Bánh Bánh: Bringing Vietnam To Brixton
Discussing weekend plans on a typical Friday afternoon, I casually commented to colleagues that the next day I was heading to Brixton for a Vietnamese brunch.
Looks of puzzlement filled their faces and “What on Earth is that?” quickly followed. Frankly, I had no idea, but I was on a mission to find out.
Our Saturday trip to Bánh Bánh in Brixton was an exciting one. Being a massive brunch fan I think brunch, as well as a weekly massage, should be compulsory for everyone. It doesn’t matter where you go, how fancy or simple. For me, it is an experience of utter relaxation and “switching off”. Sitting down for brunch, with a newspaper spread out in front me – an act that truly says “it’s the weekend and I’m having some me time”.
I’m also a huge fan of Asian food, full stop. Be it Balinese, Vietnamese, Thai– I can eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, quite literally any time of the day. So a Vietnamese brunch had already ticked two very important boxes in my life.
A short walk from Brixton station, Bánh Bánh sits on the quieter Coldharbour Lane. It is the second addition to the family run venture, which originally opened in Peckham over two years ago.
The décor was clean, simple and tasteful, complete with very warm and welcoming staff.
It truly is a family affair! Run by five siblings, the new 62-cover restaurant and cocktail bar, serve typical Vietnamese dishes, which follow their grandmother’s recipes with an added French twist.
These are authentic dishes you would find in Vietnam, with French influence, explained An Nguyen, one of the five siblings who welcomed us to the restaurant and talked about its history. All the dishes follow recipes of their grandma who used to work as a chef in Saigon in the 40s. She then arrived in UK in the 80s, packing up all her belongings into one big metal suitcase, “like Mary Poppins”, said An.
As well as the dishes found in the Peckham restaurant, this Brixton branch added a number of brunch offerings to the menu, served between Fridays and Sundays.
We shared a portion of fresh Summer Rolls and a pleasantly spicy plate of Papaya Salad. For mains, I opted for the Bánh Xèo Sizzling Crepe with tofu and mushrooms and my brunching companion had the Eggs Bo Ne, a sizzling beefsteak with fried egg, pork pate and a warm French baguette.
We drank a “knock your socks off” Bloody Mai – a Vietnamese take on Bloody Mary, made with gin, sriracha, Worcestershire sauce, lemon, tomato and a hint of fish sauce.
There were plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free dishes to choose from too.
When I visited Vietnam a few years ago, I never had a chance to try a traditional Vietnamese coffee, which is served with condensed milk (one of my guilty pleasures). To my delight, it was offered on the menu and was as delicious as I imagined.
Bánh Bánh brings a true taste of Vietnam to Brixton and I urge you to try it for yourself.
- Bánh Bánh Brixton is open Tuesday to Sunday for dinner and serves brunch Friday to Sunday. For bookings visit http://www.banhbanh.com/brixton/. Location: 326 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8QH; Nearest tube: Brixton
