A chef who learnt from his family to put "love in the cooking" is bringing a taste of Vietnam to Dubbo, opening a restaurant in a CBD property.
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Leo Tran reports of being immersed in the art of the cuisine at the side of his grandparents before he went on to gain more than a decade of experience in the hospitality industry in Sydney.
On Sunday his dream of owning a restaurant became a reality with the opening of The Vietnamese House in Macquarie Street.
He's embarking on the venture with determination, despite the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc on the industry this year.
NSW restaurants were forced to close for all but takeaway between March and June, and since then have been subject to strict rules about signing in and capacity, among other conditions.
Mr Tran is not deterred.
"Some may say because it's still... the hard time for the COVID-19, but I just give myself a try because I really want to do it," he said.
The premises was previously occupied by cafe restaurant The Red Barrel, which along with tapas bar Two Doors downstairs closed in September, with owner Donnamaree O'Neill citing their business model of shared food being unable to operate because of COVID-19 rules.
Mr Tran reports renovating the space in recent weeks, transforming the kitchen for the Vietnamese cooking style and decorating to add to the experience for diners.
"I even import all the stuff from Vietnam to make the restaurant look how warm they look in Vietnam," he said.
"Even those paintings, [are] from my uncle in Vietnam, he's the famous artist there, so he painted all those and sent to me, I really appreciate that."
The new restaurant owner reports he has a team of three in the kitchen, including himself, and four out the front.
"Later on, I think if people here love our food, and they come to support us, it's getting busier, I will have to get more people to join the team," Mr Tran said.
The resident of Dubbo for three years said he wanted to create a menu "a bit different from the crowd".
What I've been taught from my cooking experience especially from my mum and my grandmother, cooking is all about creative, as long as you put the love in the cooking, you get on the track.
- Restaurateur Leo Tran
"Lots of people have come to support us, because they saw on Facebook, they heard other people talking about us," Mr Tran said.
"I'm really glad that all the people here are really friendly and they come to support each other, it's really good.
"What I've been taught from my cooking experience especially from my mum and my grandmother, cooking is all about creative, as long as you put the love in the cooking, you get on the track."
Faye Wheeler
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
