.90) or Beef Ham Bánh Mì
(RM15.90), both are generously filled with slow cooked meat slices along with
some pate, pickled vegetables, mayo sauce and cilantro. Solid flavours with
good balance of savory and sweet with a subtle tang and heat. The sandwich is
sufficiently moist with lots of textural components that the classic sandwich
is famous for.
There’s
also a vegetarian option too in Tofu
Bánh Mì (RM11.90) where the tofu is marinated with soy sauce, sesame oil
and other ingredients. There is no garlic and onion, so this is perfect for vegetarians
who are unable to consume such ingredients. Rest assured, this version is
equally tasty as the meaty ones.
We’re
finally glad that Vietnamese style café is finally starting to show up on our
shores to give the other coffee cafes some competitions. Cộng Cà Phê has great potential as their menu offers authentic
Vietnamese coffee and bánh mì plus an instagramable-worthy ambiance to keep
many happy. We hope they continue to sprout more outlets on our shore for
accessibility and expand their menu since the original coffee chain has a lot
more to offer in terms of food and drinks.
Cộng
Cà Phê
Lot 19, LG, Nu Sentral,
No. 201 Jalan Tun
Sambanthan
50470 Kuala Lumpur
Business Hours:
Daily 10am
to 10pm
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