Vietnamese street food on offer at new bakery

'People need to have good food and a good bakery around here but there's none at the moment. We want to be something nice for locals.'

NEW ADDITION: Saigon Bakehouse will celebrate its grand opening at the Jacaranda St shops on September 18. Managing directors Tom Le and Van Nguyen. Picture: Rob Williams

PIES and sausage rolls will be the "backbones" of a new Ipswich bakery but delicious Vietnamese street food is also on the menu.

The finishing touches are being put on Saigon Bakehouse in East Ipswich, which will celebrate its grand opening next week.

Alongside bakery staples such as bread, pasties, sausage rolls, cakes, slices and sandwiches, bánh mì, rice paper rolls and other Vietnamese delicacies will feature prominently in the shop cabinet.

Coffee, cold drinks and soft serve ice cream will also be available for purchase.

Managing director Van Nguyen previously worked in Ipswich as a pharmacist but gave it up in 2008 as he wasn't enjoying the profession.

He runs five other bakeries in Brisbane, Redlands and the Scenic Rim.

Mr Nguyen learnt to bake while working for his uncle in his bakery while studying at university.

"My family, we have nearly 30 years in the baking industry," he said.

"I didn't like my career any more so I moved into this (in 2011)."

He believed the premises within the Jacaranda St shops was the perfect place to set up his next bakery.

"We have seen this location is a good spot," he said.

"It used to a bakery here. We can see it's close to a couple of schools and it's in a good traffic location.

"We can see that there's not much food around the area to service the locals.

"People need to have good food and a good bakery around here but there's none at the moment.

"We want to be something nice for the locals. We do great coffees and great pies. For me pies and sausage rolls have to be the backbones of the bakery."

The shop will be open seven days a week, and Mr Nguyen expects to open on weekdays at about 4am and 5.30am on weekends.

Mr Nguyen said he estimated about eight staff will be working in the shop at any one time but that number will depend on demand.

The bakery will celebrate its opening on September 18 and is offering a 10 per cent discount on products during its first week of trade.

Originally published as Vietnamese street food on offer at new bakery