Scrambled, fried or … whipped into beer? It might not be the most conventional way to serve eggs, but a decades-old Hanoi cafe is delighting drinkers with a frothy beer cocktail that has no place on a breakfast menu.

The staple menu item at Giang Cafe in Hanoi’s pulsating Old Quarter is made with cold beer topped with creamy egg yolks whipped with sugar and a touch of butter to boost richness.

Owner Nguyen Chi Hoa says he came up with the recipe in 1999, curious how the combination might turn out.

“I made egg beer just for myself … I thought it was good, so I decided to give it a try to see if anyone agreed,” he says.

The creamy beer concoction wasn’t such a drastic departure from his most popular menu item: Vietnamese coffee topped with sweetened egg froth, now enjoyed in cafes across Hanoi among locals and tourists alike.