Coming to Hai Phong, most visitors knew about Food-tour but trying Drink-tour with unique variations on Hai Phong culture, cuisine and people is a much more special experience!
On a cold morning, I visited Hai Phong with an eagerness to discover the special things about this city. My friend said that if you want to understand more about the warmth and life stories of Hai Phong people or enjoy the city cuisine, you should come to a small shop on Tran Khanh Du Street. Of course, I believe in the sincere sharing of my friend who is an expert on the city cuisine and knows every corner of the City.
An old space with a very unique feature, there are some paintings of "the waves at the bottom of the river" - an unforgettable legendary film of the late 1980s and early 1990s Hai Phong people hanging on the wall.
The shop’s concept looks like that film itself; the tables and chairs or layout clearly show the life and people of Hai Phong City in the 1950s. While enjoying the decoration, the waiter gave me the menu with a smile. At the shop, coffee and tea are sold during the daytime, and cocktails are sold in the evening. The names of drinks on the menu are also very cool, the coffee dishes are all named after the life and love story of Mr. Nui (a character in that film). And other strange and curious names for customers as “shaking wave”, or “the waves miss the shore” ... I decided to order a “shaking wave” drink after hearing the description of the aroma of quality coffee that made the famousness of Wave Shop. While waiting for the order, I slowly felt the peaceful, gentle atmosphere of the shop. Although the tables are almost full, the guests are very civilized, each person has his own corner to sip a cup of coffee or focus on his work.
That day, the waiter told me about the meaning of opening the Wave Shop, the owners wanted to preserve traditional values, from showing the typical space or bringing pure Vietnamese ingredients with Vietnam and Hai Phong characteristics into drinks. After enjoying a cup of “shaking wave” drink, and leaving the shop, the staff suggested that I should come back to the shop in the evening to find a completely different Wave Shop. Indeed, when I came back to the shop in the evening, it was no longer a pretty coffee shop with the sun shining through the windows, the Wave Shop was transformed into a space for enjoying super cool "fragrance alcohol" with affectionate Jazz tunes.
I immediately ordered a glass with the name "crab noodle specialty". Well, it really has a strong taste with the attractive smell of piper lolot leaves, served with a piece of chopped pork, it must say "that's delicious". The staff of the Wave Shop are very creative by turning the flavor of Hai Phong famous delicacies into drinks. During Tet holiday, there is "Ba Cot pudding" in a “tipsy version”; in the summer, there is "chrysanthemum tea" on the sidewalk, which also makes us drunk; and in the autumn, many Portland cuisine such as "crab noodle, bloating fern-shaped cake or coconut coffee" ... are introduced in the menu.
A day at the Wave Shop made me drunk with Hai Phong and Portland people as well as their passions and unexpected creative drinks.