Food and Drink editors Vanessa Lim and Gurleen Kaur visit Tranquil 1992 praising their authentic Vietnamese coffee

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Images by Vanessa Lim

On a rainy Sunday afternoon your Food and Drink editors find themselves at the cosy Tranquil 1992 Coffee House and, true to its name, it provides a serene atmosphere to caffeinate oneself and catch up with friends. Tranquil 1992 is a cafe located in Jewellery Quarter specialising in authentic Vietnamese coffee. It takes approximately 15 minutes on the tram to get there from Birmingham city centre. Jewellery Quarter itself is a rather cosy quiet area of Birmingham so if you’re looking to get out of the hustle and bustle of the Bullring and the German Market, we would recommend taking the short trip down to unwind after exams or assignments or find a calm environment to study in.

The cafe is embracing the festive season […] it is populated with little decorative gems

In addition to their usual chic décor the café is embracing the festive season with Christmas decorations abounding the interior. The café is populated with little decorative gems like fashion magazines, a record player and some stylish art on the walls. The lo-fi music and very friendly staff help you settle into a beautiful comforting atmosphere, which makes up for the small seating –  adding to the warmth of the place.

Gurleen – Oat Latte

Tranquil do provide some vegan options! While many of their authentic Vietnamese drinks use condensed milk their Vietnamese espresso can be tried in an oat or coconut latte. They also recommend for matcha, their Oat Matcha with vanilla syrup. They often have special vegan cookies, in previous times serving triple chocolate, Biscoff and matcha cookies.

I decided to try their Oat Latte and we both tried the vegan oat and raisin cookie. As soon as it arrived at the table I noticed the adorable white and orange cup it was served in. Now, a bad latte can seriously put you off lattes and I’ve noticed in the past that the taste of the milk can overpower the espresso and coffee flavour, but this was far from the case here. The espresso had a prominent flavour, but it was not bitter, it had a rather rounded somewhat nutty taste which is likely due to the Vietnamese robusta coffee beans Tranquil use.

The espresso had a prominent flavour […] a rounded somewhat nutty taste

Vanessa – Cinnamon White Coffee:

I decided to try their winter drink special option of Cinnamon White Coffee. I went with the iced option, recommended by the staff member as he personally prefers iced drinks. When the barista served us the drinks, my drink came with a little gingerbread man cookie, which was absolutely adorable! It was a simple but flavorful gingerbread cookie. The flavors in this white coffee blended really well together, and I did not regret going with the iced version at all! In the Cinnamon White Coffee, you could definitely taste the hints of cinnamon, and it paired really well with the Vietnamese white coffee. The Vietnamese espresso mixes really well with the condensed milk and dairy milk, and the flavors were further enhanced by the use of cinnamon syrup and cinnamon powder. Do make sure to stir the drink well before drinking it— so that all the elements properly blend well into each other. This drink definitely made me feel festive and excited for the holiday season. In my opinion, it is definitely worth the trip to visit the store for this drink specifically!

You could definitely taste the hints of cinnamon, and it paired really well with the Vietnamese white coffee

Oat and Raisin Cookie:

As for the oat and raisin cookies, they were chewy and thick, and quite big which means you definitely get your money’s worth. It had a beautifully subtle cinnamon flavour to it, perfect for the autumnal-wintry season. The portion of raisins in the cookies were generously amounted; it is safe to say that in every single bite, the raisins were not lacking at all. So if you’re a fan of raisins, you should definitely come try it for yourself. You could also taste the oats in the cookie— the nutty oat flavour really helped enhance the overall cookie, well complimenting the subtle cinnamon notes. They additionally offered to warm up the cookie, which was very much appreciated on a cold rainy day.

We highly encourage visiting this café if you’ve ran out of new cafes to visit in the city centre. It is definitely worth the visit to try something new and learn about all the different ways coffee can be enjoyed. This authentic Vietnamese Coffee House is definitely in our top cafe lists!


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