Kafeville — Restaurant in Hà Nội

TIL in Vietnam, there are 3 types of cafes. The ubiquitous commercial brands, like Starbuck and Highland Coffee where people just want a cafe nearby to chat and get a quick fix. Then there are the “sống ảo” cafes where the cafes are nicely decorated, mostly for young trendy people to take pictures and look trendy. Lastly, the specialty cafes, where true coffee drinkers go for the best coffee in town. Kafeville would fall into the last category, not only do true coffee drinkers go there, but apparently even baristas from other cafes go there to get their coffee fix. Even though i am not a coffee drinker, i just like the occasional cappuccino on a lazy Sunday morning from time to time, i could still feel that the taste was different from other cafes i have been to. The coffee was smooth with zero hints of bitterness and the milk used was good quality. It was truly one of the best cappuccino i had outside Italy. The service is ok, no smiling staff here but all of them are serious in their work and coffee knowledge. Atmosphere is very simple. Plain white walls with some pictures and decorations with simple wood furnitures. I guess the owners were trying not to attract the “sống ảo” crowd to come in and disturb the true connoisseurs. They have outdoor street side seating. Toilet is ok. Not very clean...

Near the Botanical Garden and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex, this little Cafe is beautifully decorated and passionately serviced. The Cafe is located on a closed street with some tire shops, car washes and old houses. Finding a clean and cosy Cafe in this otherwise desolate street is the last thing you could expect. But as soon as you enter from the main entrance in the cafe, you are transported into a different world with a brightly decorated sitting area sprinkled with two shelfs of English and Vietnamese books, some classical records and war-era paintings. The menu is rather limited but price is very reasonable. If you are tried of walking around, you can spend some quality time in this cafe sipping traditional Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk for as little as VND 25,000...

I'm not picky. It doesn't imply that I'm easy. I just have a tendency to be kinkily open minded. So when Binh offered me some juice coming from his Siphon, I was tempted. Long story short, we did it two times both poured over and light roasted. Ethiopia smells like prince Charming coming out of his chocolate bath, elegantly brings up the sensation in your mouth and takes just enough time to leave you with the climax of your throat. Au contraire, Colombia appears to be a real macho, rising from the Mediterranean sea, tan, thick and likes to play it rough. Ah àh, not my style but I guess I could use a little bit of that quickie to get me through my blues at times. Oh Lord, next time I'll...