Salt coffee in the citadel

The shop doesn't have a fancy name, just simply call it "Salt Coffee", that's enough. It's not a "fever" or "trend" like recently, but salt coffee has been present in Hue for about ten years now, adding a unique touch to the culinary picture of the ancient capital.

From the outside, you have to go through a small path leading deep into the shop. Opening before your eyes is a small, pretty, cool, green garden space. Almost every time I come, it is crowded with customers. This is originally a house, the owner used it to open the shop, so it brings a real garden (home) atmosphere without trying to create a garden-cafe style.

I like to sit right in the L-shaped corner of the restaurant, which is both airy and bright. Looking through the glass door, I can see the clear sky covered with tree shade, and watch people coming and going, while listening to the sounds of "teeth, mo, chi, rua" (Vietnamese folk songs) imbued with the love of Hue .

Coming here, you cannot help but enjoy salt coffee. A cup of "memorable" costs only 15,000 VND. It is known that to make it, you need a little condensed milk, fermented milk and salt. This layer of salt foam has a light, fluffy texture, not too salty but not too fatty or thick. Combine with coffee, stir well, and you have an attractive drink, blending all the flavors: fatty, rich, bitter, sweet, salty, leaving an unforgettable aftertaste.

Contributing to the uniqueness of the cup of salt coffee here is the coffee filter served to customers. The aluminum filters are not brand new and shiny, even a little dented, but they bring an interesting feeling and experience: leisurely sitting and waiting for the drops of thick black coffee to slowly drip down. In the midst of a hurried life, a moment of leisurely sitting next to a coffee filter is actually a "healing" therapy.

Come to Hue and Salt Coffee to feel it.

(Entry to the contest "Impressions of Vietnamese coffee and tea" under the program "Honoring Vietnamese coffee and tea" for the 2nd time, 2024 organized by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper).

Graphics: CHI PHAN

Source: https://nld.com.vn/ca-phe-muoi-trong-thanh-noi-196240326221825243.htm