Sweet of the Week: Vietnamese Coffee and Rum Cream at bellyQ

I'm a sucker for Vietnamese coffee. For a coffee addict and sugar fiend, the concept of coffee mixed with condensed milk is something I can't say no to. Ever. I don't care where I see it or on what menu, I'm ordering it. At a recent brunch at bellyQ, I took my craving to the next level with a boozy rendition of my beloved Vietnamese coffee. This was a new frontier for me; I usually shy away from boozy coffee drinks, as I find them too cloying and rich. But this was an idea I could get behind, particularly because it was Vietnamese and it included rum. 

 

The ideas that bellyQ and chef Bill Kim come up with astound me. They seem like such simple, smart twists on classic ideas and flavors, yet they innovate wholly. It's really quite amazing. Like the idea of a rum-infused Vietnamese coffee, for instance. At brunch, they blend their standard condensed cream-enriched Vietnamese coffee with housemade rum cream. It tastes like a Vietnamese drink on vacation in the Caribbean. The coffee lends a bitter undertone, while the condensed cream smooths out all the rough edges and makes it silky. Then there's the rum cream, which ever so subtly adds a spirited dash of buttery booze flavor. It takes it over the edge in just the right way. An orange peel nestled on top of the drink adds an air of fresh citrus, which is a welcome reprieve from the medley of cream and rum. It's the sweet brunch beverage of champions. 

- Matt Kirouac