AnQi Bistro presents brunch inspired by street food culture of Vietnam
- Share via
When Elizabeth An traveled to Vietnam recently, she was struck by how much it had changed since the last time she’d visited.
“It had been a while since I had been back” said An, who is chief executive officer at House of An restaurant group. “The last time I was in Vietnam was in 2001. We went as a whole big family. I took my mom and dad home after all these years, and I was just so inspired again.”
The experience An was most taken with was the culture surrounding Bia Hoi, or fresh beer vendors, and the street food served along with it.
“Bia Hoi is where people gather on the streets and have beer and small bites,” said An. “I wanted to be able to bring that here.”
When she returned to the U.S., the House of An team began designing a way to replicate the Vietnam street food experience at their Southern California restaurants. The result is a Sunday brunch service called Bia Hoi Marketplace. The brunch is styled after the modern food markets in Vietnam, serving authentic Asian cuisine at multiple, interactive food stations.
Her family moved to San Francisco after fleeing Vietnam in 1975, at the time of the fall of Saigon. Their first restaurant in San Francisco was started by Elizabeth’s mother, chef Helene An. It was a 24-seat Italian deli that would later be renamed Thanh Long. It was there Helene would create “An’s famous garlic noodles” that blend Vietnamese and Italian cooking traditions and earned her the title, “Mother of Fusion Cuisine.”
Today, House of An operates Thanh Long and Crustacean in San Fransisco, Tiato Kitchen + Venue in Santa Monica, Crustacean Beverly Hills, a catering company and AnQi Bistro, which opened at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa in 2009.
“I knew South Coast Plaza was something special in Orange County. It wasn’t just a mall, it was part of a lifestyle, it was part of a community, and I wanted AnQi to be part of that,” An said.
An designed AnQi Bistro to combine the artistry and storytelling of fashion and food by putting a glass runway in the center of the restaurant, as a place to showcase the luxury fashion houses at South Coast Plaza. After Bia Hoi Marketplace was successfully launched at Crustacean Beverly Hills, the team felt the creative and immersive experience would also be a good fit for their Costa Mesa restaurant.
The brunch launched at AnQi Bistro June and sold out. July 5 is also fully booked, but to accommodate the demand, AnQi Bistro will host two brunch services in August.
“Our goal is to create something fresh and exciting for South Coast Plaza guests,” said Peter Meemalayath, operations and beverage director at House of An, in a statement. “A brunch experience that feels fun, cultural, interactive and shareable, while still carrying the elevated dining experience that AnQi is known for in Orange County.”
Guests can expect different stations, like one representing the Phở District, where hot bowls of the Vietnamese noodle soup served with fresh herbs and traditional Vietnamese garnishes are ladled out. The An Sum station will serve AnQi’s take on dim sum and spring rolls with aromatic herbs and veggies rolled to order. The Meat & Greet station will offer hand-carved prime rib and other savory market-style meat selections. Ube Hong Kong bubble waffles and fluffy pandan pancakes, topped with fresh berries and cream are just some of the sweet treats served hot off the griddle.
“This is not a buffet. It is a market-style brunch designed to be explored, tasted and enjoyed,” said Meemalayath.
There is always a rotating parade of innovative dishes, like Southern Chà Viên biscuit that fills a traditional buttermilk biscuit with savory chà viên, a Vietnamese meatball made of minced meat. The brunch standard price includes a non-alcoholic beverage, such as Vietnamese iced coffee, premium iced teas or Yuzu Đá Chanh or yuzu lemon iced tea, but guests can also upgrade to the Bia Hỏi beer bar for an additional $25 with a selection of Vietnamese-style and international beers.
Bia Hoi Marketplace isn’t the first time AnQi has adapted to give diners more of what they want.
In 2024, House of An introduced a fast-casual concept, Noods Dumpling & Noodle. The noodle bar has a few stools just outside AnQi Bistro at South Coast Plaza and gives guests the same AnQi food in a quick-style service. The nearby Noods coffee cart serves lattes and ceremonial matcha to-go, too. An said the sister concepts give guests even more ways to experience House of An.
“In order to have longevity, you have to listen to your guests,” An said. “We hope to give everyone a little taste of AnQi.”
Bia Hoi Marketplace Brunch is available the first Sunday of the month from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and priced at $65 ++ per person. For details and reservations, go to anqibistro.com.
