Kei Coffee House Is Taking the OC’s Coffee Scene to the Next Level | Eater LA

"Set in a 4,000-square-foot space in the heart of Little Saigon, I found Kei Coffee House designed to serve quick coffee runs, languid meet-ups, and remote work with an abundance of natural light, leather seating, blonde wood accents, and pops of greenery that give the place a Scandinavian-minimal vibe. It took nearly four years to come to life (with permitting alone lasting two and a half years), and Viet Nguyen—founder, CEO, and executive chef of Kei Concepts—built the menu from research trips to Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore, citing Ho Chi Minh City shops Running Bean and Mille Mille as key inspirations. The cafe brews Arabica and Robusta beans from South America with plans to add Asian beans later, offers classics like espresso, flat whites, and cold brew, and features specialty drinks such as a banana toffee latte made with homemade banana milk, cheese foam, and toffee and a melon espresso tonic made with fresh honeydew and tonic water; there’s also an extensive tea list emphasizing matcha and coconut-based blends. A full kitchen and daily in-house baked goods program rounds out the offering—classic and almond croissants, cookies (corn cheese, chocolate chip, white chocolate chip macadamia, cranberry oat), señorita bread (milk and butter, cheese), and the Vietnamese–French beef pate chaud—plus items like egg bites, popcorn chicken, and pasta. If you want a regular cup of Joe, that’s available; if you want something adventurous that you’d probably have to fly halfway around the world to find, that’s on the menu too." - Cathy Chaplin