On Thursday night my mum and I were in the city for dinner and popped into this popup we found on Hardware Lane. By day it’s usually a Roll’d store, the well-known Vietnamese street food franchise and by night it transforms into a pop up restaurant called Mama’s Buoi. Turns out, Mama’s Buoi is made by the same people who created Roll’d (Ahh it all makes sense). The menu is still authentic Vietnamese food but the style is more of a dine-in restaurant version. The prices are still pretty cheap though and the food is just delicious.
It’s was nice inside the décor was modern. There was a big table in the center of the room with contemporary Asian inspired vases with beautiful flowers. You can see my mama under the sign engrossed in the menu options haha. There is also an outdoor eating space with heaters.
They had a range of drinks on the menu including a list of alchoholic beverages. They were also trialling different cocktails each night so maybe ask them what cocktails they have available.
We ordered the crispy whole flounder, which was crispy on the outside and perfectly soft in the middle. The fish effortlessly fell away from the bone. It was cooked perfectly. It had ginger, chilli and caramelised onions with a limey Vietnamese dressing. It was delicious!
The meal came with a complimentary bowl of rice, which was perfect because that was the next thing I was about to order. My mum was sad there were no fish eyes (she says they are usually plump and delish). I on the other hand was pleased there were no fish eyes eeeww!
We also got the small share gril, which was a share plate with a variety of skewers. There was pork, chicken and sausages wrapped in betel leaf. They came with crepes, pickled vegetables and Nuoc Cham sauce. They were really yummy, the pork one was my fave.
All the food was really tasty. I really wanted to get the coconut mussels, crispy fried prawns, the beef vermicelli salad and the sautéed water spinach but I was already so full. Just means I’ll have to go back. The pop up is there until the 4th of August but don’t worry, they will soon be opening the actual restaurant at GPO. Did I mention that the staff were really lovely? Well they were. Definitely worth popping by.
I heart Mama's Buoi!
Olives x
Mama's Buoi Pop-Up
Address: 15 Hardware Lane, Melbourne
Trading Hours: Mon-Sat: 6pm-10pm (closed Sundays)
Pop Up Dates: 2nd July 2014 - 4th August 2014
2 thoughts on “Mama’s Buoi Pop Up”
Looks great! I have to go check out of! I love Vietnamese food!
Yea do it…you’ll love it! 🙂