Vietnamese food has become increasingly popular in Auckland with a number of eateries offering Vietnamese food popping up across the city.
But one - that occupies a wooden shed on Shortland Street in Auckland’s CBD - stands out for offering some truly unique dishes.
While most Vietnamese restaurants have dishes from Hanoi in the north or Saigon in the south, Vie specializes in dishes from the central region of Hue.
Vie founder, 30-year-old Angela Nguyen, was born and raised in Hue, the former royal capital of Vietnam, and comes from a family with a strong background in the food business back in her home country.
“I moved to Auckland 13 years ago and what I missed most from home is the food,” Nguyen said.
“We have a lot of Vietnamese restaurants in Auckland, but they are from Hanoi in the north and Saigon in the south and their food is very different.”
After finishing high school, Nguyen worked in a bakery helping an aunt and it was then that she learned how to cook dishes from her hometown from her mum.
When she chanced upon a street-side cafe that had been vacant since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Nguyen saw an opportunity to start a business serving unique traditional Hue cuisine.
Her goal is to promote Vietnamese food and culture - and show that Vietnamese cuisine is more than just Bánh Mì and Phở.
One of her creations, the Vie Banh Xeo - her take on a Vietnamese pancake - was nominated as one of Auckland’s top 100 iconic dishes for 2024.
Hue food is distinctively different from the other Vietnamese regions, with specialties that include Bun Bo Hue - spicier alternative to Pho, Banh Beo Hue, a type of steamed rice cake topped with minced pork and shrimp, and Banh Nam that is made from rice batter filled with shrimp and pork wrapped in banana leaves.
“I wanted to open my own business and challenge myself to make authentic Hue food,” Nguyen said.
The restaurant’s name Vie is a shortened version of Vietnam, and the casual setup reflects a village vibe like you get back in Vietnam.
“My purpose is to create a home vibe place and a street style dining that anyone can try to introduce customers to experience authentic Vietnamese taste,” she said.
Another dish that Nguyen strongly recommends customers to try is the Bo Apchao, sizzling marinated beef on a hot plate.
To explore some of the new flavours there, have the Vie Platter which has pork pillow cakes, summer roll, barbecue pork, deep fried Vietnamese spring rolls and Bo La Lot.
Bo La Lot is a popular street dish that’s made up of seasoned minced beef wrapped in betel leaves and grilled over charcoal fire.
No Vietnamese meal is complete with Vietnamese coffee - and another must-have at Vie is the salted coffee.
A small cafe in Nguyen’s home city of Hue is credited with inventing this now-popular beverage that’s made by adding condensed milk to a base of Vietnamese coffee and topped with salted cream.
“I’m happy to see so many customers return after trying our food, and now know exactly what they want to order,” Nguyen said.
There’s so much to explore at Vie, which offer dishes that are quite different to the usual ones you find at most other Vietnamese restaurants, it definitely warrants a few visits to try them all.
