By Josh Barrie
Hong Kong鈥檚 lauded Vietnamese restaurant C么 Th脿nh is to open a site in London this September.
C么 Th脿nh was founded in 2017 by the chef and restaurateur Brian Woo, but its story goes back much further.
Grounded in the scenes and scents of Ho Chi Minh City, C么 Th脿nh is a heartfelt tribute to the late Nguy峄卬 Th峄 Thanh, who was affectionately known as 鈥渢he Lunch Lady鈥 and famed for her southern Vietnamese cooking in Ho Chi Min.
Known as C么 Th脿nh 鈥 C么 translates as 鈥渁unt鈥 in Vietnamese 鈥 her street food stand on Hoang Sa Street attracted daily queues of business folk, tourists, and locals, almost all of whom were seeking out the bowls of spicy bun bo hue.
C么 Th脿nh made hers with fatty pig trotters, slices of salty beef brisket, and a generous portion of cha lua, a type of spiced sausage, all of which would be submerged in a dark broth among tangles of rice noodles.
C么 Th脿nh鈥檚 street-side noodle soups earned her such a devoted following that Anthony Bourdain visited during an episode of his hit show No Reservations, who described her noodle soup as 鈥渄iscovering new neighborhoods every few mouthfuls鈥.
The episode brought her lasting fame and he wore her 鈥淟unch Lady鈥 moniker proudly until her death in May this year.
It also caught the attention of Woo, who spent three years training under Th脿nh before opening his Hong Kong restaurant, which he named in her honour.
Woo was intent on bringing the 鈥渇resh, aromatic flavours鈥 of southern Vietnamese cooking to Hong Kong and will open a second in Covent Garden.
The menu will include the likes of b煤n th谩i, b煤n m岷痬, and b谩nh m矛, Vietnam鈥檚 much-loved baguette sandwiches.
There will also be traditional Vietnamese smoothies, juices, and coffee.
Woo said: 鈥淟ondon has always been a city I鈥檝e admired for its creativity and diversity when it comes to food, so it鈥檚 a real honour to be joining that community.
鈥淓verything I learned from Nguy峄卬 Th峄 Thanh 鈥 the care she took with each dish, the pride in her ingredients, the way she connected with people through food 鈥 has stayed with me, and C么 Th脿nh is my way of continuing her legacy.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited to share her recipes and the bold, vibrant flavours of Vietnam with a new audience, and hopefully create the same sense of warmth and connection she inspired in me.鈥
C么 Th脿nh will open its doors in September at 16 Henrietta Street, WC2E 8QH; @cothanhlondon