Thy Thy Counter & Canteen Is Richmond's New Sister-Run Mod-Vietnamese Eatery
The family has deep roots in Vic Street's dining scene with this sister duo taking over the same corner site that once housed their parents' eatery, Tho Tho.
For decades, Victoria Street has been affectionately known as Melbourne's Little Vietnam, lined with long-standing, authentic eateries specialising in hearty bowls of pho and freshly wrapped rice paper rolls. Now, one sister duo is out to help push that tradition into a whole new era with the strip's newest resident: Thy Thy Counter & Canteen.
Thuy Lu and Thy Vo's new casual mod-Viet restaurant marks a changing of the guard, as they take over the same corner site that once housed one of their parents' eateries — named Tho Tho. The family has deep roots in the street's dining scene, with parents Trang Le and Van Ho opening both the OG Thy Thy and Thy Thy 2 on Vic Street in the 80s.
Image: Pete Dillon
While back-to-back lockdowns have meant the second-generation restaurateurs haven't had much of a chance to show off their new family project since its launch in July, Thy Thy Counter & Canteen is now on track to reopen on Friday, October 29.
The restaurant celebrates the family's South Vietnamese heritage, while also embracing other regional flavours encountered on more recent trips through the country's north. In the role of head chef, Mum Le is deftly blending the traditional with the modern, with plenty of long-held family recipes getting a spin.
Image: Pete Dillon
Classics are in strong supply, with options like bo bop thau (wagyu beef salad), banh hoi (rice vermicelli cake), Vietnamese-style slaws and a range of goi cuon (rice paper rolls). You'll find a swag of stir-frys, vermicelli bowls and signature rice dishes, while a special beef pho heads the selection of noodle soups.
In the coming weeks, there'll be more specials added to the lineup, too — think, bun bo hue (Hue-style spicy beef noodle soup), traditional broths and a rotation of banh mi rolls.
Image: Pete Dillon
An onsite grocery offering is also in the works, set to sell a selection of take-home meals and branded merch.
The light-filled, minimalist space offers a fresher feel than some of the more traditional Vietnamese joints on the same street, with polished concrete floors and generous pops of colour a reminder that change is afoot on Vic Street.
Find Thy Thy Counter & Canteen at 60-66 Victoria Street, Richmond. It'll open from 11am–late, daily.
Images: Pete Dillon
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