For the thousands of foodies who fell in love with her on the late Great Anthony Bourdain’s show, No Reservations, we bring exciting news: the Original Lunch Lady, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thanh, has officially arrived in Vancouver! She will be here in time to celebrate the 2-year anniversary of her first North American restaurant, located in the heart of Commercial Drive.
The Lunch Lady’s arrival to Vancouver marks her first time visiting her own North American storefront that she successfully launched with the help and support of Victoria and Michael Tran, Vancouver’s own mother-son restaurateurs, at the height of the pandemic in 2020. Now, as international travel restrictions are lifted, Mrs.Thanh is beyond delighted by the prospect of serving her signature dishes to Canadian patrons with her own hands.
In celebration of Lunch Lady Vancouver’s 2-year anniversary, Mrs. Thanh and Chef Benedict Lim have designed a special 6-course dinner experience that will only be available on their anniversary weekend. Fusing luxury ingredients and a West Coast flare with the Lunch Lady’s traditional cooking style, this exclusive menu will feature some of Mrs. Thanh’s favourite dishes to cook with a localized, haute-cuisine twist.
For Mrs. Thanh, reimagining Vietnamese Street Food within a westernized culinary context is her way of paying tribute to fellow friend and chef Anthony Bourdain, who completely changed her life since his visit to her then-nameless food stall in 2009. It was during their conversation over Ms. Thanh’s bowl of B n Mắm when the late Bourdain told her, “I have given you a name – The Lunch Lady”, that opened the doors for her to serve her masterfully flavourful Vietnamese cuisine to the world. Now, with her team in Vancouver, Mrs. Thanh is eager to spotlight her dishes within the same landscape that her dear friend spent decades of his career thriving in.
The 2-Year Anniversary Dinners will be hosted each night between July 1 and July 3, at two different times: 5:30 pm and 8:00 pm. As limited spots are available, guests are encouraged to purchase tickets to this event via OpenTable as soon as possible. Mrs. Thanh’s recipe books will also be available for purchase and signing during this event.
To offer some exclusive insight to this limited menu, Mrs. Thanh’s infamous B n Mắm will make an appearance with featured ingredients like tiger prawns, Spanish baby octopus, and Pacific lingcod. Another feature that Lunch Lady Vancouver fanatics can look forward to is the Wagyu L c Lắc, which is an elevated take on their signature beef dish.
Beyond the anniversary event, one can expect to see Mrs. Thanh in her element at Lunch Lady Vancouver throughout the summer as well. From June 28 onwards, The Lunch Lady is slated to be on site from Tuesday to Friday, from 12pm to 3pm and 6pm to 8pm. Her recipe books will also be available for purchase at the restaurant.
As a small part of Bourdain’s legacy of bringing compassion for differences and diversity through a shared meal, Mrs. Thanh shares that she is excited to bring Vietnamese cuisine to the forefront of the culinary stage here in Vancouver – one bowl at a time.
