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The early word on Grill Fish Café
Benny Lai jetted off today on a three-week sojourn to Vietnam, the first time he's visiting his homeland in 17 years. We luckily caught up with him in enough time to get some early details on Grill Fish Café.
The early word on Grill Fish Café
Benny Lai, owner of Vietnam in Chinatown (221 N. 11th St.) and Vietnam Café in West Philly (816 S. 47th St.), jetted off today on a three-week sojourn to Vietnam, the first time he's visiting his homeland in 17 years. We luckily caught up with him in enough time to get the early details on Grill Fish Café (814 S. 47th St.), the seafood restaurant he's planning in the 30-seat space that housed the Café before Lai took over the adjacent Abbraccio space in late 2009.
Lai, whose family hails from Cholon, the Chinese district of Ho Chi Minh City, is an uncharacteristically patient restaurateur: The Grill Fish space has sat dormant for two years, mainly because he hadn't locked in on the ideal concept for it. Now he has — constant customer requests for more seafood dishes, such as the whole grilled bronzino pictured above, led Lai to conclude there was a demand for a fish-focused concept in the neighborhood. The cozy size of the just-off-Baltimore space, which will have a liquor license, means that Lai and Co. can order the freshest possible seafood without running much risk of wasted product. The centerpiece of the restaurant's menu will be whole fish, grilled or fried and simply adorned, plus calamari, shrimp and shellfish dishes with Southeast Asian flavors. "I'll be travelling along the coast [while in Vietnam]," says Lai, "so i'll see what I can bring back."
As far as an opening, Lai ballparks October or November, but points out that he needs to consult with his uncle first — he's the family's go-to astrology guy, and he's in charge of determining the most auspicious month for the debut.
Photo: Drew Lazor
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