Most younger siblings feel a pressure of sorts to live up to their older sibling’s reputation—and for Good Thief, a new cocktail bar launched by the co-founders of Anh and Chi, expectations were almost impossibly high. Anh and Chi is widely recognized as one of Vancouver’s best Vietnamese spots; it’s easy to identify via the line of eager diners that often snakes its way down Main Street. But the team knows a thing or two about family dynamics—after all, Vincent and Amelie Nguyen are a brother-sister duo themselves.

“Good Thief is like Anh and Chi’s cool, funky, rebellious, badass little brother,” says Vincent (who is, yes, the little brother). The Nguyens’ second restaurant aims to embrace sophisticated techniques and adventurous ingredients, but stays close to home where it matters. Literally—Good Thief took over the units next door to Anh and Chi, where a hair salon and framing store once stood. “Don’t ever build a restaurant where there wasn’t an existing one,” Vincent says with a laugh.

Read: the renovation was a beast, but nothing that the designers at Ste. Marie and builders at CDC Construction couldn’t handle. Guests enter Good Thief through lush, velvety curtains, and are greeted by a spectacular green quartzite bar dressed in warm woods and brushed brass. The lighting, custom made by a local designer, incorporates fabric that Amelie hand-picked from a market in Vietnam.

Good Thief is inspired by ‘nhậu’, a Vietnamese way of eating and drinking that embraces the laidback fun of snacking and sipping with friends and family. “We’re building to last,” says Amelie of their new venture. “Everything is intentional; everything is meant to be a tribute to where we come from.”

Well, not everything is intentional—barely a week after opening, customers were quick to point out that Good Thief’s green, retro interior reminded them of Pho Hoang, Vincent and Amelie’s parents’ original restaurant. “Even when you’re trying to step away, somehow your identity is still with you,” says Amelie.

LOOKING UP
One of Amelie’s favourite design elements is the large pendant lights. “The lighting is a nod to our Vietnamese roots, but it’s made by a local designer—that’s kind of our story, East meets West,” she says. Photo by Conrad Brown
PICTURE PERFECT
The large photos peeking through the rattan in Good Thief were carefully selected—one, capturing a Vietnamese woman in a red áo dài dress, is symbolic of the restaurant’s rebellious nature. Photo by Conrad Brown
THIRD DEGREE
Good Thief’s dining room is shaped like a triangle, making it an exciting creative challenge for the design team. The bar, table seating and booths all have a distinct vibe, ensuring a different restaurant experience depending on where the guest is sitting. Photo by Conrad Brown
RAISE THE BAR
The modular bar incorporates cutting boards, ice storage, freezers and more to give the staff everything they need to produce complex drinks comfortably and at scale. “When you’re in hospitality, that not only extends to your guests, but to your team,” says Vincent. There’s hidden storage aplenty in Good Thief—in the banquette seating, under the bar, in shelving above the tables, above the washroom ceiling. “There’s no dead space in here,” says beverage director Ben Kingstone. Photo by Conrad Brown

On the Menu

Pho Dac Biet  “We really wanted to take the family atmosphere and put it into the drinks,” beverage director Ben Kingstone explains, “and there’s no better way to do that than to emulate Mom’s famous pho.” This cocktail uses bourbon washed in fat that’s skimmed off the top of Anh and Chi’s 18-hour beef stock pots, plus sake, pho seasoning and rice noodle amylase. “You’re left with this extremely savoury concoction,” Kingstone says.

Pho Dac Biet
Photos by Juno Kim

The Good Leaf  The ultra-refreshing Good Leaf, fizzy with champagne and dusted with turmeric, is easy drinking—but it’s not so easy to make. “It’s a lime leaf pisco distillate. Everything is clarified together in a bottle, then we force-carbonate it,” says Kingstone. “So it’s not just the champagne that’s giving you those beautiful bubbles—we’ve actually carbonated all of the ingredients together.”

The Good Leaf
Photos by Juno Kim

Frog Legs  Me’s fish sauce—an award-winning pantry staple by Anh and Chi—is reduced to a glaze and drizzled over crunchy fried frog legs in this fan-favourite menu item. “We don’t want people to come in and think this is a gag, or a dare,” says chef de cuisine Jonathan Lee. “We’re giving this ingredient the respect it deserves—because at the end of the day, it’s a delicacy.”

Frog's Legs
Photos by Juno Kim
Alyssa Hirose

Alyssa Hirose

Alyssa Hirose is a Vancouver-based writer, editor, illustrator and comic artist. Her work has been featured in Vancouver magazine, Western Living, BCBusiness, Avenue, Serviette, Geist, BCLiving, Nuvo, Montecristo, The Georgia Straight and more. Her beats are food, travel, arts and culture, style, interior design and anything dog-related. She publishes a daily autobiographical comic on Instagram at @hialyssacomics.