It was a bold move for Eddie Nguyen to open in 2004. "He didn’t even know how to make coffee,” says wife Maria 'Trang' Nguyen, who launched the business with him in Sydney's Cabramatta. "He had no idea, it was totally random!"
It's especially remarkable when you consider Vietnamese-style iced coffee has since become one of the cafe's signature drinks. It also reflects the southwestern suburb's longstanding connection with the Vietnamese community.
The family business leans on the couple's upbringing, highlighting the Southern Vietnamese culture Eddie was raised with and Maria's background in pharmacy and experiences growing up in Sydney.
“Cabramatta back then was notoriously known for being troublesome. It was only after the police station got built that Eddie thought things were really going to change,” she says.
“At first, there weren’t that many cafes. There weren’t many cafes that only served drinks," she adds.
"Eddie opened one of the first cafes in Cabramatta that offered drinks only," Maria claims. "A place where you can come to talk to your friends and enjoy your drink."
After the success of the first Café Nhớ, they established branches in .
With their venues, they championed avocado shakes and beverages that "have always been a popular dessert drink in Vietnam”, Eddie says.
“My grandmother used to make avocado shakes for my dad. Eddie is from Miền Tây () and they place a lot of importance in food. They always eat fresh fruits. It definitely influences who we are and the ingredients we use,” says Maria.
The nutritional power of wholefoods and books like by Lisa Mosconi have influenced Maria, and the cafes share this health-conscious approach. Eddie and Maria favour ingredients that are good for you – like avocados and pennywort – and they prefer to use local fruits (dragonfruit, mangos), even if it's more expensive to buy what's grown close by.
He didn’t even know how to make coffee. He had no idea, it was totally random!
With house-made tapioca pearls, naturally flavoured bubble milk tea and fresh fruit ice-cream flavours on the menu, it's obvious they don't mess around with nature too much. And as Eddie points out, it's not just about being healthy – you can taste the difference when natural flavours are allowed to shine.
“What’s special about our menu – and particularly our house-made ice-cream – is that it is made with real fruit," he says. This might not have the instant "strong hit" of artificial ingredients, but a natural flavour has a lingering impact. It can "come through slowly, increase in intensity, then it stays", he says.
Eddie might not have been a coffee expert when he started the business, but he's since taught himself to roast his own beans. "I like not to roast too dark or too light, to get the top flavour," he says. Eddie does prefer a darker roast for the Vietnamese coffee he serves across the multiple outlets, though.
“There’s Eddie, myself, my brother Nhat and sister-in-law [Angela] who now run the cafes," says Maria. "My husband and sister-in-law came up with the ideas and they are just having such a great time. When we are experimenting with recipes, our family are the judges. My family is very tight and we’re very blessed, we are the company.”
For them, it’s not just about getting caffeine or dessert drinks from concept to cup – it’s about carving out a sanctuary for cafe traditions that have largely been overlooked in artisan coffee culture.
Their collaboration has led to avocado and durian smoothies and fruit cocktails and, if you're wondering what their latest invention is, a pennywort and coconut drink with mung bean foam and pandan jelly. "We love pandan. Much of Asia loves pandan," says Eddie. "I'm going to make coffee with pandan.
He's still working on it, but is happy with how it's developing. "It tastes very nice."
In the meantime, there's Café Nhớ's fruit cocktail recipe, which offers a good excuse to scoop up generous spoonfuls of rice fruits. It's refreshing, it's sweet and it's perfect for the summer days ahead.
Café Nhớ's signature fruit cocktail
Serves 1
Ingredients
- 1 cup mixed fruits (try a combination of watermelon, honeymelon, rockmelon, papaya, strawberry and jackfruit)
- ½ cup avocado
- ½ cup palm seeds
- ½ cup water chestnuts
- Cornstarch flour, for coating
- Shaved ice, for serving
- Condensed milk, for serving
- 1 tbsp passionfruit
Method
- Cut the mixed fruits, avocado and palm seeds into cubes (around 1-1.5cm wide) and set aside.
- Cube the water chestnuts and coat them in cornstarch.
- Fill a small pot with water and place on medium heat. Add coated water chestnuts to the pot and bring to a boil.
- Turn the heat off once the flour coating becomes clear and translucent.
- Drain water and remove the coated water chestnuts from the pot and leave aside to cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, toss all the fruits together.
- Add shaved ice and condensed milk to the bowl (adjust the amount to your preference) and combine with the fruit mixture.
- Drizzle passionfruit on top of the mixture.
- Add the coated water chestnut on top of the mixture and serve.
