A coffee shop with an authentic, decadent twist is perking up North Dallas: Called Roché Coffee, it's an indie shop that specializes in Vietnamese coffee and matcha drinks, located at 17062 Preston Rd. #130, in the same shopping center as Cris and John's and Deli News.

Roche was founded by Kendall Luu, a native of Vietnam with an entrepreneurial streak who wanted to share the unique tradition of coffee as it's enjoyed in her homeland. In addition to Vietnamese coffee, the shop's other foundation is matcha, the Japanese green tea drink that's become a major trend across the U.S.

Luu began Roche first as a pop-up, before graduating to this brick & mortar location, where it opened with great fanfare in mid-October.

The menu is broken into three main categories: Vietnamese coffee, flavored lattes, and matcha drinks.

Vietnamese coffee
Vietnamese coffee refers both to the coffee beans and style of roasting, as well as Vietnamese coffee drinks.

• Beans: As Roche notes on its website, Vietnam is one of the world's largest coffee producers, and most of it is robusta beans, which are bolder and more bitter, with about twice the caffeine of arabica (the beans used by most popular coffee chains). Vietnamese robusta beans are generally roasted dark, for a rich, chocolatey, full-bodied cup.
• Drinks: Vietnamese coffee is also a beverage, which combines coffee with sweetened condensed milk. It's made using a small metal filter, called a phin, which results in a concentrated, intense brew.

"At Roché, we source our robusta beans directly from Vietnam and brew them slowly, drop by drop, through a traditional metal phin," Luu says. "We stir in sweetened condensed milk and keep the brew at full strength so the deep, bold flavor of the coffee still comes through the sweetness."

DFW has a few places doing Vietnamese coffee but it's still a somewhat unfilled niche.

"That's the tradition I wanted to bring to Dallas, from the patience it takes to brew a cup to that first sip that tastes like home," Luu says.

They approach matcha with the same fastidiousness, sourcing ceremonial-grade matcha directly from Japan and whisking it by hand for every order.

Menu
They make their coffee-based lattes with either traditional espresso or, for a twist, with Vietnamese coffee. Both lattes and matchas come in decadent flavors such as banana matcha topped with a thick layer of foam and slices of banana; or the Biscoff matcha, layered with Biscoff spread, cookie crumbles, and a Biscoff cookie.

They also offer the Einspänner Latte, a buzzy layered drink that first emerged in Korean cafes, featuring espresso, cold milk, ice, and Viennese whipped cream; the cream cunningly serves as an insulator to separate hot from cold.

Prices average $8, but the shop is as much a dessert experience as a drink stop.

Their flavors embody the hottest trends including tiramisu, Starbucks' seasonal flavor for the fall, which they make with espresso, tiramisu syrup, mascarpone cream, and a ladyfinger cookie garnish. They call it "your favorite dessert for your coffee break."

They also offer pastries such as croissants, muffins, and poptarts from acclaimed Dallas bakery La Casita Bakeshop.

The shop is bright and tastefully appointed, with a sleek white interior and touches of Starbucks-style deep green. Furniture is curvy and modern, evoking Eero Saarinen.

Aesthetics are an important part of the experience, Luu says.

"We measure each ingredient carefully and give just as much attention to how the drink looks, from the first pour to the finishing touches," she says. "I want that care to come through the moment we place the cup in someone's hands, before they even take their first sip."