Viet 80s Streetfood cafe is just around the corner from Viet 80s the most authentic Vietnamese restaurant in Nottingham. I do love a bit of streetfood and am pretty keen on Vietnamese food so obviously I had to come and try the place out
They describe the place as “your passport to the vibrant and tantalizing flavours of Vietnam, right in the heart of Nottingham! Step into our world, where the bustling streets of Vietnam come alive through the aromas, tastes, and traditions of authentic Vietnamese street food.”
It does sound quite evocative does it not?
As you might expect the menu is filled with proper Vietnamese street food dishes, sure you will spot the familiar Banh Mi and Bowl of sticky rice but you will also find less familiar treats such as Fried eel meatballs, Apple snail meat balls, and crispy chicken feet.
On this first visit I suspect we might be erring on caution until we get a feel of the place. I have eaten at the Main Restaurant (read more here) enjoying the Pho but was aware that some dishes may be less comfortable for the average diner and I could see similar in this menu 🤣
GA CHIEN GION – CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN
We started with the GA CHIEN GION translated as ‘Crispy fried chicken’. This was not your KFC rubbish! Oh no it was a much more authentic and interesting fried chicken dish coated in rice powder and egg.
It looks rustic and it looks like proper street food that you might expect from a street cart on the roadside in Vietnam . It was really crispy and the rice powder gave it an interesting lighter texture to the coating. It also went well with the pot of sweet Chili sauce that accompanied the plateful
Admittedly this was probably a bit of a safe choice and less adventurous than many on the menu but it was definitely worth eating and I’d have it again
When it came to the main dishes I was toying between a Banh Mi sandwich which are always a delight, light crusty rolls filled with fragrant and fresh crunchy salads and slice of meat, pork and pate! and the Bordelaise Beef stew which sounded quite European ‘Tender beef, homemade bordelaise sauce, potato, carrots and coriander served with a homemade baguette’ perhaps influenced by the French? or one of their Vietnamese Sticky Rice dishes with Pork or Chicken
In the end the idea of a bowl of simple rice won and so I ordered the XÔI MẶN with Pork, lets eat
XI XÔI MẶN (Vietnamese sticky rice)
The XI XÔI MẶN translated as Vietnamese Sticky Rice was another banger of a dish, it was described on the menu as Vietnamese Sticky Rice “Sticky rice powder, pork, egg, shallots, spring onion, homemade sauce”.
The Sticky rice was a really good portion, topped with crispy fried bits of shallot to mix in and some crunchy scallion. I added soy to breath a bit of life into the bowl but I probably ruined their best intentions
To accompany the rice I was treated with a thick slice of soft and tender pork belly that was lightly flavoured so that you just get to enjoy the taste of the meat
The dish also came with a Thit Ko a braised egg which ate like Some sort of scotch egg / boiled egg hybrid. I really liked it and I will keep my eyes out for this tasty morsel in the future 🤪
I loved this simple dish, the rice was chewy in places, loads of great textures, soft, meaty, tender pork so so good!
I really liked Viet 80s Streetfood cafe, I enjoy the more authentically cooked food, the no frills aspect to the dishes and the anticipation of what is about to come when you order
Next time I will be more adventurous perhaps trying of the meatball dishes or the rice dumplings. I know that I definitely want to order the Banh Mi as well as the Bordelaise beef stew, especially after seeing other diners eating them when we visited
Viet 80s Streetfood are located at 63 Friar Lane in Nottingham NG1 6DH, just along from the main Viet 80s restaurant and adjoining their Viet 80s Coffee shop
You can check Viet 80s out on their Facebook page and Instagram Profile