Tasty Vietnamese Food at Three Fifty Cafe

Last week I had a chance to spend some time at Cully’s Three Fifty Cafe, and tried a handful of delicious items. If you haven’t been by, I recommend stopping in soon. From coffee to banh mi to salad rolls, the cafe is offering really good Vietnamese food that I look forward to eating again.

Note: I was invited by the owners who comped my meal, but observations are my own.

Prescott Cafe Becomes Three Fifty Cafe

Last time I had been inside this building it was the Prescott Cafe, where I had a traditional American breakfast, not to mention a gigantic cinnamon roll. Prescott Cafe, which had been there for decades, closed in September 2022. The owner sold the property to Anh Bui the following November. And Three Fifty Cafe opened February 2023. It was nice to hear that the former owners stopped in for the grand opening earlier this year.

I asked Anh why she wanted to open the cafe and it turns out she’d wanted to do something like this for quite a while. Life intervenes, though, and forces one to put things off sometimes. Her kids are now grown, and now she has the time to spend on this dream of hers.

Egg Coffee Is Delicious

When I arrived, we exchanged greetings and she offered me an egg coffee.

I had not had one of those before, so I didn’t really know what to expect—but man, was it good. It’s Vietnamese coffee (she uses a custom mix of Cafe du Monde and Trung Nguyên Coffee) brewed through a phin filter, and topped with an egg yolk beaten with milk and sugar, or sweetened condensed milk, then topped with cinnamon. It’s like having a custardy meringue on top of strong coffee. It is sweet and rich—I loved it.

Banh Mi for Me

I then had a banh mi with lemongrass chicken. Also very good.

Along with the chicken, there were carrots, cucumber, cilantro, and sliced jalapeños, which were at the perfect heat level for me (though Anh says they can be hotter or milder, you just never know). And instead of using mayonnaise on the sandwich, she uses a savory spread containing butter. It was very nice! Lighter than a lot of mayo. I liked how balanced the sandwich was, from ingredients to heft.

The bread was very good—the exterior had a thin crispy exterior and a soft interior. The bread, as you bite into the sandwich, compresses. It is very easy to eat and provides the right amount of support for the fillings. I also had a taste of her vegetarian pate, which she makes in-house. It’s a mushroom-walnut spread that had good depth to it, and when put to bread, the flavors bloom.

I asked Anh why she named the cafe “Three Fifty.” She laughed and said, “Oh, that is the temperature I use for most of my baked goods!”

Coconut Milk and Pandan Cake

She gave me this beautiful cake, too.

The entire thing is made from coconut milk and pandan with a jelling agent. The jelled dessert is quite firm, and reminds me a little of the texture of a hard boiled egg yolk. I was expecting something a little softer, but this “crispy” texture has its own appeal. For me, it is an acquired texture, but the sweetened pandan and coconut flavors were right up my alley.

Taro Bubble Tea

I ended my time at Three Fifty Cafe with a cup of taro bubble tea. I first tried bubble tea (aka boba) in the late 1990s when I worked at Cal. My coworker Randall said “you’ll either love it or hate it.” Well, I loved it. I can’t imagine hating it! I am a bubble tea fan.

Taro is my favorite flavor when it comes to milk tea drinks, and while I enjoy the kind made with powder it is always a treat to encounter it made from the actual taro root, which is they way they make it here. She boils the taro but then roasts it with the tea. This gives it a toasty, caramelized flavor that I absolutely loved. Plus those chewy tapioca balls have the perfect texture.

Sometimes she will add a bit of ube to make it that conventional lavender color, but I was totally ok with a more natural color.

I was also sent off with a couple of sizable salad rolls. I gave them a try and enjoyed them—everything was fresh inside. For those shrimp lovers out there, there are three gorgeous shrimp halves in each, along with rice noodles, pork, and a super flavorful peanut sauce. I’d love to try the vegetarian ones, too. Speaking of vegetarian, you can get a banh mi with a deep-fried tofu cutlet that is seasoned with green onion that sounds fantastic! I definitely want to eat it.

The Dining Room

Here’s a little bit of the interior (click to enlarge).

In contrast, this is what it looked like when it was Prescott Cafe.

Quite a change! Anh wanted things to feel more bright and airy instead of the cluttered space it once was. The carpet was pretty old, too, so they replaced it with light-colored tiles. It makes the place seem larger, for sure.

Many thanks to Anh and her daughter Linh for inviting me over. I hope you will stop by and pick up some delicious Vietnamese food at Three Fifty Cafe! I’ll certainly be back.

Three Fifty Cafe
6205 NE Prescott Street, Portland
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm
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Updated December 4, 2024. Note: This place has closed.