Coffee Adventure #2 - The Workshop

The Workshop - Specialty Coffee

27 Ngo Duc Ke, D.1, HCMC

65%

Coffee [8]

Atmosphere [9]

Service [2.5]

Early Saturday morning we find ourselves making our way through the hustle and bustle of District 1 to a renown specialty cafe called 'The Workshop - Specialty Coffee'.

Quite narrow and easy to miss, you need to look out for the 27 above the door post and two cast iron statues.

Once in, prepare to feel the burn of lactic acid rushing through your thighs as you climb a thousand wooden steps to reach the top floor, where awaits you a contemporary, industrial and rustic cafe. The layout and interior is reflective of the many boutique hipster cafes found back home in Melbourne, Australia. A nice reminder of home.

Do not expect a smile however, these workers earn probably no more than $1AUD an hour, placing their disposition of joy somewhere at the bottom of the bean sack. The price of the latte you are sipping would require an average worker labor through about 3 hours before he or she could refresh the senses with it's beautiful aromas.

By Vietnamese standards the beverage and food found here at The Workshop is expensive, only enjoyed by the upper class, business class or foreigner visitors. However, in comparison it would be about the average you would fork out in an Australian cafe.

The Workshop lives up to the tail end of it's name, Specialty Coffee, with an impressive range of tubular and spherical apparatuses on display. Pour overs and immersion methods listed along with the usual black or milk based beverage.

I had an espresso and latte. I'm no coffee connoisseur (in fact I had to spellcheck that word) but I'll give it a crack. The espresso was medium bodied, had a tang with much sweetness, which seems to be a trademark of Vietnamese beans and beverages in general. The sweetness in the latte was exaggerated by the milk that was used, which I didn't mind. Presentation was excellent.

I watched the barista pull a shot, having carefully weighed the grind before tampering. They seem to be properly trained and know what they're doing, unfortunately, baristas in Vietnam don't wear the rockstar status that many do in developed countries.

Though the overall score is average I did enjoy my experience at The Workshop and would recommend it to anyone missing home or would just like to enjoy a nice cup of coffee in a trendy atmosphere. There's also a meeting room complete with projector setup for those who might be in the country for business purposes.

Price [Latte - 75000Đ]

P.S.

We were able to meet up with the younger brother of our friend back home, whom we later followed back to RMIT, District 7 to cheer on him and his futsal team in a friendly match. Hence, the soccer photos.