The project follows the trio’s success with new-school Peckham Vietnamese restaurant Lai Rai, which opened last year and was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand earlier this month.
House of Baby (Joseph Losper and Tomio Shota) have reconceptualised the interior of the Coldharbour Lane restaurant.
Guests are now guided through a long, serene entrance toward an illuminated Vietnamese shrine, tiled in pink, before entering the main room, which takes cues from Vietnamese modernism with full-height, curved glass block walls, rich wood tones, and cool concrete.
The restaurant is designed heavily around material juxtaposition, also featuring frescoes and ceilings adorned with nostalgic Vietnamese scenes painted by Shota, alongside a curated selection of art pieces throughout, including wool tapestries, a hand-painted folding screen, and ceramic hòn non bộ sculptures depicting Vietnamese landscapes.
Centred around cơm nhà – ‘home rice’ – the menu at Bánh Bánh is rooted in authentic home-cooking and family-style eating, with a focus on mẹt (Vietnamese platters).
The Bánh Bánh platter is a twist on humble rice with different textures: soft steamed rice cakes, chewy tapioca dumplings, and crispy fried rice, to be dipped into nước chấm, a fish sauce with garlic, chilli, and lime.
Platters to share also include grilled turmeric monkfish with dill and vermicelli, lemongrass pork sausage and sugarcane wraps, and beef in betel leaf with vermicelli. Other mains include caramelised catfish, sweet and sour clam broth, and braised pork belly.
Smaller dishes include spring rolls, summer rolls, steamed beef cabbage rolls, and black sesame crackers.
The drinks list explores the fruitier flavours of Southeast Asia, including Tamarind Fizz, made using caramelised tamarind pulp simmered with pineapple and ginger and topped with soda, alongside a curated wine list supplied by local Brixton wine bar Vining Street Wine Club, and beer.
“Our approach to Bánh Bánh Brixton was guided by a desire for balance; creating an environment that feels new, yet carries a nostalgic warmth,” Losper says. “Our work celebrates the subtle elsewhere, new worlds, parallel to ours with their own, quieter rhythm. It’s somewhere to convene with friends or family, slow down and share a meal. A space designed for connection, tucked away from the hustle and bustle.”
Nguyen adds: “The menu at Bánh Bánh brings together different regions of Vietnam, all in one place – it’s a way of eating that harks back to how we eat at home, but merging together flavours from all over Vietnam. We hope there’s something for everyone and that it’s a soulful twist on familiar classics.”
Founded in 2016 by Kevin Nguyen and his siblings, Bánh Bánh began in Peckham before expanding to Brixton and Fleet Street.
The business has since evolved in two distinct directions: the Bánh Bánh Group now comprises Bánh Bánh Brixton and Little Bánh Bánh on Fleet Street, while the two Peckham restaurants are owned and operated independently by Kevin Nguyen.