Peckham is getting an all-day, new school Vietnamese cafe which morphs into a canteen come cocktail bar in the evenings. Let us elaborate on that. By day Lai Rai will serve up sweet Vietnamese coffees and loaded bánh mì (their vegan one with vegan cold cuts, sautéed mushrooms and whipped tofu pate sounds definitely worth a try). In the evening things ramp up a notch with dinners starting with snacks and beer and progressing to larger dishes alongside Vietnamese-accented cocktails.
Frankly, everything on the launch menu sounds good, from the fried prawn and young green rice on sugarcane stalks with peanut and nước chấm satay sauce to the grilled betel leaf beef with coffee barbecue jus and twice-cooked crispy chicken. Cocktails sound equally enticing with a Ca Phe Martini, the lovechild of an Espresso Martini and a Vietnamese coffee. Wines will come from Top Cuvee and if you aren't intrigued by a dessert made with Laughing Cow cheese ice-cream then are you really a proper Hot Dinners reader?
It's the latest opening from the Bánh Bánh family of restaurants, founded by a group of second-generation Vietnamese siblings who grew up in Peckham. Blair Nguyen, co-founder of South East London project Vinaxoa, is behind the menu. They've taken over the old Issa Vibe site on Rye Lane.
More about Lai Rai
Where is it? 181 Rye Lane, Peckham SE15 4TP
When does it open? June 2025
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @lairai.london
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