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In Toulouse, Café Bống stole my heart with Vietnam’s flavours — where robusta coffee and cream cakes are a perfect blend.
How I discovered the shop
Last year, I often went to Toulouse, a lovely city in southwestern France where one of my close friends was living at the time. Compared to Paris, the city centre was pretty small; you could easily tour the city in a day. After a long day of hanging out, we were craving for a coffee and some sweets. My friend recommended this spot, as she has a sweet tooth and really liked their desserts.
What is Café Bống?
Café Bống is a Vietnamese-owned coffee shop that offers homemade pastries and savoury treats, as well as authentic cà phê, Vietnamese-style coffee. I could observe that it was indeed very successful in Toulouse, as the queue is always very long. Right upon entering the shop, you could already feel the blend of cultures; on one hand, you had the regular chairs and tables, but on the other hand, you had a sitting area where you had to remove your shoes and sit crossed-leg, reflecting Asian culture and obviously, feeling like home to me.
My honest review
Being an avid fan of the Vietnamese cà phê sữa đá, I obviously had to order one to taste it. I make it my personal mission to find the best cà phê sữa đá in France, and this one did not disappoint. Cà phê sữa đá is an iced coffee made with robusta coffee and condensed milk. For information, the coffee market is mainly composed of two types of coffee beans: arabica and robusta. Compared to arabica, robusta coffee is stronger and more bitter, and contains two times more caffeine!
To me, it’s one of the best cà phê sữa đá I tasted so far; it was delightful! The balance between the sweetness of the condensed milk and the bitterness of the coffee was well found, of which I couldn’t get enough. However, I do recommend drinking it NOT on an empty stomach and not too fast, as I was trembling from the caffeine overdose. We also ordered some cakes, that were matcha, yuzu, blueberry and black sesame-flavoured, which were all pretty good.
Overall, I’d rate my experience a solid 8.5/10! If you are in Toulouse, Cafe Bống is THE perfect spot to go to for a break: the staff is welcoming and kind, the products are all of very good quality and all taste great! As my friend does not live there anymore, I need to find another excuse to go back and enjoy another amazing cà phê sữa đá.
For more pictures, see my Instagram.
Address:
Café Bống
11 rue de la Bourse
31000 Toulouse
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