Two of the city’s Vietnamese eateries are set to become one – with a banh mi bonus. But don’t worry, Cafe O-Mai isn’t going anywhere.
Two of Brisbane’s most iconic Vietnamese eateries will next week become one, with the Nguyen family closing their Red Lotus restaurant in Annerley and moving it a few doors down to Cafe O-Mai.
Cafe O-Mai will now serve its cafe menu during the day before switching to the Red Lotus menu at night. Co-owner Maggie Nguyen says the move has been a couple of years in the making.
“It’s really about consolidation,” she says. “My mum [Kim Nguyen] is working so much. She works all day and doesn’t stop.
“Nothing will change with either menu. It just means that the staff don’t need to prep to walk everything over to Red Lotus in the afternoon.
“It’s also an opportunity to get someone else in that space, to add diversity to the strip.”
It will be the second move for Red Lotus, which started life in Chinatown Mall, in the premises once occupied by the now Milton-based China Sea (of “succulent Chinese meal” infamy).
But it’s arguably Cafe O-Mai that’s now the better known venue, so consolidating both in its charming corner premises, with its brightly painted murals and mix-and-match furniture, makes sense.
“Nothing really changes,” Nguyen says. “It’s a good strategy to reduce the costs of running both businesses. To be honest, I go into Red Lotus at night to pop in and see mum, and all my customers are there. So nothing really changes.”
Before you ask: no, Cafe O-Mai’s menu won’t be running late. But the cafe’s banh mi will be available late for takeaway.
“We’re going to try and tap into the whole banh mi at night thing,” Nguyen says. “We’ll see what happens, but I think it’ll be popular.
“We’ve got some picnic benches at the back of Cafe O-Mai and people are welcome to sit there and eat their takeaway banh mi. It’s so nice out there in the evening with views out towards the Scenic Rim. It’s such a beautiful spot.”
Red Lotus will open for its first service at Cafe O-Mai on Tuesday night.
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Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-at-large at Broadsheet Brisbane, and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, the Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among many others.
