Overview
Chef Jerry Mai has been bringing Melburnians top-notch Vietnamese food for years now. She's responsible for the upmarket eats at Annam and casual CBD diners Pho Nom. It's no surprise her restaurants are so good (and popular), having cut her teeth at the likes of Gingerboy and Longrain, as well as London' s Zuma and Michelin-starred Nahm.
As of August 1, Mai will be launching her latest venture: Bia Hoi. It'll pay homage to the beer halls of Vietnam, which pour fresh, locally produced brews — just like this new restaurant will. The 100-seat venue is set to open at The Glen's new outdoor dining precinct and will offer Vietnamese bar bites, a daily happy hour and bottomless brunch.
The beer list will feature both local and Vietnamese brands, including Dandenong's Kaiju! Beer and Seaford's Mr Banks Brewing Co, along with 333, Bia Hanoi and Saigon Special. Apart from all the brews, there will Vietnamese-inspired cocktails and over 20 wines on offer, primarily sourced locally from small-batch producers like Billy Button, Pinemount and Cloak & Dagger. Head in from 5–7pm daily, when you'll find $4 pots and $6 wines during happy hour.
Render by Architects EAT
For eats, there will be bar snacks like crispy pork skin, house-made salted peanuts and dried squid, along with a range of rice paper rolls and skewers. The space will also include four barbecue tables, where guests to grill their own meats and build their own rice paper rolls — among the options are wagyu beef and shellfish, served with sauces, herbs, salads and rice noodles.
On those cooler winter nights, you'll be able to opt for a 'steamboat': large hot pots for groups of two to four. Choose from the hot and sour canh chua, made with tamarind and pineapple broth and served with barramundi, prawns, rice noodles and greens; or the beef pho steamboat with wagyu sirloin, brisket, beef balls and rice noodles.
If you want to try a bit of everything, stop in during the Sunday bottomless brunch. For $55 per person, you'll be treated to two hours of all-you-can-eat snacks — delivered by yum cha-style roving trolleys — along with unlimited beer, wine, mimosas and spritzes.
You can enjoy this unlimited eats and drinks in either the large dining room, the U-shaped bar or the outdoor beer garden. Designers Architects EAT are responsible for this multi-space fit-out, which will include colourful hanging lanterns and old wooden shutters, plus red brick walls, rattan and terracotta finishes and concrete floors.
Bia Hoi will open on Thursday, August 1 at The Glen, 235 Springvale Road, Glen Waverley. Opening hours will be 11am–late daily, with happy hour 5–7pm each day and bottomless brunch 11am–3pm on Sundays.
Images: Architects EAT