In Sydney, there is no shortage of Vietnamese eateries (a.k.a. vietery or vieteries) but Kinhboy, a recently-opened restaurant in Redfern, does not intend to be just “one more noodle house” in the city.
From the group that owns Tokki (Surry Hills) and Khoi (Barangaroo), Kinhboy‘s operators aim for the vietery to become a casual nightspot, where the food is traditionally Vietnamese but elevated in creation, presentation and flavour.
Executive chef Peter Wu grew up in a restaurant for most of his life, as influenced by his mum, a former teacher who got a job as a kitchenhand when the family immigrated to Australia in 1988. Mama Linh was best at preparing food the old-fashioned way, which became the foundation of Peter’s cooking, but as a businessman, he was aware that his restaurant would need to have its own spin.
So, he recreated traditional Vietnamese dishes and made something like the restaurant favourite — bánh xèo tacos.
Bánh (cake) xèo (sizzle) is popular Vietnamese street food. Traditionally, it’s rice batter cooked so crispy and made into a stuffed pancake or crepe filled with pork, prawns, a lot of green onions, bean sprouts and mung bean, and may also be served with lettuce or basil.
At Kinhboy, this food is served taco-style, perfect for drinking with Kinhboy’s extensive brews or cocktails.
As for the ambience, the dimly lit vibe mimics fine dining restaurants, where diners are encouraged to linger and, presumably, order more food. However, there’s also a fun element to the decorations around the vietery, with one particular wall becoming quite popular on social media.
For table bookings, trading hours, menu and other enquiries, phone Kinhboy at (02) 8399 0535 or follow its Instagram and Facebook pages.
“Our second visit in five weeks. Impressive flavours and presentation of modern Vietnamese/Asian food. Mud crab and mushroom dumplings were standout dishes. Small wine selection, but we enjoyed the semillon. Great service and atmosphere worthy of a date night.”
Susan Church Point
“Had first visit here tonight. Absolutely great place. Friendly, attentive staff. The menu is great. A little different to your usual Vietnamese. Really good. Pho king amazing. I’ll be back for sure.”
Warren Williams
“Absolutely amazing and delicious food. Highly recommend it and it’s decent pricing for up market Vietnamese food. The bbq duck spring rolls and crispy pork & green mango lotus salad was to DIE FOR!!! Service was good too as the food came quickly and the chefs were good to talk to and praise. Will be coming back again and again and again!”
Caitlin Lawrence