Vietnamese coffee

A cup of hot coffee with milk at Café Mai, 79 Le Van Huu Street, Hanoi. Dark, strong and very sweet – there’s a layer of condensed milk at the bottom of the cup – Vietnamese coffee is just the thing to get you going in the morning, and for the rest of the day.

The coffee often comes sitting in a bowl of warm water to keep it hot and with a glass of water for dilution purposes: I prefer to drink it straight, leaving the syrupy milk sitting at the bottom until the coffee is gone, then using the teaspoon to eat it from the cup.

It’s a one-stop breakfast, available everywhere, and normally drunk while Little Missy inspects the kitchens, courtesy of an adoring waiting staff! I’ve not had the chance to eat so many meals with two hands for the last 10 months.