As Vietnam prepares to celebrate 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War on April 30, one Vietnamese restaurant owner in Auckland is on a mission to dish up flavours from his homeland.
May Eatery owner Daniel Nguyen says Vietnamese dishes such as pho noodles, spring rolls and salads have been gaining popularity among New Zealanders.
With this in mind, he opened May Eatery with a dedicated menu full of Vietnamese flavours that will take taste buds on a Vietnamese adventure.
The casual restaurant, located in the suburb of Pinehill on Auckland’s North Shore, exudes a Vietnamese vibe with lanterns, greenery and an outdoor dining setting.
“May means ‘lucky’ in Vietnamese, and all the menu is inspired by the flavours that we get in Vietnamese home kitchens, which we’ve added a little twist and elevated them to become restaurant quality,” Nguyen said.
“The focus on our menu is not just one particular region, but when you have our food, it’s like your taste buds are travelling from the north to the south, from Hanoi to Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh city.”
Diners could begin with its northern-style Bun Cha Hanoi, which comes with chargrilled pork patties and pork belly, served with rice vermicelli, herbs and salad, and a nuoc cham sauce before having a central Hue-style Bun Bo Hue spicy noodle soup. Then complete the street food travel with a southern Ho Chi Minh-style Com Rang fried rice.
Nguyen said instead of going down the path of having a traditional Vietnamese eatery, he decided to have a menu of modern Vietnamese-style cuisine or Cuisine Mới, combining traditional Vietnamese flavours and techniques with modern methods and presentation.
“In each of our dishes we try to give it a modern twist,” Nguyen said.
“This way we can elevate even our simple street food, which I believe is among the best in the world, to a gourmet level that people can come to our restaurant to enjoy.”
An example would be the Bo Lac Lac, or shaking beef, which uses premium wagyu beef instead of the cheap cuts often used in Vietnam.
Other modern Vietnamese dishes include the Thit Xien Nuong or lemongrass pork skewers, Tom Chien Com or young green rice flake-crusted prawn, and the Muc Chien Trung Moi or deep-fried salted egg calamari.
“I think I can say that my team has truly put our heart and soul into our menu and the food we produce here at May Eatery,” Nguyen said.
“For us, it is not just about food but celebrating our Vietnamese culture and traditions, and sharing our heritage and cuisine with New Zealanders.”
Nguyen said a strong emphasis is placed on using fresh and high-quality ingredients, and getting the balance of the Vietnamese flavours right.
He said his favourite dish on the menu is the Banh Xeo Vietnamese Pancake, which is filled with pork, prawn and mung bean, served with salad and nuoc cham sauce.
“Our pancake is Da Nang-style and it takes me back to the time when we were sitting at a stall there, where we don’t even have to order and they bring out the Banh Xeo straight away,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen said the dish also reminded him of his honeymoon because it was what they had at the time.
Both Nguyen and his wife Suri Pham hail from Hanoi and came to New Zealand in 2008 as international students.
Nguyen studied hotel management and has been working in hospitality for 15 years, first working as a cleaner in a food court before working his way up to becoming a front-of-house staff member at Crowne Plaza.
Their long-time dream has always been to own a restaurant. They brought that dream to life six years ago with the opening of November Cafe in Mairangi Bay. In April 2024, they launched May Eatery as their second venture, followed by a third location—November Cafe in Long Bay—which opened in October 2024..
Nguyen said other dishes he would strongly recommend from his menu are the Ca Tim Xao Gion, or crispy eggplant with sweet and spicy sauce, Cari Vit or red duck curry with pineapple, lychee and coconut cream and the Nom Bo beef salad.
“Our customers seem to be happy and appreciative about what we are trying to do here,” Nguyen said.
“We often hear comments about how our food reminds them of Vietnam, and for those new to Vietnamese food , they are just loving the flavours so I guess we are doing something right.”
MAY EATERY
C6/65 Greville Road, Pinehill. Ph: 09 4755044. Business Hours: 10.30am - 10pm (7 days)
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