There are a couple of things you can do when you desperately miss food from overseas. One, take a trip to eat your fill. Or two, make it here and share the joy. To Melbourne’s great benefit, restaurateurs Hung Dao and Cathie Dinh have brought the food of their old home town to the CBD.
The restaurant is hidden upstairs in an 1891 warehouse that reminds the owners of the French quarter in Hanoi, where many buildings were constructed around the same time. They’ve imported lanterns and street signs, and framed the dining room with timber trimming, crafting an airy Indochine interior. It overlooks the city bustle but is at arm’s length, giving a sense of retreat and respite. That calm feeling is also because the owners are experienced operators. They opened Springvale’s Quan Lua 10 years ago (since sold), and added Gac Bep, also in Springvale, two years ago.
When Melbourne’s first wave of Vietnamese immigrants arrived in the 1970s and ’80s, they were mostly from southern Vietnam, so the bold, sweet, spicy, herb-laden flavours of the Mekong Delta became the signature profile of Vietnamese food here. Northern food is less spicy, more restrained and savoury. For the most part, that’s what you can expect at Hanoia.
Cha nem Ha Noi are pork-and-prawn spring rolls, made to Hung’s mother’s recipe. Mince, shiitake mushrooms, vermicelli and spring onions are wrapped in special rice paper from Tho Ha, a village near Hanoi known for its handicrafts. The starchy paper fries to a beautiful, translucent crisp.
Bun cha is a street food classic of pork patties and belly slices served in room temperature broth alongside rice noodles, pickles and herbs. At Hanoia, the pork mince is marinated in condensed milk, which not only makes it sweeter, but also amplifies the char when the patties are grilled. The broth is tweaked to the Melbourne palate, a sweeter-than-traditional mixture of vinegar, fish sauce and sugar. There’s no wrong way to eat bun cha: chopstick separately or make parcels with all the ingredients together.
Hanoi’s famous fish dish, cha ca la vong, is stir-fried at each table over a gas burner. Skin-on bone-in catfish pieces are char-grilled in the kitchen, then delivered to the table in a wok with spring onion and dill. Staff will help you cook it up. Alongside, there are fermented shrimp paste, vermicelli and chopped peanuts: put a little of everything in your bowl and enjoy the hearty, funky, satisfying combination.
The subtleties of northern dishes are to the fore in the chicken pho. Whole free-range chickens are simmered for five hours to make a full-flavoured but unfussy broth, best experienced in the pho ga moc, with chicken and pork meatballs. You’ll also see some of hip Hanoi’s trendiest dishes here, including doi sun chien, a sausage made with chicken ‘soft bones’ (cartilage), pork mince and mung beans. The snag is fried, sliced and served with shrimp dipping sauce. Coffee drinks are hyped in northern Vietnam; Dinh loves the salted cream coffee, a sweet-salty winner that will face off against the cumquat iced tea for Hanoia’s most popular summer drink.
Are Melbourne and Hanoi foodie sister cities? Two Hanoian soup specialists have opened outposts here: there’s ever-popular Pho Thin (city, Springvale and Doncaster), and newer Pho Bat Dan on Lonsdale Street, an offshoot of Hanoi’s Pho Gia Truyen. In St Kilda, there’s a sweet slice of Hanoi at Annamese Kitchen. I’m happy to have local options that give me a taste of Vietnam. But I’m also glad I’ll still have to visit Hanoi for the specific energy of that city, with its steamy weather, dynamic street stalls and ritual timings (pho early, bun cha for lunch). Until I get back to Hanoi though, I’ll happily see you at Hanoia.
Three other great restaurants hiding upstairs
Rufio
It’s easy to miss Rufio but once you’re up here, there’s plenty to love. The Latin fusion menu is completely gluten-free and has lots for vegetarians, there’s a huge rooftop area, and there are bottomless margarita brunches on weekends.
1st floor, 188 Carlisle Street, St Kilda, rufio.co
Gunpowder Social
Close to Glen Waverley station, this exuberant restaurant has an open-air balcony and a region-hopping menu with contemporary flair. Popular dishes include a truffle butter chicken, the ‘drunko lambo’ (rum-grilled lamb chops) and an Indian-style tiramisu.
Level 3, 73-75 Kingsway, Glen Waverley, gunpowdersocial.com.au
Liar Liar
Above Meat Flour Wine, which has the same owners, there’s a cheeky new restaurant with a focus on cocktails, Japanese fusion dishes, and an irreverent omakase experience. There are DJs and a dance floor on weekend evenings, and Saturday afternoon means bottomless Sip ‘n’ Sushi (unlimited sushi and drinks).
Level 1, 248 Boundary Road, Braeside, liarliarbraeside.com.au
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