O Quai Café - a bridge connecting Vietnamese coffee culture in the heart of Rennes

Thi Quynh-Anh (middle) - bartender at O Quai Café. Photo: LE TELEGRAMME

If espresso, cappuccino or latte have long been symbols of European coffee culture, then at O Quai Café, diners are invited to explore flavors that seem strange but are imbued with Vietnamese memories. From that small, cozy space, the Rennes Business Mag newspaper reported that four cousins from Hanoi, including Thi Quynh-Anh, Mathieu An, Phuong Nam Dang and Van Dien Dang, have brought the French people a new cultural experience: Vietnamese salt coffee - the "star" of the shop. In addition, there are egg coffee, Vietnamese milk tea, sugarcane juice, tropical fruit smoothies... Accompanying is homemade bread, simple but reminiscent of the taste of Vietnamese street food , enough to surprise French diners.

The artisanal recipes with their own brewing methods are introduced as “cultural bridges”. Talking about salt coffee - a surprising combination of strong robusta coffee and a rich salty cream layer, 20 Minutes wrote: Forget espresso or Italian latte, O Quai Café brings the long-standing recipes of Hanoi , where salt coffee and egg coffee are gradually asserting their place in the trendy cup.

Thi Quynh-Anh - bartender at O Quai Café. Photo: 20 MINUTES

When you take a sip, the strong bitterness of the coffee blends with a slight saltiness, then finishes with a sweet aftertaste. This contrast creates a unique experience, surprising many French people who taste it for the first time.

Few people know that 6 Quai Émile Zola was previously just a small shop specializing in collecting old stamps. With creativity and enthusiasm, a group of 4 brothers have transformed the space into a cafe with its own mark: warm, modern but still imbued with Vietnamese spirit. The shop is also sophisticated in serving plant-based milk (oat, almond, etc.) to suit the trend of vegetarianism and not using animal milk, which is highly appreciated by European diners.

Thi Quynh-Anh, 33, is the main barista. She returned to Vietnam to learn traditional bartending with the hope of introducing Vietnamese flavors to the French community. Alongside her is Mathieu, who is in charge of administration, and Phuong Nam and Van Dien, who assist with operations.

Ô Quai Café in the center of Rennes Photo: PAGESJAUNES

Just a few months after opening in late 2024, Ô Quai Café has been mentioned by many local and travel newspapers, from Rennes Business Mag to Wanderlog. These sites highly appreciate the cozy space, the friendliness of the owner and the uniqueness of the menu. According to the Office de Tourisme Rennes, the official tourism website of Rennes City, Ô Quai Café is considered an ideal destination for tourists to explore Vietnamese coffee culture in the heart of Brittany. This place not only serves drinks, but is also a place of convergence, a meeting place between two cultures. Local newspapers such as Le Télégramme and Unidivers both emphasize: Ô Quai Café is a space of cultural exchange - where the French find hospitality, community spirit and the typical way of enjoying Vietnamese coffee.

Some diners even consider this a must-visit place when coming to Rennes, because it opens up a new aspect of Vietnamese culture that few people know about before. As shared by Mathieu An: “In Paris or some big cities in the world, salt coffee has begun to appear, but in Rennes, it is still quite strange. We want to bring flavors that have never been known to the people of Rennes, inspired by traditional Vietnamese recipes”.

O Quai Café is a living proof that coffee is not only a drink, but also a cultural bridge, a place to tell the stories of young Vietnamese people in Europe.

Comment (0)