I love a good collaboration, and this one comes just in time for this weekend’s summer sun. An unexpected mash up of Vietnamese cuisine and dessert. The coming m together of two vices for one amazing way to cool down. A winning combination of coffee and chocolate together in 4 limited edition menu items.
This is the new collab between Hype Chocolates and NaMì Cafè that launched yesterday July 3rd, 2024; and I went to check thing out on launch day.
I am familiar with the NaMì Vietnamese’s food truck that operates in and around the downtown Vancouver core, but only today learned that they have a stationary cafe stall within the HSBC on Georgia Street as well.
For those unfamiliar this is the building that has the swinging clock pendulum, and features a miniature art gallery with rotating displays.
NaMì Cafè is set up with cafe seating, offering a quiet respite amongst the hurry and scurry of the financial district.
Here, they offer an extensive collection of cafe beverages and a handful of pastries, as well as their familiar banh mi and rice bowls for lunch. In hindsight I should have grabbed one of each of the latter for dinner, but I arrived close to their closing time, and I didn’t want to hinder them from packing up shop and finishing their work day on time.
As for what I did get, both new drinks feature a chocolate cracking cup. This is the latest online drink trend that centres around a plastic cup coated in chocolate and allowed to set. After your chosen drink is poured into said cup, you can squeeze it, thus breaking up the chocolate. On top of a sensory feel and sound, you get the sweetness of the quality chocolate blending into and flavouring your beverage.
The Matcha Oat Latte came in a White Chocolate Cracking cup. The cups pre-set and kept cool in the fridge until time of use. This is the lighter of the two options. It is fairly bitter matcha forward, and the only way to get the sweetness of the chocolate is by dunking your hand into the cup and grabbing a shard.
Similarly, the Vietnamese Iced Coffee Dark Chocolate Cracking Cup was a strong and bitter coffee, with the possibility of mocha notes from the cracking chocolate.
And for something more decadent you can grab one of their Vietnamese Iced Coffee Oreo Ice Cream Sandwich. Take a giant cakey Oreo cookie, fill it generously with Vietnamese coffee flavoured ice cream, and dip it into a condense milk flavoured white chocolate. Everything you know and love about Vietnamese coffee, but made into a tasty handheld dessert. This wasn’t too sweet, and is absolutely worth coming down to try.
For those wanting a more portable treat, Hype Chocolates has also made a Vietnamese Iced Coffee Chocolate Bar you can grab and take to go from NaMì Cafè.
Something fun to try, just make sure you stop by Monday to Friday from 8am to 3pm, when they are open.
NaMì Cafè
885 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6C 2G2
namivietnamese.com
