First Look: A New Flinders Lane Banh Mi Shop Where Almost Everything Is Made From Scratch

When Bammi opened on Lonsdale Street in winter last year – a follow-up to the first Bammi which opened in Brighton at the end of 2024 – owner Khoa Nguyen was surprised by the shop’s instant success. Especially considering how prolific banh mi shops are in the CBD. “Seems like there’s a bit of a banh mi war going on,” he says. “Everyone wants to open a banh mi shop.”

But the competitive landscape hasn’t deterred him from opening another Bammi on Flinders Lane, a 15-minute walk from the first CBD shop.

Much like Ca Com and Banh Mi Stand before it, the focus is on quality. There are 10 kinds of banh mi available, with every component for each made on-site rather than at a centralised kitchen or by a supplier. At Flinders Lane, the team bakes up to 500 rolls per day and, since opening, Nguyen says the shop has gone through 170 kilograms of pork belly and 160 kilograms of chicken each week – components that are also used in items such as rice bowls and salad bowls. 

For the banh mi, Nguyen and his team make pâté, Vietnamese egg-yolk mayonnaise and a spruced-up hoisin sauce (combined with plum sauce and onions that have been caramelised then blended). “Using just hoisin on its own, it’s quite strong and quite intense,” he says. They spritz each roll with a coconut-infused oil to bring out the flavour of the sauces and fillings. 

For the crispy pork rolls, they rub pork belly with spices and dry for two days before it’s cooked in order to achieve maximum crunch. Due to labour costs, the pork belly is the most expensive banh mi on the menu. 

Priced between $14 and $16.50, Bammi’s banh mi are still cheaper than many of the city’s most popular deli-style sandwiches. But some still expect pork rolls to cost significantly less. “I say good luck to those that are charging nine to 10 dollars, because we’re struggling to make it work even at the prices that we charge,” Nguyen says. “The cost of making the banh mi is only increasing by the day.” 

In addition to the banh mi, at the new Flinders Street location there are two fridges filled with rice paper rolls, presented “almost like sushi”. With 17 different types – including a standard pork and prawn, and the less common salmon and avocado – Nguyen says he’s trying to make it “the biggest range in Melbourne”.

Nguyen migrated to Australia from Da Lat in 1989. He founded Xeom on Smith Street, Collingwood, and sold the restaurant three years ago to focus on Bammi. “I didn’t have a choice,” he says. “I’ve been in the industry for 23 years now, and it’s always been night trades. I was young back then but, with two kids now, it just doesn’t suit my lifestyle and my family.”

Bammi Flinders Lane
337 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
(03) 9429 9184

Hours
Mon to Fri 8am–7pm
Sat & Sun 9am–5pm

bammivietnam.com.au
@bammivietnam