Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 8, Issue 3, March 2004

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Chinoise Cafe brings pan-Asian flair

to Wallingford

By JAMES BUSH

"Cooking has always been my passion," says Thoa Nguyen, the owner of Wallingford's Chinoise on 45th restaurant.

While she has no formal study in the culinary arts, she has always felt at home in the kitchen, usually working without the aid of recipes. "It's like an instinct," she says.

The Wallingford restaurant, which has been operating for about a year, is the fourth location for the local Chinoise (pronounced: "shin-wah") Cafe chain.

Nguyen's eclectic menu touches on the cuisines of several Asian countries. "It's a combination of Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai, with some Korean," she says of the cafe's offerings. "If it's Asian food, we can do it here."

She says she was attracted to N. 45th Street because Wallingford restaurants seem to attract a younger clientele who are sophisticated in their food choices. "We like the neighborhood," she says. "As every month goes by, we are growing."

Born in Vietnam, Nguyen came to the U.S. in 1975 as an 11-year-old. She attended Metropolitan State College in Denver, Colo., receiving a bachelor's degree in art and later working as a graphic designer. "But, I'd always entertained the idea of opening my own restaurant," says Nguyen, who got her first restaurant job at age 15.

She worked for Asian specialty food retailer Uwajimaya, managing its franchise food section in Seattle-area QFC stores before leaving in 1996 to open the first Chinoise Cafe on Queen Anne Hill.

She added a Madison Valley location in 1999 and an International District restaurant in 2000 before moving north to Wallingford last year.

About 85 percent of the menu items are offered at all four restaurants, although the individual locations each offer a few specialties of their own (such as the Wallingford cafe's Pho Beef Noodle Soup). Each cafe has a minority owner, usually the restaurant's sushi expert, as Nguyen insists on having excellent sushi available at each restaurant. Chinoise on 45th, by the way, is the one exception to this ownership rule, as Jimmy Mui is the minority partner, while Jae Ahrens is the sushi expert. "We seem to be able to attract good sushi chefs," Nguyen says. As for her own sushi-making skills, she says that "I can do it, but I don't do it every day. It has to be an art. You can't fake it."

All her restaurants are designed around an open kitchen, which Nguyen prefers because of the energy the visible kitchen workers add to the atmosphere. "I think it's fun watching people cook, anyway," she adds.

Nguyen and husband, Barry O'Young, have three children: James (19), Jeffrey (14) and Allison (6). She says she may someday add a fifth Chinoise Cafe, but admits the four restaurant she has keep her busy. Most days, she spends time at each restaurant, Nguyen says. "There's always some fire to put out."

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Chinoise on 45th is located at 1618 N 45th St.; 633-1160.