Who is
Madame Nhu?
Fiery, creative and uncompromising, chef-founder Nhu has a reputation of being the "dragon lady" of the kitchen. These days she has taken a step back to focus on product and business development to much of the kitchen staff's relief. She is often seen roaming the backstreets of Asia in search of inspiration and good food.
Follow her journey on Instagram
The Experience
Step inside to find a mock Vietnamese-French villa, aged outdoor furniture and colourful tropical plants. The striking interior of Madame Nhu is the culmination of extensive field research in Vietnam by the chef-founders and is a tribute to the rapidly disappearing French villas of Saigon city. It's a slice of old Saigon right here in Sydney.
Madame Nhu gợi nhớ Sài Gòn xưa. Nhà hàng của chúng tôi đã hân hạnh phục vụ quý khách với món phở nổi tiếng với hương vị thơm ngon đặc biệt hơn 15 năm qua!
Our Story
There's a reason why we've been around since 2007. We take pride in what we do. Often considered one of Sydney’s best, our legendary pho recipe is a jealously guarded secret. At our Enmore and our two Surry Hills locations, you'll also find a great selection of Australian wines, craft beers and Asia-inspired cocktails.
Our History: Humble Beginnings
Madame Nhu had humble beginnings. In 2006, we had an idea to introduce to the market our unique take on Vietnamese summer rolls and salads. Because of our non-hospitality backgrounds, we faced many difficulties. We were rejected by banks and landlords alike. But we didn't give up and didn't give a stuff. We were confident in our concept. Eventually we persuaded a Sydney CBD food court to give us a go. And it paid off.
Our version of summer rolls were larger than traditional goi cuon (rice paper rolls) and came in a range of flavours and choice of sauces - unheard of at the time. Opening in 2007 at 201 Elizabeth St, Sydney, our small Vietnamese takeaway - then known as SummerRolls® - was an immediate hit. Almost overnight, our eatery attracted long queues. Such was the buzz, the local newspaper awarded us "best Vietnamese" three years running. It wasn't long before our style of summer rolls started appearing in foodcourts everywhere.
Our success lead to a series of venue openings. However, by 2010 we noticed something unexpected: our pho noodle soup developed a cult following of its own and was outselling everything else. As a result, in 2011 we expanded our pho offering and renamed our business Madame Nhu® to better reflect our new direction. Innovation and product development have always been at the heart of our success. In rebranding our business, our brand, menu and shop design were heavily inspired by the political, cultural and culinary developments of post-colonial south Vietnam. The rest, as they say, is history.
What's in a name?
Read the fascinating story behind the "Madame Nhu" name - the meaning, heritage and history - in our interview with The Gourmet Traveller.
Our first store at 201 Elizabeth St, Sydney. Photo Source: customer photos on Urbanspoon (now Zomato), circa 2007 and 2011
Follow & Tag Us @madamenhu
Plenty of food and travel photos!
Keeping It Fresh
We use only premium Australian locally-sourced beef from the Hunter Valley. Our produce are sourced direct from Sydney markets and delivered daily by our fresh food providore
Old Fashion Comfort Food
Madame Nhu does things the old fashion way. Our soups are slow-simmered for 8 hours in two types of bones, fresh roots, allium, veggies, and 8 different spices to extract the most out of these ingredients
We Love a Good Drink!
Madame Nhu loves a good drink! We've got a great unpretentious selection of wine, beer and cocktails that's well-matched with our food, as well our our own branded Australian wine range.