No Foam Please
All Things CoffeeArchive for Vietnamese Coffee
Barefoot Coffee
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A cousin took us to Barefoot Coffee on a recent visit to the Bay Area. It is hidden in a nondescript shopping center in Santa Clara, like so many good coffee shops and restaurants in California. But as soon as you step up to the sidewalk you see good signs – people sitting at round tables outside, sipping coffee and talking, relaxing in the cool weather. Inside, it is clearly a coffee aficionado’s dream come true. There are bags of coffee beans along one wall, and a bar for ordering specialty drinks.
I tried the Cubano – the sugar is caramelized in the shot itself. I still had to sweeten it a bit for my taste, but it was damn good. Comes complete with coffee art.
Two of our party ordered the Caramel Brulee – a drink with caramelized sugar on top (blow torch and all). Two thumbs up.
Finally, I had to buy a bag of the Honey Edlyna. I didn’t know what a honey process is, but I wanted to find out. Thanks to Google, I found this video that explains it a bit, but this article on barista exchange does it one better. There’s a lighter color mixed in with the normal color of the roasted beans, and it sticks a bit to the scoop once you grind it up. I’m assuming this is a byproduct of the honey processing. I didn’t realize it was going to be $18 when I picked it up. A bit pricey. But the smell of this coffee is nearly worth the price. I ground it this morning, filling the kitchen with the smell, and made it with a french press. Worth every penny. But if you’re on a budget, check the prices first.
Barefoot gets my recommendation. Ratings are high on yelp – especially considering it is in California.
Update: Since the first french press, I also tried this as Vietnamese drip with condensed milk (just a little), and french press with condensed milk, and french press with a little skim milk and sugar. I can’t decide which is my favorite but it is hard to go wrong with a strong french press brew.
Vietnamese Coffee at Triumph Cafe
Triumph Cafe isn’t what I would consider a coffee shop per se (they serve Vietnamese cuisine and sandwiches), but they do make coffee, espresso, and best of all, Vietnamese coffee. I had lunch there the other day for the first time in many years, and decided to try the coffee. Since not as many places serve Vietnamese coffee and I hadn’t had it here yet, I thought I’d try it out and report back.
This is a "double" Vietnamese coffee, pre-stirring.
After stirring, it has a nice rich color
From the street or parking lot, Triumph Cafe doesn’t look like much – yet another strip-mall cafe. However, Triumph has a hidden gem of a back patio, surrounded by a lot of greenery and shade – a nice little oasis. In the spring and fall in Austin, its a perfect place to sit outside and talk a bit too long over coffee or lunch.
There are other places to get Vietnamese Pho and other cuisine, and I like some of them better. But this place has a nice laid back atmosphere, and they didn’t look at me funny when I ordered my Vietnamese coffee hot instead of cold (usually people will pour it over ice, but I’ve never been a big fan of ruining my coffee with ice)…
(yelp reviews here, mostly positive, especialy with regard to the coffee)
