Brixton is well known for its diverse range of creative, fast-paced, accessibly priced eateries. But serene, wholly immersive culinary escapism? So far, not so much. Enter the new and improved Banh Banh on Coldharbour Lane, reimagined by creative duo Joseph Losper and Tomio Shota of London design studio House of Baby, and Hanoi-born artist and head of operations AP Nguyen.
The trio most recently worked on the launch of the ever-lively Lai Rai in Peckham (which went on to win a Michelin Bib Gourmand) before they stepped away from the project to rework Banh Banh.
The restaurant, which originally opened in 2017, has now been entirely reconceptualised. There’s no pho, for a start. “People in Vietnam don’t eat pho for dinner,” Nguyen tells Broadsheet. “They eat it for breakfast as a kind of solo dining experience. For dinner it’s about sharing.” This is something Banh Banh 2.0 wants to run with. “It’s about sitting together with your family and having that one meal of the day where you see everyone, and the food is in the middle.”
“There’s such a range of flavour and range of presentation and styles of eating in Vietnam that just aren’t present in London,” Nguyen continues. “We wanted to highlight a broader range of interesting, authentic Vietnamese dishes.”
For the most part, the team has shifted the focus towards home-style cơm nhà dishes, and sharing platters known as mẹt. These include grilled turmeric monkfish with dill and vermicelli; lemongrass pork sausage and starfruit skewers with peanut dip; and grilled beef wrapped in betel leaves.
Elsewhere, previous specials such as braised pork belly and caramelised catfish have been promoted to signature mains. Another is the steamed pork cabbage rolls in tomato sauce – a comforting dish that Nguyen describes as something you would “never ever find” in a London restaurant.
Alongside a concise list of beer and European wine, a clutch of classic cocktails have been given a Vietnamese twist, including a sesame-spiked Boulevardier, jasmine Martini and cilantro (coriander) Margarita.
But for the trio, the food and drink is only half the story. Given their background in art and design, the interiors have been a labour of love.
Their main goal? To bring a unique – and, crucially, affordable – restaurant to the area. “It’s really rare to find a more elevated experience that still isn’t going to break your wallet in a place like Brixton,” says Nguyen.
A pink-tiled traditional Vietnamese shrine welcomes visitors to this undeniably ethereal space, dressed with fruit, flowers and incense.
“One of the things we talked about a lot [when designing the space] was this idea of discovery,” says Losper. “As you enter, you can’t see much… and then you move through and everything kind of reveals itself.”
A curved glass-brick wall catches the light; a raised platform nods to the traditional phản (a low wooden structure used for everything from eating to napping); and the dining room opens out in warm, iron-oxide yellows, revealing paintings of everyday objects from Vietnamese cooking and dreamlike frescoes hand-painted by Shota over the course of several weeks.
Up front, a separate space with fold-away doors that can become a covered terrace – beneath a striking, aquamarine Vietnamese fan and more illustrations by Shota – is set to be prime real estate come summer.
For Nguyen, the aim of Banh Banh 2.0 is simple: “I want people to feel like the space is calm, that they’re welcome, and that they can stay for a while.”
Banh Banh
326 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8QH
Hours:
Mon to Thu 6pm–9.30pm
Fri midday–3pm, 6pm–10pm
Sat midday–10pm
