Trà Đào Cam Sả: Peach, Orange & Lemongrass Iced Tea on Grote Street

★ As featured in Glam Adelaide — 2025 SA Restaurant & Catering Awards finalist

There's a particular colour this drink catches when the afternoon light comes through the front windows on Grote Street — a deep, glowing amber-orange, like late summer bottled. Trà đào cam sả is Vietnam's answer to the iced tea question, and at Bà Năm in Adelaide's Chinatown it arrives in a tall glass stacked with ice, orange slices drifting through the tea, a sprig of mint on top. It's $10, it's cold, and after a bowl of something steaming, it's exactly what you want in your hand.

What is trà đào cam sả?

The name tells you everything, in order: trà (tea), đào (peach), cam (orange), sả (lemongrass). It's one of Vietnam's most loved café drinks — tea as the backbone, sweetened with peach, brightened with fresh orange, and given that unmistakable citrusy-herbal lift from lemongrass. You'll find it in cafés from Saigon to Hanoi, usually served tall, always over ice.

It sits in a different corner of the Vietnamese drinks tradition to the famous cà phê sữa đá. Where Vietnamese iced coffee is dark, slow and intense, trà đào cam sả is the opposite: light, fruity, refreshing. Same culture, two moods.

Peach, orange and lemongrass — how the flavours work

Peach does the heavy lifting on sweetness — soft, rounded, a little floral. The orange cuts through it with fresh acidity, and the slices in the glass keep releasing flavour as the ice melts, so the last third of the drink tastes slightly different to the first. Lovely.

Then there's the lemongrass. If you've ever leaned over a bowl of bún bò Huế, you know the aroma — that sharp, clean, lemony-green fragrance that Vietnamese cooking uses everywhere from broths to marinades. In this drink it's the thread that ties the fruit together, keeping the whole thing from tipping into simple sweetness. It's what makes trà đào cam sả taste distinctly Vietnamese rather than just "peach iced tea".

The mint on top is the finishing touch: brush your nose past it on the way to the straw and the whole glass smells cooler.

Why it belongs next to a bowl of phở

Here's the honest pairing logic. Bà Năm's phở tái is built on an 18-hour bone broth — rich, savoury, deep — with paper-thin rounds of rare beef, the "red coin", cooked right in the bowl by the boiling broth itself. It's a warm, full-bodied meal.

Trà đào cam sả is the counterweight. Cold against hot. Bright fruit against savoury depth. A sip between spoonfuls of broth resets the palate, so the next mouthful tastes as vivid as the first. It's the same instinct behind serving pickles with rich food — contrast keeps you interested all the way to the bottom of the bowl. If you're working through our guide to the best phở in Adelaide, consider this the drink to order alongside your research.

On the drinks board at Bà Năm

Trà đào cam sả is $10 on the current menu. It shares the board with a small, well-chosen line-up: cà phê đen đá and nâu đá at $8 for the coffee drinkers, trà tắc (kumquat iced tea) at $10 for those who like their citrus sharper, and nước dừa (coconut water) at $8 for something gentler.

And if you're settling in properly, the sweet endings run the same way — chè Thái, chè khúc bạch and sâm bổ lượng, each $10. We've written more about those in our guide to Vietnamese desserts in Adelaide.

A Grote Street glass with Tây Ninh roots

Bà Năm is named for Bà Năm Lời, who's been cooking from her home kitchen in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh since the 1970s. Her grandson Huynh Nguyen and owner Thi Gai Vo brought those recipes to Grote Street in 2023, and the place runs on the same philosophy today — locally sourced beef, Huynh's Sunday farm runs, real bones in the stockpot. Not a luxury venue, just very genuine.

That approach earned the recognition above — but the drink in front of you doesn't know any of that. It's just cold tea, good fruit and lemongrass, made the way it's made back home.

Visiting

Bà Năm is at 65 Grote Street in Adelaide's Chinatown, open seven days from 11am to 9pm (9:30pm October to March), public holidays included. Peak times bring an honest 15–30 minute wait — worth planning around. Bookings run through OpenTable, walk-ins are always welcome, and groups of eight or more should call ahead on (08) 8151 0106. You can also order through the app at order.phobanam.com.au.

For more on the neighbourhood and what's cooking, browse our guide to Vietnamese food in the Adelaide CBD or the rest of our articles.

Frequently asked questions

If the peach-lemongrass tea is your drink and you still want dessert, chè thái ($10) brings coconut milk and tropical fruit without competing on citrus — go softer with chè khúc bạch, the milky panna-cotta cubes over ice — or keep it light with sâm bổ lượng, the longan herbal iced drink.

What is trà đào cam sả?

It's a classic Vietnamese iced tea made with black tea, peach, fresh orange and lemongrass, served tall over ice — usually with orange slices in the glass and mint on top. The name translates directly: tea, peach, orange, lemongrass.

How much is trà đào cam sả at Bà Năm?

It's $10 on the current menu at Bà Năm, 65 Grote Street, Adelaide Chinatown.

What does trà đào cam sả pair well with?

It's a natural match for phở — the cold, fruity brightness balances the rich, savoury depth of an 18-hour bone broth, refreshing your palate between spoonfuls. It works just as well alongside spicier dishes like bún bò Huế.

What other drinks are on the menu at Bà Năm?

Alongside trà đào cam sả ($10), there's cà phê đen đá and nâu đá at $8, trà tắc (kumquat iced tea) at $10 and nước dừa (coconut water) at $8 — plus desserts like chè Thái, chè khúc bạch and sâm bổ lượng at $10 each.

When is Bà Năm open, and do I need to book?

Seven days a week, 11am–9pm (9:30pm October to March), including public holidays. Bookings are via OpenTable and walk-ins are welcome, though peak times can mean a 15–30 minute wait. Groups of 8+ should call (08) 8151 0106. You can also order via the app at order.phobanam.com.au.