Cooly Gets Taste of Banh Xeo for Breakfast

Thanh Binh Bamboo at The Strand at Coolangatta is changing up the Gold Coast breakfast scene with Vietnamese crepes – or Banh Xeo – from their must-try new menu.

Owner Aaron Nguyen said they were the first restaurant on the Gold Coast to introduce the light and tasty morsels, popular in Sydney and Melbourne, and thinks the craze could take off here as the food scene booms.
“No-one else is doing Vietnamese crepes for breakfast on the Gold Coast, and possibly not even in Queensland,” said Mr Nguyen. “We know Gold Coasters love their food – especially breakfast – and this is the next thing. We make them for lunch and dinner but it’s amazing for a light breakfast.”

The crepes are gluten free, made using rice flour, and the breakfast variety comes with a choice of bacon, egg or avocado.

For the perfect lunch on the go, the crepes come with a choice of chicken, duck or pork, and Mr Nguyen said they are one of the most popular entrée items served at the restaurant at dinner. 

“Our diners really love the crepes – it’s not like anything they’ve had before, but the flavours are light and fresh and go really well together,” he said. 

“We marinate the rice flour with our own sauce, then it’s pan fried until it’s crispy, rolled up in a rice paper roll with fresh herbs, the choice of filling, and fresh crunchy salad with carrot, cabbage and mint.”

Mr Nguyen said the soybean satay dipping sauce is the key. “Vietnamese don’t usually cook with soybean, however we found that soybean is quite healthy so we tested this sauce and it works perfectly.”

The restaurant has made waves as the first Vietnamese restaurant in the seaside precinct of Coolangatta, proving popular with both visiting holiday makers and locals who make it a regular stop for steaming bowls of pho, fresh and fast Banh Mi pork rolls and their fresh rice paper rolls.

Thanh Binh Bamboo is open 7 days for breakfast, lunch and dinner till late, located in The Strand’s Level 1 dining precinct overlooking Coolangatta Beach.