Among the best hidden gems in Walnut Creek now gives the identical contemporary eats in Orinda.
Kibi’s Cafe, a Vietnamese spot for reasonably priced lunch choices, together with scratch-made banh mi sandwiches, spring rolls and noodle salads, is at present in its gentle opening at 2 Orinda Theatre Sq., Suite 151, in Orinda. Hours are 11 a.m. to six p.m. Monday-Friday and till 5 p.m. Saturday. To see the menu and order on-line, go to www.kibiscafe.com.
Chef-owner Hoang Ho is a single mom of two youngsters — nicknamed Ki and Bi — who immigrated to the USA from Vietnam in 2015. The grandchild of farmers in central Vietnam, Ho opened the Kibi’s Cafe on North Broadway in Walnut Creek again in 2018. All the things from the aioli and pickles to the pate in her sandwiches are do-it-yourself.
Kibi’s Cafe gives 5 kinds of banh mi ($7.75), together with lemongrass-marinated grilled pork and a vegan banh mi with tofu, wooden ear mushrooms, jicama and carrot; 5 rice paper-wrapped spring rolls ($6.75-$10) filled with elements like shrimp or grilled hen with mint, cilantro, daikon and julienned carrots; and three noodle salads ($10.50) with all of the fixings. Don’t miss the Vietnamese coffees, too.