Vietnamese food gains popularity in Australia as restaurants expand menus

Restaurants in Australia are serving dishes including 'banh khot,' small crispy savory rice pancakes often topped with shrimp, beef stew and duck curry.

The wider selection is giving Australian diners access to a broader range of Vietnamese food.

Vietnamese restaurants broaden their menus

Thien Le, 29, owner of Grandma Dang restaurant in Brisbane, said his restaurant serves a wide range of Vietnamese dishes, including 'pho,' fresh spring rolls and 'banh mi.'

His family has operated Vietnamese restaurants for three generations.

Thien said his restaurant's best-selling dish is beef stew made with whole beef short ribs.

He has also added butter-fried corn, inspired by 'bap xao,' a popular Vietnamese street food made with stir-fried corn, to the menu.

Fish sauce and garlic butter fried chicken wings are also among the restaurant's popular dishes, he said.

"Australians really like the flavor of butter," Thien said.

Other Vietnamese restaurants in Australia are also expanding their menus beyond traditional staples.

Annie Nguyen, 26, a representative of Nguyen Brothers in Tewantin, said the restaurant serves 'pho' and 'banh mi' as staples.

It also serves Vietnamese home-style dishes such as caramelized pork and ginger-braised chicken.

The restaurant has added less familiar dishes, including 'banh khot,' small crispy savory rice pancakes often topped with shrimp, and Hue-style beef noodle soup, Annie said.

Australians and international diners are already familiar with 'pho,' 'banh mi' and fresh spring rolls, she said.

Introducing less familiar dishes allows restaurants to expose customers to more Vietnamese food and culture, Annie said.

Grandma Dang has been operating for more than a year, but Thien's family has been involved in the Vietnamese restaurant business for decades.

His grandmother previously ran a 'pho' and 'hu tieu,' a Vietnamese rice-noodle soup often served with pork or seafood, restaurant in Vung Tau, now part of Ho Chi Minh City.

The number of Vietnamese restaurants in Australia has increased in recent years, Thien said.

"Vietnamese food has become a trend over the past three or four years," he said.

A local Australian wine supplier told him that Vietnamese people in Brisbane were opening new Vietnamese restaurants every two or three months.

Vietnamese food is also becoming part of the regular diets of some Australian households.

Customers are attracted by the food's taste, affordability and nutritional value, Thien said.

Vietnamese-owned businesses support supply chains

Vietnamese-owned importers and distributors are helping restaurants in Australia maintain supplies of ingredients used in Vietnamese cuisine, according to Thien and Annie.

Seafood is among the main ingredients imported from Vietnam.

Restaurants source products including barramundi, clams and shrimp from Vietnamese suppliers.

Thien said he sources shrimp from a Vietnamese-owned import-export company with decades of experience.

The company supplies restaurants across Queensland, he said.

Restaurants also source rice, rice vermicelli, 'banh hoi,' thin woven sheets of rice vermicelli, and rice paper from Vietnamese-owned suppliers in Australia.

Vietnamese-owned businesses also produce and distribute 'pho' noodles locally, Thien said.

Vietnamese Australians own a significant number of businesses involved in the food supply chain.

In South Australia, Vietnamese-owned companies account for two of the three largest food suppliers, he said.

Australian beef is also an important ingredient for Vietnamese restaurants, according to Thien and Annie.

They said the quality of Australian beef helps restaurants maintain high standards for Vietnamese dishes.

Premium varieties such as Wagyu and Angus allow restaurants to develop higher-end Vietnamese dishes and charge higher prices, Thien said.

Vietnamese food strengthens Australia-Vietnam ties

Nguyen Brothers and Grandma Dang have reported growing customer numbers despite operating in Brisbane's suburbs, outside major Vietnamese population centers such as Melbourne and Sydney.

Both Annie and Thien said the restaurants are attracting Vietnamese and Australian customers.

Australian customers typically order 'pho,' 'banh mi,' fresh spring rolls and Hue-style beef noodle soup, Annie said.

The restaurant is also introducing less familiar Vietnamese dishes to Australian customers, she said.

Vietnamese food is becoming more prominent in Australia's culinary market, creating opportunities for Vietnamese restaurants and food suppliers.

The trend is also helping promote Vietnamese culture among Australian consumers.

Annie said some Australian customers now order food in Vietnamese and use Vietnamese expressions such as "cam on," meaning "thank you," when leaving the restaurant.

She said such interactions encourage her to continue promoting Vietnamese cuisine and culture in Australia.

Thien said some Australian visitors who have traveled to Vietnam seek out Vietnamese food after returning home because they miss its flavors.

Other customers who discover Vietnamese food in Australia may become interested in visiting Vietnam, he said.

Vietnamese people living overseas and international visitors to Vietnam are both contributing to the promotion of Vietnamese food and culture.

That has helped Vietnamese cuisine and culture gain greater visibility in Australia, Thien said.