Hanoi Hannah Vol. II

After noticing a lack of hawker-style food in Melbourne’s southeast, Simon Blacher and Paul Nguyen of The St. Hotel and Nick Coulter of Sarti remedied the problem with Hanoi Hannah in 2012.

Hannah quickly became a Chapel Street staple, leading them to open this sharper, more spacious outpost in 2016. The two share near-identical menus, with a focus on affordability. The most expensive item on the menu is just $17. The five pho dishes (including beef, chicken and mixed mushroom) are standouts. Other options include sticky chicken wings, yellowfin tuna rolls with wasabi mayo, and several iterations of vermicelli salads.

It’s all very reminiscent of the restaurants on Victoria Street in Richmond and Abbotsford. Up to a point, anyway. The decor here is a lot more polished, there’s hip-hop on the stereo and a bunch of decent cocktails, including the Indochina Margarita with cucumber, elderflower and kaffir lime; and jugs of “Oriental Sangria” (passionfruit, pomegranate and Thai basil).