Yellow Fever

Yellow Fever is a next-generation Vietnamese eatery. Like Hello Auntie, Chao Ba, S?9 and Hem Nine Nine it repackages the cuisine with a youthful, modern approach.

There are no strict rules for the owners on what Vietnamese food is or how it should be served; they’re here to have fun with the cuisine. Part of that is their irreverent name for their cafe.

There are a few more items on the menu, but there are three lunch mainstays – vermicelli salad, rice paper rolls and bánh mì. The latter is the house specialty. Owners Anthony and Rosie Nguyen marinade the meat for 24 hours then cook it on a charcoal grill.

The Vietnamese Brekkie Roll is inspired by bánh mì op la, a popular Vietnamese roll with ham and runny eggs. Yellow Fever’s version uses the same elements (grilled Spam) and adds Sriracha mayo, pickles and coriander.

The space is a far cry from the others in the area that have faded bakery façades and plastic tentacles for curtains. It’s a simple but slick cafe with natural light, a feature wall of Vietnamese news clippings and, most importantly, good coffee (both iced Vietnamese and espresso from Little Marionette). It also serves a breakfast menu with muesli, and bread and pastries from Brickfields.