Stand bánh mì - Luke Farrell’s Viet Populaire takes up residence at Arcade
Launching next week for a limited time, it will be Farrell’s third concept in Arcade, which was revamped and relaunched by restaurant group JKS earlier this year.
The other two are the southern Thai focused Plaza Khao Gaeng, and Indonesian street food brand Bebek! Bebek!.
Viet Populaire will operate on the ground floor of Arcade, sharing a stand with Provisions, the deli concept that features an exclusive range of sandwiches from Margot and Hector Henderson.
As it did in Soho, Viet Populaire will major in Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches; a staple of the country's street food cuisine.
Options to feature on the menu include a new breakfast bánh mì with a fried egg, paté, pickles and herbs; and classic bánh mì with hard cheese, roast pork, paté, pickles and herbs; and a vegan tofu bánh mì with tofu, tomato sauce, pickles and herbs.
The drinks offering reflects Vietnamese café culture and include Vietnamese ‘phin’ coffee - dark filter coffee roasted with butter and vanilla, and dripped over condensed milk.
Word of Viet Populaire's Arcade residency comes just a couple of weeks after it was revealed that Farrell is preparing to launch another new Thai concept in the capital called Speedboat Bar, which will take over the Rupert Street site where he operated the original Viet Populaire pop-up.
Described as a ‘a love letter to Yaowarat Road’, the neon-lit street of Bangkok’s Chinatown, it will feature ‘fast and furious wok cookery with roasted meats and zingy seafood salads'.
Set to open in September, Speedboat Bar will also be backed by JKS.
