Wednesday, October 01, 2014

Nhu Lan

Update 17/06/2023: Nhu Lan has now closed.

September 21, 2014



It's hard to go past a good vegetarian banh mi - we've had some luck with a seitan-based version at Tan Truc Giang in Footscray and the mock-pork variety at Fina's, and have incorporated a Vegan Dad-inspired version into our home cooking roster. Still, we're always on the lookout for more, so we were pretty excited when Olaf left us a comment recommending Nhu Lan in Richmond. We took advantage of a sunny Sunday afternoon to go and check it out (as an aside: we love it when people recommend place or recipes to us - please do leave a comment here or chase us up on Facebook or Twitter).


Nhu Lan is a classic Vietnamese bakery - no fuss, no chit chat, just speedy service, made to order sandwiches and a decent range of sweet stuff and pastries. It's all pretty pork heavy, but the $4.50 tofu roll is clearly marked on the menu. Vegans will need to be clear that they don't want butter or mayonnaise, but the rest of the fillings are pretty straightforward: grated carrot, slivers of cucumber, coriander, chilli and tofu.


Unlike our Fina's and Tan Truc Giang experiences, this isn't really trying to mimic the pork roll - the tofu is lightly battered rectangles with a slightly sweet marinade. The chilli provides the necessary bite and the fresh, crunchy roll is top notch. I think I still favour the seitan-based version, but this is a cheap, easy and delicious lunch in Richmond if you don't have time for a sit down meal at Fina's or Thanh Nga 9.

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It seems as though the Footscray branch of Nhu Lan is popular with bloggers, but not many have reviewed the Richmond one - Ministry of Gluttony and teenagefoodie weren't wowed, while chasing a plate, krapow  and Swimming in Coffee were much more enthused.
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Nhu Lan Bakery
152 Victoria Street, Richmond
9429 5545
menu

Accessibility: There's a small step up as you enter and the interior is pretty crowded (at least when they're busy). There's not really anywhere to sit. You order and pay at a high counter.

6 comments:

  1. Ooh you guys need to try Ba'get in the CBD. I had the Buddha's tofu roll there a couple of weeks ago and I am still thinking about how good it was.

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    1. Wow, that looks amazing - it's definitely on the list!

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  2. I get my banh mis from both Nhu Lans in Footscray and Richmond. Have to say, those from Footscray are better. The tofu banh mis are my perfect Meatless Monday lunch.

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  3. Banh mi is the best meal - I'm always disappointed there aren't banh mi joints around where I work!

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  4. I've never really been into banh mi but my mum has started bringing them for lunch occasionally when she passes by footscray en route to visit - must find out where she gets hers. I love how you describe the place - sometimes I just want a no-nonsense no chit chat place for a quick bite.

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  5. I just got Andrea Nguyen's Banh Mi handbook so I am ALL OVER THIS right now. I need to try more of the veg banh mi around Brisbane cause I've only had two, both of which were a bit... plain. But at least it's reasonably easy to make, I just feel guilty eating that much bread for dinner (which is... sort of insane). Maybe a trip to Melbourne soon is in order...

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