Aunty Oh's Bia Hoi Vietnamese Beer Cafe

AUNTY OH'S BIA HOI VIETNAMESE CAFE HAS PERMANENTLY CLOSED.

Aunty Oh's Bia Hoi Vietnamese Beer Café is a funky slice of old Hanoi in the base of a contemporary Fortitude Valley apartment hotel.

The stunning bar diner features a fairy-lit timber outside deck beneath heritage-listed jacaranda trees, which inside below street level is a cavernous industrial style space festooned with red lanterns and birdcage lights, and concrete pillars decorated with Vietnamese posters.

Wooden tables are scattered with Non La (traditional palm-leaf conical hats) and in one corner stands a street cart such as those found on corners of downtown Hanoi.

The simple menu consists of a range of street food sold throughout Hanoi and is absolutely delicious. Diners can choose from small bites such as Char-Grilled Corn on the Cob, Ha Cao Dumplings, Hanoi Style Spring Rolls (pork with light nuoc cham) or a Grazing Platter with 2 or 5 choices.

Goi Cuon (rice paper rolls) come with fillings of Satay Chicken, Prawn and Pork, Lemongrass Beef with Chilli and Mint, BBQ Pork or Silken Tofu with Shiitake Mushroom, pickled daikon and carrot.

Vietnamese salads (Bun) include classic Vermicelli with choice of lemongrass beef, char grilled prawns or chicken, and BBQ pork as well as Spicy Duck Salad with ginger sauce or Poached Chicken Salad with sweet and sour fish sauce.

Pho fans will find Vegetable or Pho Ga Hanoi Pho (poached tender chicken) as well as the recommended Pho 75 (Saigon Style), while strictly at lunch time diners can get their fill of Banh Mi.

Also on the menu and perfect for sharing are the succulent ‘From Da Grill’ options including BBQ Chilli Salt Prawn skewers, Lemongrass Beef Steak (grass fed beef marinated in lemongrass glaze with Morning Glory and Garlic Sauce) and the highly recommended Mixed Grill (Lemongrass Beef, Free Range Chicken and Glazed Pork skewers with Nuoc Cham. Spring Onion Oil and Pickled veges).

Two sweet dishes are also available – Sago Pudding with tropical fruit and Chuoi Chien (Fried Banana with Sesame Seeds).

On the drinks front beer is the forerunner, with Bia Hoi (house lager in 'fresh beer' style) on tap along with Tiger Beer (Singaporean Lager) and a handful of Oz ales and lager.

There’s also Bia Hanoi by the can and, by the bottle, Bintang (Indonesia), Asahi (Japan) including Soukai (mid-strength) and Black, Corona, Peroni and Monteiths Summer Ale (NZ) and, from Australia XXXX Gold and a range of craft beers including Stone & Wood, Mountain Goat & Cricketer’s Arms.

Cider fans have a choice of Monteiths Apple Cider on tap and Pear Cider by the bottle as well as The Hills Apple, Pear or Pear and Ginger.

Wine drinkers are also well looked after with a curated selection of boutique white, rose and red wines from well-known regions in Australia and NZ as well as pinot noir from Langedoc, France, Louis Roederer Brut NV champagne and Veuve Ambal sparkling from Burgundy.

Aunty Oh's Bia Hoi also does a small cracking list of cocktails including Saigon Sling, Espress-Ho Martini, Ninh Binh Mandarin and Coc-Ho-Nut Jungle as well as Uncle Bia Hoi ‘Jars’, available as mocktails or cocktails: think Vietnamese Mint, Pomegranate, Fresh Lime and Soda Water, with or without Ketel One Vodka or Fresh Pandan Iced Tea, Cucumber, lemon and Elderflower with or without Tanquerey Gin.

Other non-alcoholic choices include Coconut water served from the coconut and Fonzie Abbott coffee.

Need to know – Food and drinks are ordered at the bar. Anyone who’s not a fan of rap and hip hop played at high volume might want to choose a seat outside under the jacarandas or opt for a takeaway.