By Paul Choptuik, Coordinating News Editor
Staff, students, and visitors of SFU’s Burnaby campus have a tasty new option for lunch and dinner. Bun & Me, a Vietnamese restaurant serving bánh mì, rice plates, and Vietnamese drip coffee, opened its doors on May 22, 2019.
Bun & Me is currently open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, with the intention to start opening on weekends at a later date.
It is located at Cornerstone, next to Pizza Hut and just feet away from founder Steve Huynh’s other shop Steve’s Poke Bar.
Serving mainly bánh mì, a Vietnamese sandwich that was popularized in Saigon during the 1950s, Bun & Me’s menu is fairly simple. They currently offer pork belly, cold cut, meat ball, grilled pork, and vegetarian bánh mì along with grilled lemongrass pork and vietnamese meatball rice plates.
The Peak reached out to Steve Huynh and his wife Camy about the newest addition to the Burnaby campus food scene.
Responding via email, Camy, a SFU alumna who graduated in 2011, noted the distinct family connection surrounding the store.
“Bun & Me was founded out of love for Vietnamese cuisine. Founder Steve Huynh took inspiration from his grandmother who sold bánh mì from a cart in Vietnam. As a result of the Vietnam War, Steve was born in a Malaysian refugee camp before his family was sponsored to Canada at age 2,” Camy writes.
“His love for food, people, and Vietnamese culture inspired him to share his favourite bánh mì, rice plates, and Vietnamese drip coffee in a quick service setting to SFU students, staff, residents, and guests of the UniverCity on SFU’s Burnaby Campus.”
When asked why they choose SFU as the location for their store, Camy noted that opening Steve’s Poke Bar in January 2017 had addressed her long-held desire to add more food options to SFU.
“When this space became vacant, naturally, we wanted to share other food concepts with everyone at SFU.”
According to Camy, the pork belly special and Vietnamese coffee have been popular among customers. Ending the interview, Camy shared some words for the SFU community.
“We love feedback! If you’d like to let us know how we’re doing, grab one of us and share your thoughts! We’re honoured to open our second restaurant to serve SFU.”
