He came, he conquered the high-end banh mi market, and now the owner of Miss Van's is calling it quits.
After just three years in permanent digs on the west side of Civic, Andrew Duong has announced he's shutting the doors on his Vietnamese restaurant for good.
Mr Duong made the announcement in an Instagram post on Monday night, citing dire straits in the restaurant sector.
"With a heavy heart, I must announce that Miss Van's Restaurant is permanently closed with immediate effect," he wrote.
"The industry in Canberra (and all of Australia) is currently at a low point - it is harder than ever to sustain a restaurant; rising costs, staff shortages and cost of living has compounded a difficult outlook into an impossible situation."
He said the past year in particular had been a struggle - "mentally, physically and financially. I have tried my hardest to get through the Canberra winter lull, hoping for a busier finish to the year, but unfortunately it is no longer viable to keep the doors open."
Mr Duong's food had long been a Canberra favourite with pop-up offerings around town by the time he opened his small, beautifully appointed restaurant on Marcus Clarke Street, serving up Vietnamese favourites with a gourmet twist.
Served amid a colonial-style tropical vibe - think leafy prints, ceiling fans, white wicker and a well-appointed cocktail bar, the fancy banh mi was heavy on the lemongrass and chili and came with authentic Lao sausage, and the spring rolls featured mushrooms.
The colonial influence also extended to the food, including beef tongue, umami butter and crepes.
In a review last year, The Canberra Times restaurant critic Chris Hansen maintained that if Miss Van's "was a 200-seater in Melbourne, it would be full every night", and described Mr Duong as "one who can execute, with consummate skill, at 'both ends'".
"Although most of his time is spent patrolling the floor of his beloved Miss Van's, he steps seamlessly into the kitchen from time to time and works alongside talented head chef Adam Hazelton, where the two create a kind of magic together," he wrote.
"I'm keen to bottle the scents of Miss Van's. I suspect that a "Van's Cologne" collab with Tom Ford would sell very well."
But despite a solid following and a consistently buzzy atmosphere, Mr Duong wrote that he had no choice but to close.
"Opening Miss Van's has fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine," he wrote on Monday night.
"Seeing how the Canberra community has embraced this restaurant has been truly heartwarming and I will always cherish the memories made here."
It's yet another casualty of the tough economy and ongoing cost-of-living crisis and will leave a hole in the market for elevated and authentic Asian staples with a contemporary influence.
