Final Thoughts: 4.00/5.0
New coffee and matcha spot in the Vietnam Town area. When they first opened here, the wait was quite long, so my friends and I waited for all of the hype to mellow out just a bit before we came. We finally decided to try it after our dinner. Overall, very cute shop. Will be a solid 4 stars from me today.
Drink:
Matchanana: 4.0/5
My favorite part of this drink is going to have to be the vanilla banana pudding with the wafers mixed into it. It was very thick like a pudding and tasted amazing with vanilla wafers mixed into it. Honestly, I'm here for that big scoop on top. Their cups have the open lid and they give you a wooden spoon to eat it with. You have the option to mix it in, but this was quite addicting to just eat by itself. For the matcha base, it was alright. The matcha flavor could use a little more something to it or just more quantity in general because it seems very light. Preference, but I'm all for a strong matcha flavor. A lot of the banana even masked the flavor of the matcha. For sweetness, I thought it was actually quite good. There's this subtle sweetness to it, which I really like. That combined with the topping, wafers, and bananas was the right balance for me.
Double Matcha Latte: 3.7/5
Friend's drink and I tried it today. This drink was also light on the matcha flavor. It's interesting because the matcha color is quite good and the initial impression is that the matcha flavor will be stronger. Could be even deeper of a color, but I'm not mad at it. For the sweetness, this one was also quite good. For me at least, I think their levels of sweetness is optimal for the percentage levels that they have. Consistency wise, I believe that their drinks are more on the thinner side. It's not smooth or creamy like other places are. Some of it even feels slightly grainy on the tongue. Perhaps there is a higher ratio of water to milk and cream. This one even more so because it just has the cream on top versus with the matchanana with the whole thick banana pudding on top to make the consistency thicker.
Side Note: Drinks + Potential for pastries/food provided in the future?
Of note, they do have a display case at the front of the counter. Currently, it is empty, but because it is there, I see some potential for them adding some food or pastry items onto their menu. They are fairly new of a café, so perhaps still in the works and pending.
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Quality: Aiight
Their matcha powder has a nice green color. First impression was quite good. The topping looked like it was made inhouse or upon order. The vanilla wafers were still crispy and crunchy when mixed with the vanilla banana pudding on the top. The flavor of the matcha is kind of light for me even though the color looked like a very deep green. Even my friend's drink could have used another dose of matcha for something labeled as "double matcha". Of note, their matcha is pre-made and not whisked to order. Pre-made does not mean it is bad though. Definitely passable for their quality here though.
Price: Average
The prices for the drinks here are pretty standard. The price range will be within $7 to $9 depending on what you get. Their cups look like the taller cups, which are around 16 oz perhaps, so the prices seems normal to me for what you get.
Service: Limited
There is a kiosk in the front and we just ordered there. I find that a lot of stores are doing this nowadays and it just reduced having to hire another person for the cashier. Of course, I'm sure you could order at the front and then they'll also be the ones to make your drink.
Ambiance: Cottage Core
The interior of this place is quite nice. It's giving me cottage core vibes with the warm tones. Walls have simple, but very modern designs. I would actually love to sit and chill here or just do work here. Very warm and comforting. They do have 7 small round tables that line the right side of the café when you walk in. They're very small tables in front of the bench seating. The bench is just made of the cement and then there is a cushion on top for you to sit on. On the left side when you walk in, there is going to be the bar table with 3 seats available.
Location/Parking: Vietnam Town
This place is within Vietnam town and right next to Sack of Potatoes. There is parking around here and it'll depend on some luck and the day you go. Of note, they now have Tesla charging stations right in the parking lot in front of the building in which this café is located. read more