Opening | Bêden Caphé, delicious Viet coffee from Petit Laurier

An adorable little café that looks like a tea room has just opened on avenue Laurier, at the corner of Papineau. Notice to banh mi lovers: here we serve a variation for lunch that is as unique as it is decadent: right in a croissant.

Also on the menu, to order directly at the counter of this new address all decorated in pink, with a wall of books here, a wreath of flowers there, without forgetting this inviting piano in the back: classic banh mi (braised BBQ pork, grilled chicken, marinated tofu, etc.), soups and vermicelli bowls, bao burgers and even a Vietnamese poutine (with sweet potatoes and Chinese sausages).

To drink: in addition to the classic Italian coffees, you must try the Viet coffees (known as: caphé) and other cappuccino taro, without forgetting the nice selection of boba tea (bubble tea) with matcha, melon, or even mango and coconut.

If you are a regular in the neighborhood, perhaps you remember the Mai Lan, at the same address in another life (from 1993 to 2011), which once belonged to “Madame Kim”, a Vietnamese refugee, recently arrived here. The lady is in fact Bê’s mother, the new and joyful owner of the place. Hence the name and nice play on words: Bêden, Den meaning black, and Bê enjoying his caphé black, indeed!

It is still a family affair: one of the brothers started importing Vietnamese coffee (from a different bean, Robusta, with a more pronounced taste), a cousin in the importation of tea, and the whole family gave a helping hand in the renovations in the last year. When we visited one morning this week, parents (including Mrs. Kim!) were also kindly wandering around!

Open every day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

1708, avenue Laurier Est, Montreal