Vanessa: “Where’s Leppington ?” you ask..those were my exact thoughts when we were invited to check out the recently opened Vietnamese restaurant, 14 North 108 East . Nestled between Home World and spacious land primed for new development, lies this trendy eatery that offers a Vietnamese twist on traditional breakfast dishes as well a modern Vietnamese menu.
We were impressed by the spacious interior with beautifully painted murals spanning along the back wall. As we were shown around two things stood out to me, the private dining area with bar and the café side of the restaurant. Appealing to coffee lovers far and wide, 14 North 108 East offers a variety of coffee options including cold drip – which I’m a big fan of!
The menu is diverse and I was really excited to experience the breakfast options with a Vietnamese twist.
We ordered the Vietnamese iced coffee ($4.50) whilst we waited for our food. This was creamy, sweet and ice cold, worth a try.
To kick us off we had the Good Morning Vietnam ($17) with pate, Vietnamese devon, fried eggs, bacon and sourdough or baguette. I loved everything about this although a warning, the pate is very fresh (made in house) and quite a strong liver flavor. The crispy bread was the perfect addition to mop up the runny egg yolk.
The Fried Rice for Breakfast ($17) is an interesting choice as it’s definitely not something I would consider as a breakfast option. Consisting of garlic fried rice, bacon, edamame topped with a fried egg it is full of flavor and a good option for sharing.
From the lunch menu we went with a make your own lunch bowl $15 consisting of vermicelli rice noodles, lemongrass pork which packed a punch of flavor topped with soy and sesame oil. This is a substantial dish that doesn’t leave you feeling heavy, really enjoyed it.
Being a novice in the world of Bahn Mi I don’t have a huge amount of comparison but their bahn mi filled with your choice of protein (we opted for pork) and all the usual condiments was absolutely delicious. I don’t think ever had a bread roll that crunchy before in my life! Very well priced as well at $6.50.
We were also privy to an off menu dish of beef pho, the traditional Vietnamese soup with noodles and beef. A beautiful broth that was full of flavor. I’m not sure why its not on the standard menu but it absolutely should be!
We finished off our savoury dishes with a touch of sweetness by ordering the blueberry pancake stack ($19) off the breakfast menu. This highly photogenic dish is almost like a work of art consisting of two blueberry pancakes served with vanilla-infused mascarpone, seasonal berries, caramelised banana, canadian maple syrup, oreo crumb and vanilla bean ice-cream.
We were really pleased we did not let distance deter us from experiencing the food and venue, sometimes going that little bit further lets you experience the unexpected. We are definitely planning to return to experience the dinner menu.
Enjoy!
Vanessa
*For Foods Sake dined as guest of 14 North 108 East
