Elevated Vietnamese taking over where eightysix south left off

Posted on 7 August, 2025

For young Saigon-born chef Andy Huynh, Vietnamese food is, and has always been, his passion.

So despite migrating to Australia to earn his chef’s qualifications and working in predominantly Italian restaurants in Melbourne to build his experience, his ultimate dream has been to set up his very own place – where he can elevate the food he has grown up with.

The Q Dining is that dream.

Using a short and sharp letter that is auspicious in his culture, Andy (pictured right) and his business partner, and operations manager Ben Pham (left), are busy readying a brand-new restaurant for Canberra diners.

And this is one to get excited about for two reasons. Firstly, they are taking over the space which used to house eightysix south, in Woden. It is a moody dark space with a long open kitchen, and the pair have already commissioned and installed a giant 8-metre hand-painted mural of Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh city) with its meld of old and new buildings, which now proudly runs the entire length of the dining room and declares that this restaurant is distinctively Vietnamese.

But perhaps the most important thing to focus on is the food. Andy and Ben are keen to bring new tastes to Canberra and to fill a void in the dining scene, noting that while Canberra has a long and proud heritage of Vietnamese dining, it is more the informal style.

The Q Dining has taken over the space formerly housing eighty six south.

“I want to introduce modern elevated Vietnamese food to the city, offering food that is different to what is currently on the market and more at the fine dining end,” says Andy.

This means clever interpretations of classic Vietnamese flavours and enormous attention to detail in terms of what components go in a dish and how it is presented.

While he is still experimenting with the final menu, Andy is finessing dishes like Scallops Royale – Vietnamese pancake topped with grilled scallops, tangy pickles, a rich soy, and bursts of Yarra Valley caviar. A Smoky Saigon Octopus includes octopus glazed in bold satay spices, served with fresh Vietnamese herbs, pickled chilli, and a fiery red chilli sauce. His interpretation of the iconic Pho include a signature Q Pho of 48-hour simmered beef bone broth with sliced Wagyu brisket and tender ribs, rice noodles, smoked onion, and herbs.

Mains, meanwhile, definitely traverse fine dining territory with lobster wok-tossed and served with crispy pan-fried noodles, fresh greens, and rich homemade sauce, inspired by Saigon’s bustling night markets. When asked to nominate a dish that harks to his childhood, Andy suggests his Com Tam Saigon – a classic Vietnamese broken rice with juicy grilled pork chop, steamed egg meatloaf, fried egg, and tangy pickled vegetables.

Meanwhile, Ben has pulled the cocktail list together to harness more Vietnamese flavours and to ensure that the alcoholic offerings are as elevated as the menu. While most Vietnamese restaurants focus on beer, The Q Dining will offer cocktails such as an intriguing Ben Thanh Spritz which combines elderflower liqueur, hibiscus syrup, and fresh mint topped with sparkling wine. The SGN Silk uses Vietnamese Kai vodka, elderflower, passionfruit, coconut and citrus, while the Good Morning Saigon combines spiced rye whisky with star anise-infused coffee liqueur, rich Vietnamese black coffee, and sweet condensed milk – what a cocktail to wake up for!

Speaking of which, The Q Dining will also be a place to serve traditional Vietnamese egg coffees – which HerCanberra has written about recently – and which can best be described as a rich crème caramel-type caffeine explosion that becomes easily addictive.

Andy said he was grateful to have the opportunity to take over the space left by eightysix south and said he promised a similarly energetic and welcoming vibe. “The food is high level but we also want people to have fun with us,” he said.

A fan of the open plan kitchen, Andy said his head chef Sang Trinh, and kitchen team, were keen to interact with customers seated at the long bar. “Not all chefs like being on show, as it means they have to behave! But I like it and like the customers getting to see what we are doing.”

While Ben is currently based in Melbourne, he has lived several years in Canberra and said apart from Miss Van’s, which also offered an elevated Vietnamese fusion menu before it closed last year, The Q would be a new concept to many Canberrans.

“Most people associate Vietnamese food with being cheap and cheerful, but we will be bringing really special and complex flavours to people for the first time.”

Q is on track to open at the end of this month and we will be bringing you news of its first flavours as they hit our table!