So we finally have a new Vietnamese restaurant in town. Except for it is not the one everyone was expecting.

You would be forgiven for walking past without noticing as it still operates under the old “BBQ Chickesn – Fish & Chips” faded blue and yellow sign – thanks to the roadworks on O’Shanassy Street it will stay up for some time.

Jimmy and Duyen seem to have it all sorted: he cooks good, authentic Vietnamese food while she is in charge of bubble tea (first in Sunbury to my knowledge) and fresh juice. You might want to order extra spring rolls, though.

Oh, and don’t forget coffee. While the shop serves MIO which is pretty good they also can make you cà phê sữa đá if you like. Vietnamese coffee is not something you would normally put through a machine but rather drip slowly into a cup. Dark and strong, with some condensed milk or topped up with ice or whipped cream it is roughly an equivalent of a short..ish black I guess. Roasted in Australia it is sourced from Vietnam. Just don’t expect any crema.

It will be interesting to see in a couple of months how the two restaurants will compare but it seems they take two different approaches. Saigon Hot Food started out quietly, with no frills decent Vietnamese food and drinks, no BYO alcohol and no advertising to speak of. It was cash only (still is until ETPOS machine arrives). District 3429 has got 500+ likes on Facebook already (nearly 600 at the moment, actually) – that is with a couple of months still to go before opening so customers lining up are guaranteed for some weeks at least.