I’m a big fan of the bun cha. Sometimes the toppings change depending on the day, but it’s always delicious. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
When Chimida opened at Lyneham shops, it looked just like another suburban cafe.
Decent coffee, a cabinet of sweets and sandwiches and a scattering of tables and chairs in the courtyard. But slowly and steadily, there’s been an expanded menu of traditional and fusion Vietnamese dishes which have kept locals coming back for more, and set Chimida apart from Lyneham’s other coffee shops.
Owner Tuyet Nguyen loves sharing Vietnamese flavours. Everything at Chimida is made from scratch, with recipes developed together by Tuyet and her staff.
“My dream was to bring Asian food to a new level,” Tuyet told Region.
“I’m very passionate. Day or night, I don’t mind: I’m willing to work hard.”
My (left) and her aunt Tuyet at Chimida cafe. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Tuyet is from northern Vietnam, a region known for excellent street food and vibrant flavours. She’s been introducing classic dishes such as pho, bun cha (noodle salad), and rice paper rolls, alongside creations like Vietnamese tacos.
A new dish she’s excited about is bao buns: a fluffy Chinese-style bun filled with meat or tofu and vegetables. The pork filling is marinated with caramelised onions and then cooked over charcoal, Hanoi-style.
A popular dish is her rice paper rolls, which are gaining a reputation as Canberra’s largest: I would say they are roughly the size of a burrito! They’re excellent value, and made fresh to order. While this occasionally results in longer wait times, Tuyet prioritises quality over speed.
“Even if it can be a bit slower, it’s very fresh. I want to focus on making the food yummy, with natural flavours.”
My go-to order is the bun cha salad: vermicelli noodles tossed with fresh vegetables, peanuts, spring rolls and pork (although I often swap lemongrass chicken for the pork) served with a fish sauce dressing. It’s refreshing, filling and highly textural, with crisp spring roll pastry, crunchy peanuts and slurpy noodles.
Tuyet also runs the market business World’s Best Nuts, which her late husband, Michael Macnamara, founded.
The name Chimida is a combination of her kids’ nicknames on either side of ‘mi’ for Michael.
As Tuyet says, Chimida isn’t always the fastest option, but there’s a lovely community atmosphere, and the food is unassuming but super flavourful. It’s nice to see the personality and unique character of this cafe developing as Tuyet celebrates her culture.
Chimida is located at Wattle Pl, Lyneham Shops. They are open from 7 am until 8 pm.
