I love the smell of nuoc mam in the morning: Summer rolls and peanut sauce at Bunker Vietnamese

The Ridgefood team recently visited Bunker, the ‘wood’s first Vietnamese (!!!) restaurant. Nestled among bus barns and junkyards on Metropolitan, Bunker is a really chill spot with indie-surfer vibes, run by brothers and Queens natives Jimmy and Jacky Tu.

Bunker adds delectable but comfortable twists like bacon and havarti to classic Vietnamese banh mi, and they use hormone- and antibiotic-free chicken in their old family recipes.

(Continue for pics.. plus updated with MORE pics of food we ordered for delivery!)

They tell Ridgefood:

We source our poultry from Bobo Chicken, which is a Silver Cross breed. These special breed of chicken takes longer to raise and maintains a superior taste. It is also often referred to as Buddhist-raised chicken (i.e., the head and feet are left on after killing -Ed.). Our salmon is organic sea-farmed from Iceland.

Here’s a quick peek at some of the food we enjoyed at Bunker:

Pho Bo: beef noodle soup with beef and brisket

Ca Ri Ga: curry bobo chicken, lemongrass, carrots, potatoes, roti

Vietnamese iced coffee

Cha Ca: seared turmeric salmon, dill, vermicelli, peanuts

Cool exterior!

And the menu, courtesy of @dutchvowels:

Bunker’s culinary wunderbrothers boast an impressive résumé: Jimmy, the head chef, is classically trained in French cuisine and has worked at various restaurants such as Eleven Madison Park and Elizabeth Daniel (in San Francisco). Sous-chef Jacky Tu helped open Tigerland, a beloved East Village Vietnamese & Thai spot, with his brother — and he’s also the former CEO of Korean taco truck company Korilla BBQ. Annnd the duo also launched and consulted for The Sunburnt Calf BK (SE Asian/Australian fusion) in Prospect Heights in 2010.

While we’re pretty sure Bunker is technically in Maspeth, they’re calling it Ridgewood so we’re going with that. Transpo-wise, it’s roughly a 30-minute walk from center Ridgewood, a quick bike ride, or since we live near a giant bus hub, it’s easy to hop on the Q58 to the Q54. And they DELIVER all the way to Myrtle! Since we regularly take multiple trains to eat bún and pho at Cong Ly, our favorite Vietnamese spot in the city, we are ecstatic that this new local-ish option exists and Ridgewood’s Vietnamese community is expanding.

The Bunker folks tell us, “… it is all about Vietnamese pride.  Bunker has a warm ambiance reminiscent of Southeast Asia with a slight touch of Brooklyn industrial creativity.”

More pics of delivery!!!

Bo Luc Lac: seared beef cubes, peanuts, rice (SO GOOD)

Our tweet sums it up: “These seared beef cubes w/ watercress from @bunkernyc just about blew my taste buds off.”

Papaya salad: basil, mint, dried shrimp (and crab chips)

Papaya salad was less lime-y than Thai versions we’re accustomed to, but then again our dining partner hogged most of it so we can’t really say for sure. Definitely the least exciting part of the meal, though.

Tom Thit Ran: caramelized shrimp, bacon, ginger, garlic, basil (with bok choy)

Seriously great. So many exciting flavors going on here!

Bunker

46-63 Metropolitan Avenue [map]
(718) 386-4282
www.bunkernyc.com