Located at 150/5 Ben Van Don Road, District 4, on the facet of Ong Lanh Bridge, Ong (Tube) espresso store has been drawing prospects in droves within the two weeks because it opened.
On its counter is a row of cups usual from inexperienced bamboo. “The store says no to plastic, and prospects drink their drinks from bamboo tubes,” 27-year-old proprietor Nguyen Huynh mentioned.
Huynh pours espresso right into a tube, provides a grass straw and a wood spoon, and finishes by adorning it with pandan leaves earlier than handing it to a waiter to serve to a visitor.
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Nguyen Huynh on the take-away nook of his espresso store in HCMC’s District 4. Photograph by VnExpress/Quynh Tran |
Earlier than opening the cafe, Huynh labored in structure. Throughout tenting journeys he would typically use bamboo tubes to retailer meals and drinks. A month in the past, when he stop his job to begin a enterprise with a bunch of associates, he instantly considered the bamboo espresso mannequin.
He felt that quite a lot of bamboo referred to as nua (schizostachyum aciculare) was excellent as a substitute for plastic cups on account of its massive hole inside.
“I had no hesitation as a result of any such restaurant is exclusive and environmentally pleasant,” he mentioned.
In addition to experimenting with numerous espresso recipes, he went to the Central Highlands to discover a supply for bamboo.
He requested a farmer for bamboo segments round 16 centimeters lengthy and 5 centimeters broad.
Now his store orders greater than 1,000 of them per week and runs by means of greater than 150 tubes on daily basis. The staff wash the bamboo with cleaning soap and water thrice and dry it earlier than utilizing.
Huynh talked about that it takes him almost two hours to finish the required duties, similar to cleansing bamboo tubes and making ready objects, earlier than opening the store, in comparison with an everyday store that usually takes solely half an hour for preparation.
However the cup of espresso turns into eye-catching with the inexperienced shade of the bamboo, the aroma is bigger and it makes a drinker really feel they look after the setting.
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A beverage is served in a bamboo tube. Photograph by VnExpress/Quynh Tran |
In addition to black espresso and milk espresso, the store additionally has pineapple milk at costs starting from VND26,000 to VND32,000 ($1.07 to $1.32). The value contains VND12,000 for the bamboo cup, which will be taken dwelling.
Within the case of takeout, the bamboo cup is secured with straps fabricated from coconut leaves, and meals wrap is used as a substitute of a plastic lid.
Every cup is used solely round 5 instances to make sure hygiene.
Since bamboo is sort of costly, Huynh encourages individuals to return the tubes, and in return, they could obtain complimentary drinks.
When the place is crowded, prospects have to attend almost 10 minutes to be served. There are days when the store has to shut early after working out of bamboo tubes.
Viet Cuong, 33, stopped his automotive and waited on the sidewalk for quarter-hour to get 4 cups of espresso. He mentioned he had traveled almost 20 kilometers from Thu Duc Metropolis as a result of he was curious in regards to the bamboo cafe after watching movies on social networks. He mentioned the espresso taste is primary however the bamboo tube appears to be like stunning, and he needed to help such setting friendliness.
Ut Ly’s home is a couple of hundred meters away from the espresso store. She selected to sit down within the store and check out the pineapple milk espresso. She needed to look ahead to some time as a result of the store was crowded that morning. The 26-year-old complimented the beverage for its engaging aroma of espresso and pandan leaves.
“The inexperienced tube appears to be like eye-catching and has good ornament. Nevertheless, the store is sort of small, not appropriate for sitting, and there’s no complimentary iced drink.”
After consuming she purchased two extra cups to take dwelling and mentioned she would use them to retailer issues or drink water.
Given the slender highway in entrance of the store, guests are suggested to search out parking spots elsewhere. Because of the restricted area, most prospects additionally choose taking their drinks away.
Huynh mentioned the store goals to find extra sources of bamboo tubes, meaning to develop and open further branches. The store operates every day from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and three p.m. to 10:30 p.m.