Tucked away beneath an unremarkable residential complex in the back-packery streets where Kings Cross meets Potts Point, Bay Bua makes a refreshing change from the usual pizzerias, cafes and schnitzel houses. Owner Mai Tran learned the trade from her chef-grandfather Tinh Tran, who established Marrickville's Bay Tinh. Her menu draws influences from right across Vietnam and offers Chinese-leaning crowd-pleasers such as Peking duck breast, chicken and sweetcorn soup and salt-and-pepper calamari. Regulars go for the crisp banh xeo pancakes, deep-fried stuffed chicken wings and the grilled beef rolls, ready to roll up in lettuce leaves with rice vermicelli and eat in the hand.