Paddington Markets' Banh Xeo Has Set Up Digs in Rosebery

If you've brunched at Paddington Markets during the past few months, chances are, you've sampled banh xeo: the mighty Vietnamese pancake. From now on, you don't have to wait until Saturday morning to get your fix. Stall owners Ben Sinfield and Tania Ho have set up their own restaurant in Rosebery and it's called, well, Banh Xeo.

While the pancake is the eatery's centrepiece, it's far from all that head chef Sinfield (ex-Fred's, Ester, St John) is whipping up. He's also bringing his fine-dining training to a bunch of regional dishes rarely served in Australia, including bún bò huế (spicy beef and lemongrass noodle soup) and bún riȇu (blue swimmer crab and tomato soup).

Plus, you can look forward to meeting 'Britnamese': the restaurant's signature blend of British and Vietnamese cuisines. They're not the most obvious of pairs, but Sinfield has come up with some interesting creations, such as bone marrow and toast, a London classic, spiced up with chilli-lemongrass paste. There's also crispy pig's head nuggets: pig's head meat, deboned, crumbed and fried, and served with shiso leaves and dipping sauce. And, come dessert time, Archie Rose gin, found just next door, is mixed with tonic in a granita, which is dashed with Vietnamese mint and lime zest.

"This goes back to the fact that I love the food of Vietnam, but also want to bring in some of my own background," says Sinfield. "We laughingly call it 'Britnamese'. I have a lot of classical training, but I also want to bring in the flavours and the freshness of Vietnamese food, so it will be good to do a bit of both."

Meanwhile, Ho will be taking care of front of house. "We absolutely love it that people can come to our stall, and now our restaurant, and try something they have never seen or tasted before," she says. "We find they really love it and that's very exciting for us."

Banh Xeo will pop up for six months to start and, if all goes well, look into settling in for good. You'll find it at Shop 11, The Cannery, 61 Mentmore Avenue, Rosebery. Opening hours are Tuesday-Sunday for lunch from 10:30am and Thursday-Saturday for dinner from 5pm. For further details, head to their Facebook page.