Newin

THE VERDICT

Headed up by Chef Liem Nguyen (LiDo Restaurant), Newin is serving chef'd up takes on traditional banh mi to rival some of the best around Perth. 

For Nguyen, it's all about the little details, from freshly toasting and making each bread roll to order and pounding out pork floss to methodically distributing pre-crushed chilli via a squeezey bottle to ensure consistent heat throughout—after all, balance is key. The toasted touch means each banh mi comes out slightly warm, delivering a good crunch with each bite (without being so sharp it rips your mouth apart) and a super soft bready centre that perfectly takes on those familiar banh mi flavours.

There's only a handful of banh mis to choose from—a cripsy pork belly, traditional cold cuts, coca cola chicken, vegetarian and a rotating special like the pork and prawn meatball they had on when we visited—and they're all still pretty reasonably priced at just $10-$12 a pop. They hinted at the possibility of adding some fresh Vietnamese rolls and salads down the line, but they're keen to keep things simple for now.

Alongside their regular cafe espresso offering, they're also doing Vietnamese iced coffee and sugarcane and watermelon juices which should sort you out on a hot summer's day.