Credit: Cô Thành
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Fans of Anthony Bourdain will no doubt recognise the name of ‘The Lunch Lady’. The late cook, whose real name is Nguyễn Thị Thanh, gained international fame for her street-side noodle soups after appearing on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations: Vietnam. And short of travelling all the way to Vietnam, it was previously extremely difficult to try out the TV-famous recipes – until now.
Now, unfortunately, The Lunch Lady hasn’t actually opened a restaurant in London. She sadly passed away earlier this year, at the age of 58. Instead, one of her mentees, Brian Woo, opened a location of his Cô Thành eateries right here in London this November.
Credit: Cô Thành
Cô Thành is a love letter of sorts to The Lunch Lady and her recipes. The eateries bring her recipes “out of the heart of District 1 [in Vietnam], with the mission to provide authentic Vietnamese dishes to celebrate the marvel of flavors [sic] the cuisine has to offer.” What started as a restaurant in Hong Kong, providing a taste of the famed dishes from Vietnam, has now landed all the way over here in London. And we couldn’t be happier about it, frankly.
On the menu at Cô Thành
While the original location was famous for serving just one dish at a time, from a revolving selection of local Vietnamese noodle soups, Cô Thành is offering up a comprehensive menu of Vietnamese delights.
They’re currently settling into their new location, so the full menu isn’t yet available. They’re promising an impressive array of bánh mì and phở to round out the menu when they’re operating at full capacity. But there’s still plenty to choose from.
Credit: Cô Thành
The stars of the menu are the bún dishes, a selection of meals made from vermicelli-style noodles (as opposed to the wide, flat noodles used for phở). Among these are the world-famous noodle soup dishes such as Bún bò Huế, which features beef and pork bone broth and a variety of toppings.
For the side, you can also order from the likes of spring rolls, summer rolls, beef in betel leaf, chicken wings, and more. Wash it all down with a special cocktail, such as the Calamansi Sour, or a super-strong Vietnamese coffee, and you’ll be rolling your way home. Oh, and coffee fans definitely won’t want to miss the Cà Phê Tiramisu (Vietnamese dark roast coffee tiramisu) if they somehow still have room for dessert!
Credit: Cô Thành
📍 Find Cô Thành at 16 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8QH. The nearest stations are Leicester Square and Covent Garden.
Find out more and book here.