Your guide to the best chocolate spots in Edinburgh
13 Sep 2024
13 Sep 2024
The rise of Vietnamese food in Glasgow
Glasgow is lucky to be home to a sizeable Vietnamese community, and equally lucky to be home to some seriously good Vietnamese-owned restaurants. Vietnamese food does, of course, encompass a great deal. The cuisine is multifarious, eclectic, and there are huge regional differences when it comes to ingredients and cooking styles. While North Vietnamese cooking is strongly influenced by Chinese methods of preparing food (with plenty of stir-fry dishes and heavy use of soy-sauce), the Southern regions focus on fresh herbs and seafood. Twenty years ago, Vietnamese food was practically unheard of in Glasgow, and talk of going out to eat in a Vietnamese restaurant was even more unlikely. But happily, over the last five years there seems to have been an awakening – from locals and tourists alike – to the culinary delight that is Vietnamese cuisine.
Hanoi Bike Shop
Perhaps this has something to do with the Hanoi Bike Shop – a charming, delightfully unique eatery, hidden at the end of cobbled mews in Glasgow’s West End. Opened in 2015, the Hanoi Bike Shop was the city’s first Vietnamese Restaurant. Old bike parts line the walls and ceilings, and happy chatter consistently fills the air. Industrial-style benches and stools are dotted about here and there, with staff deftly nipping between them. It’s a positively bustling spot, and the atmosphere is electric.
Promising a taste of the back streets of Hanoi, the menu is extensive – and as you might expect – incredibly appetising. There are punchy street food dishes like mussels in a yellow curry broth, and homemade tofu prepared daily from scratch, glazed in soy and finished with crispy shallots. There’s also hearty pot and grill numbers, like the whole deep-fried gurnard, and a fail-safe build-your-own pho menu. Since it opened its doors, the people of Glasgow fell in love with this canteen-style restaurant, so much so that it now comes recommended by the Michelin Guide. The forerunner of great Vietnamese food in Glasgow – a must visit.
A growing trend
With Glaswegians firmly hooked on the hitherto unfamiliar tastes of Vietnamese cookery, other knock-out restaurants started to pop up. Southside’s Little Hoi An has made its way into every Glasgow food guide going since opening in 2019. This Vietnamese street food restaurant might be tiny, but its huge on flavour. Caramelised pork belly with egg rubs shoulders (quite literally, the seating here really is limited!) with zesty and fresh lemongrass prawns. The coconut curries are something to behold, opulent and shimmering, the orange sauce is laced with garlic, ginger, and lemongrass.
Equally brilliant is NANIKA, which specialises in one thing only: steamed buns (banh bao). Cauliflower buns, spam buns, kedgeree buns, chicken buns, and even black pudding buns – you name it, there’s something for everyone. The buns themselves are prepared using traditional cooking methods, and the vibrant side dishes (togarashi pork rinds; wakame salad), smack of the flavours of Vietnam. NANIKA is passionate about fusion cooking, each of its morsels a skilful combination of the tastes of Scotland with the tastes of Asia. And with reasonable prices, plus a brigade of staff who are super passionate about food, it’s no wonder that this gem has such a cult following.
What would a discussion of Vietnamese food be without reference to Báhn Mì — a sumptuous Vietnamese sandwich consisting of sliced baguette, meat or veggie fillings, and garnished heavily with pickled veg and coriander. Carb-filled and hearty, it’s easy to see why this bread-based treat appeals so readily to Glaswegian sensibilities! Indeed, Báhn Mì are probably the most popular Vietnamese dish in the city. Of course, there’s great dispute about who does it best. Is it Báhn Mì and Tea, the Partick institution that serves up generously sized, and mouthwateringly fresh Báhn Mì at brilliant prices? Or maybe it’s from the West End’s Non Viet Hai, whose tofu Báhn Mì is a firm-favourite amongst vegetarians and vegans. Or maybe it’s the super-authentic Pho 79, hidden inside the St Enoch shopping centre? We’ll let you decide, but whichever you choose, you won’t be left disappointed.
Glasgow is privy to just a small slice of what Vietnamese cookery has to offer, but what a slice it is. From wok-fried dishes brimming with chilli and garlic, to crispy, nutty salads, and warming pho, there’s a lot to get excited about in the way of Vietnamese cookery in Scotland’s most diverse city.
