Highland Hype

Date: 26/01/10

Venue: Highlands Coffee
The Manor, Nguyen Huu Canh. Q.Binh Thanh

With branches in almost every large apartment block, business and office in the city - Metro, Saigon Centre and Diamond Plaza to name but a few - Highlands Coffee really is the Vietnamese answer to Starbucks and until relatively recently the Highlands dynasty monopolised Saigon's coffee culture.

The first branch appeared in 2002 at the Metropolitan building in HCMC and was the brainchild of Viet Kieu, David Thai; no doubt inspired by his Seattle upbringing.  Determined to bring an appreciation of the increasingly-popular coffee shop idea to his home country of Vietnam - a country that still remains free of Starbucks itself - Thai worked hard, initially selling packaged coffee to hotels and restaurants before opening a chain of coffee shops in both HCMC and Hanoi.

Walk around the bustling streets of Saigon, Hanoi and even the smaller towns and before long you will stumble across one of Highland's 70 branches packed with giggling college students, families and bemused travellers soaking up the ambience.

Team Members of CT decided that it is high-time to see how Highlands Coffee is faring given the sudden influx of rival chains: Gloria Jeans, 'The Bean' and NYDC.  So with that goal in mind we headed off to The Manor to see if Highlands can keep the competitors at bay.

Highlands certainly offer a good choice for the cheesecake lover and so three varieties were tested:

Vietnamese Coffee (VC) 
Passionfruit (P)
Caramel (C).


Consistency:
VC - a two layer cake.  The upper coffee flavoured layer has a light mousselike texture and the bottom layer of cheesecake is smooth and creamy.
P - a rich, thick and crumbly texture.  A little dry after being in the glass cabinet all day.
C - incredibly light and mousselike.

Base:
VC - a plain biscuit base
P - a thick chocolate biscuit base
C - same as the passionfruit.
CT members agreed that the chocolate biscuit base added extra flavour and interest.

Presentation:
VC - The most attractive of the 3 with its two layers, one rich brown coffee and the other a white cheesecake layer.  White and dark chocolate swirls adorn the top of the cake.
P - Very plain and simple, a slight sheen on the top indicated that maybe it had been out of a fridge for too long.
C - An attractive cylindrical shaped cake makes a nice change from the usual cheesecake wedge slice.  The rich dark brown colour of the caramel topping and the chocolate base contrast nicely with the light brown middle section.

Taste:
VC - The non-coffee drinker of the group found the taste of the top layer strongly overbearing but the hardened coffee fans found the taste mild and complimentary to the bottom layer.
P - This cake had a tangy fruity taste, making a refreshing change from chocolate and plain cheesecakes.
C - The thin caramel topping has a strong taste that beautifully compliments the airy cheesecake beneath.  CT tester said "I'm disappointed because I have finished it."


Verdict:  Highlands is still fighting fit.
VC - A healthy 7/10
P - A hearty 8/10
C - A phenomenal 9/10