In May 2017, a slice of Vietnam opened in Sheung Wan's sleepy Kau U Fong when Three Monkeys co-founder Brian Woo introduced the recipes of Ho Chi Minh City's Nguyen Thi Thanh, aka ‘The Lunch Lady’, after a three-year-long apprenticeship at her street food stall—the latter made famous by an appearance on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.
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Now, Cô Thành is leaving behind its spartan home of the past five years and migrating to altogether more polished surroundings with a move to Pacific Place. The new location spans 2,100 feet with space for 100 diners, spread over different dining areas and a seated bar. To match the expanded environs, the kitchen team has injected more variety into the food and drink offerings.
Joining signature soup noodles like the Phở Bò, Bún Bò Huế and Bún Thái is the Bún Mắm, a gumbo that is made with five types of fermented fish and shrimp paste; and the Bánh Mì Truyền Thống, which sandwiches pork charcuterie, pate and fresh herbs between two halves of a baguette. Other new dishes include the Bún Bò Lá Lốt and Bún Mỡ Chài, both noodle salads that feature betel leaf beef rolls and caul-wrapped pork sausages. Diners can also expect new soup noodles like Bún Riêu and Bún Mọc, straight from the stall of the Lunch Lady.
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Making use of the formal bar are alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to take mall-goers through the course of a day. Falling into the former category are the Calamansi Sour, made with Two Moons gin distilled with locally grown calamansi, and the Vietnamese Maria, flavoured with a blend of garlic, coriander, Vietnamese chili, and fish sauce. Meanwhile, the Rau Má đậu, made with fresh pennywort and coconut water, and the Cà Phê Sữa Bánh Flan Trân Châu, combining boba pearls and coffee pudding, make for novel (if hard-to-pronounce) drinks to sip on.
Slated to open by this month, Cô Thành's leap from its humble street-side beginnings to a luxury mall is certainly an impressive arc, though whether the new location retains its unassuming charm remains to be seen.
Cô Thành, Shop 123, Level 1, 88 Queensway, Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong; +852 7073-7735, cothanhrestaurant.com
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