Vietnamese eatery 14 North 108 East has launched in the south west Sydney suburb Leppington.
Owned and run by the creative minds behind café franchise, Espresso Warriors (multiple venues across NSW) and Another Burger Joint (Wollongong, Warrawong and Lake Macquarie), the vibrant Vietnamese and pan-Asian inspired menu offers share plates for all-day dining and cocktails in a fun, casual space.
Coffee is also a focus, with the team using world class brewing methods. The venue’s name is a nod to geographical coordinates for the Vietnamese city, Pleiku — an area in the central highland region infamous for its coffee growing culture, where the owners also have family history.
Incorporating three spaces —a relaxed café and breakfast bar, main dining hub and sophisticated cocktail bar — the venue has been created to cater for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
A dedicated breakfast and lunch menu features classic dishes and Asian variations, including breakfast bowls and build-your-own lunch bowls and Vietnamese rolls.
Hero dishes from the small and large share plate menu include son-in-law eggs (deep fried eggs with XO sauce); wok breath and Vung Tau pippies; banh xeo, and enoki beef skewers. Salads include barramundi and green apple and salmon and papaya. A banana spring roll (deep fried banana wrapped in pastry with butterscotch sauce and coconut ice cream) is among the desserts on offer.
The ever-evolving cocktail list currently includes the smoking old fashioned (Woodford reserve bourbon, orange bitters, brown sugar smoked oakwood) and peaches the Moscow mule (peach vodka, ginger beer, lemon, basil). Working with local wine distributors, Saint Wine, 14 North 108 East’s curated wine list focuses on boutique Australian wineries showcasing growers, vineyards and regions across the country.
The ultra-urban interiors reflect the burgeoning café and dining culture that has taken hold in vibrant cities across Asia in recent years. The open plan venue features kitchen-side seating where you can watch the chef’s in action, intimate and communal dining spaces, as well as a large sprawling wooden bar with high-rise seating. Floor-to-ceiling murals cover the walls in vivid dreamscapes by Sydney-based muralist and visual artist Sophi Odling.