A NEW family business is set to bring a taste of South East Asia to the banks of the River Colne.

Brother and sister, Mai and Kong La, have spent a year painstakingly transforming an empty site in Quayside Drive, Hythe, into Bambu Vietnamese restaurant.

The pair, originally from Vietnam, will serve up fresh bowls of Pho – a healthy, tangy noodle soup – along with other authentic street-food, including spring rolls, seafood and curry.

Kong, 48, put his carpentry skills to the test by building a wooden street-stand inside, to give the effect of dining in the bustling streets of Vietnam.

Both siblings have catering backgrounds and run several other businesses, including the Silver Bowl Chinese restaurant in Bocking.

They held a taster evening last night ahead of this weekend's launch, and hope it will attract families as well as Colchester’s vast student population.

Mai said: “I’m so excited and really hope it goes down well with local people.

“It’s our baby really because we created it from scratch. All our other businesses we have just taken on the lease.

“Vietnamese food is very up and coming and it’s something we want to share with people that might not have been there.”

She added: “We’ve been doing Chinese food for so many years, we now want to introduce a healthier option.”

Mai and Kong stumbled on the Quayside Drive site by chance last year and fell in love with its large outdoor terrace, which has been turned into a summer garden for diners.

Mai said: “We are facing the Colne and we can see a beautiful view. We chose it because it’s quite a secluded and pretty place to be.

“Inside it will have a friendly, bustling atmosphere with quite a humble feel – it will be young and fun and accommodating.”

The average bill for a meal will come to £12 to £15 a head.

Bambu Vietnamese opens on April 16.