Nha Trang Vietnamese Canteen is a contemporary-yet-casual take on traditional Viet- namese street-food fare, served simply and honestly for a new generation of diners. The restaurant's design concept mirrors this contemporary take by giving a nod to Vietnam's street life, textures, and architectures- using as reference, the region's East-Meets-West historic design language borne out of French Colonial urbanism within town centres, utilising additional are referenced from the rugged-yet-gilded decoration of the Indochine Style.
Designed by JJA / Bespoke Architecture
Because of the shop’s unique location, set centred within a heavily tra cked shopping mall atrium, part of the planning brief was to create a branded outdoor seating area (OSA) within the mall's atrium space, placed adjacent to the typical restaurant's interior oor plan. This allows the design to reference Vietnam's old-colonial urban homes, which are generally found inside small streets, and using this as a way to create an indoor-outdoor garden zone for outside dining. A well defined entrance portal divides this garden space from the interior’s domestic oriented environment, bringing guests to a home-like at- mosphere supported by Architectural window frames in stainless steel, low-wattage gold wall sconces, and mid-century modern concrete tiles for feature walls and some romantic are. The restaurant's open kitchen is positioned in the centre of the plan, and can easily be appreciated by all diners sitting within the interior space. The design was executed in col- laboration with RoanoakCo and Cedar and Moss for lighting, VG&P for chair fabrication, India Mahdavi for Bisazza for Feature tiles, and artist Elsa Jeandedieu for all antique wall renders.
Nha Trang Vietnamese Canteen is an extension of the famous Nha Trang Vietnamese Cuisine restaurant brand in Hong Kong, which has been in operation for 15 years and has a portfolio of 12 Vietnamese restaurants total, all serving Southern Vietnamese street-food fare in a contemporary way, and headed by Executive Chef, Chef Helen Ngo who hails from Vietnam's Halong Bay. The brand proudly specialises on its focus, serving delicious and quality Vietnamese dishes with passion and authenticity, in addition to its warm service of- fering within uniquely considered interior environments at family friendly price points.
The house's signature dish, the Bun Cha, brings avourful pork patties to a chargrill, and placed on a bed of farm fresh vegetables with a helping of rice and vermicelli. Other dishes in the menu include a season shrimp paste grilled on sugarcane and covered with seasonal herbs, plus a classic chicken and rice dish, with chicken slow cooked in a stock infused with garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and pandan leaves and drizzled in scallion oil is served with pick- les and a bed of fresh jasmine grains and washed down with a tall glass of the house's take on the Avocado Smoothie.
