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“I want people to remember us, not only for our food, but for our story.”
A new Vietnamese eatery is taking shape in Prospect, and it’s about much more than authentic pho and bánh mì, bringing a decades-long dream to life.
Behind HANGry Bếp are co-owners, Tan and Alex, but at the heart of the story is Tan’s mother, Hǎng, whose love of cooking has followed her from Vietnam to Australia. After moving, Hǎng raised her children as a single mother while building a career in hospitality that has now spanned 40 years.
Through it all, she held onto a dream that one day she will have a kitchen of her own. Now, Tan shared he has reached a point in his life where he wants to help make that dream a reality. Even the HANGry Bếp name carries a little of that history. While it is a playful nod to the familiar feeling of being hungry, it also incorporates Hǎng’s name and the Vietnamese word for kitchen.
“It makes people smile but it’s also something meaningful,” Tan said.
That strong sense of home will continue through both the menu and the fit-out.
One of the dishes closest to the family is spicy beef noodle soup, a fragrant, chilli-forward bowl Hǎng specialised in when she once ran her own eatery in Vietnam. It is a dish Tan is particularly excited to introduce to local diners.
Alongside it, the menu will feature Vietnamese favourites including classic pho, bánh mì, Vietnamese combination rice, slow-cooked beef stew and sizzling steak served on a hot plate.
Rather than creating a polished restaurant that feels removed from its roots, Tan and Alex want the venue to feel warm, familiar and lived-in. The space will have a warm and vintage feel, while the kitchen has even been designed to resemble a small home, complete with a rooftop-style structure.
“And then when food comes out, it feels like it’s coming out of a home.”
It reflects the atmosphere the family wants to create, a place where customers can sit down with friends, family, or even enjoy on their own.
“We want customers to feel a sense of home … and they can feel part of our family,” Tan said.
For Hǎng, the opening represents the kitchen she dreamed about for decades. For Tan, it is a chance to give something back to the woman whose cooking and determination shaped his family.
And when HANGry Bếp opens in mid-October, that family story will be served alongside every bowl.
HANGry Bếp
When: 64/264 Main North Rd, Prospect SA 5082
For updates, keep an eye on their social media.
