Southside diners will get extra helpings of Hanoi Hannah when a branch opens at 79–83 Swan Street, Richmond, next month and the separate Windsor restaurant and takeaway outlets unite under one roof across the road at 223 High Street mid-year.

Simon Blacher​, from the team that also launched Tokyo Tina and Thai newbie BKK in Windsor, says rather than being a chain of Vietnamese restaurants, they aim to imbue each with its own identity. (There's also an Elsternwick Hanoi Hannah.)

In Richmond, the menu will feature cha ca Hanoi (fish pan-fried with turmeric and dill and served with vermicelli noodles).

The space, on the corner of Swan and Lennox streets, has been designed with a separate entrance for delivery drivers to make the eat-in experience as comfortable as possible for diners. It's tipped to open by mid-February.

The new Windsor restaurant will focus on Vietnamese-style barbecue, an aspect of the cuisine Blacher says has had little attention here.