London’s Quynh Nhi eatery bids ‘bittersweet’ farewell after 23 years

London is losing a long-time destination for Vietnamese cuisine, a business started by a family of newcomers more than two decades ago.

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Quynh Nhi will close April 27 after 23 years in London’s Blackfriars neighborhood, a “bittersweet” farewell that came after much deliberation by the family behind the business.

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“Most of the time, people have to withdraw for external reasons. They’re in a position where all their kids are grown up now, they can retire on their own terms,” said Long Phan, son-in-law of owners Du Bui and Tan Pham.

With its signature spring rolls and roster of southern Vietnamese staples, Quynh Nhi has developed a dedicated following in more than two decades on London’s food scene – a respectable run in an industry known for constant change and high turnover.

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Pham, 69, fled Vietnam in the late 1980s after being jailed twice for trying to leave. He went to Singapore and, two years later, came to London.

While in Canada, Pham sent money home to his family in Vietnam, who were forced to get by on very little when he was incarcerated and abroad. The family reunited here in May 1993.

A stall at Trail’s End selling spring rolls and noodles evolved into dreams of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant, Pham said.

In May 2001, Pham and Bui, with the help of their four children, opened a restaurant named for their two daughters at Riverside Drive and Wharncliffe Road South.

For more than a decade, the business had an affiliated restaurant, Tamarine, on Dundas Street near Budweiser Gardens, run by Phan and the daughters.

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In a social media post announcing Quynh Nhi’s impending closing, the family urged Londoners to continue supporting other local businesses and “spreading the same warmth and kindness that you have shown us throughout the years.”

The Wharncliffe Road restaurant will be open extended hours, from 11 am to 8:30 pm, in its final week so customers can bid farewell to their favorite dishes and the family behind the scenes, Pham said.

Pham and Bui are stepping away from the business while they’re healthy and active enough to enjoy retirement, Pham said. Instead of running a restaurant, they’ll be running around after their 10 grandkids and working on travel plans, he said.

While the restaurant will be winding down, there may be other ways for Londoners to get their Quynh Nhi fix in future, including at summer festivals, Pham said.

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