The restaurant will be located Covent Garden’s Henrietta Street in the site that was formerly Greg Marchand’s Frenchie and will serve southern Vietnamese dishes that are a tribute to the late Nguyễn Thị Thanh – affectionately known as The Lunch Lady – whose Ho Chi Minh City street food stall became famous following an appearance on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations: Vietnam in 2009.
The London restaurant will take the same approach as the debut Cô Thành, which Woo opened in Hong Kong in 2017 having trained under Thị Thanh for three years in Vietnam, with a menu centred on the herb-filled dishes of southern Vietnam.
Dishes from the Hong Kong restaurant will feature along with London-only specials, with highlights to include Bún Thái - a Vietnamese take on the sweet, salty, sour and spicy flavours of Thai cooking; Bún Mắm - a vermicelli noodle soup made from fermented fish and shrimp paste broth; and Bún bò Huế - a beef a pork bone broth with roasted shallots, ginger, lemongrass and pineapple.
There will also be a selection of Bánh Mì available, including one made with five types of pork charcuterie as well as roasted pork belly and pork floss; and another with 12-hour beef shank, as well as a selection of Vietnamese desserts.
Drinks will include a wine list focusing on natural wines, cocktails, and traditional Vietnamese smoothies, juices, and coffee.
Born in Minnesota, Woo began his career in artist management and music production before moving into the world of hospitality. A formative trip to Vietnam in 2013 led him to train under Thị Thanh and after Bourdain named her stall among his Top 10 Wishlist vendors for his Bourdain Market in New York, he reached out to the project team. With Thị Thanh’s encouragement to continue her legacy and the market’s opening delayed, he opened Cô Thành in Hong Kong.
“London has always been a city I’ve admired for its creativity and diversity when it comes to food, so it’s a real honour to be joining that community,” says Woo.
“Everything I learned from Nguyễn Thị Thanh – the care she took with each dish, the pride in her ingredients, the way she connected with people through food – has stayed with me, and Cô Thành is my way of continuing her legacy.
“I’m excited to share her recipes and the bold, vibrant flavours of Vietnam with a new audience, and hopefully create the same sense of warmth and connection she inspired in me.”