I have a 5' by 5' area in a basement bathroom that I will be covering with vinyl tile (floating, not glue-down). The area is relatively flat and I know it is slightly out of level. There is a portion of it that is of a different texture and not perfectly flat from where I had to replace the concrete after having some plumbing work done underground. It's not major, but it just might be enough to cause a noticeable problem with the tile which is pretty thin.

I had initially thought I could just throw some self-leveling compound down. But I've read some others experiences online and it doesn't seem like it's that easy to work with. Are there any alternates?

With a small area like this, would it be possible (and easier) to apply a skim coat of some other material?

What about putting down a bed of thinset and embedding two pieces of cement board or hardibacker? That actually seems like the easiest option, but I'm concerned about the brittleness of that material.

Any thoughts? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Use a self lever from home depot
mix it a little loose with a drill
pour it out and feather out the edges
get r done:)

I agree. Self leveling is much easier and better than try to lay backer board on thinset, that needs nails or screws too not just thinset.