Latest news with #TomKhaCoconutMushroomSoup

Calgary Herald

Angus An's Fat Mao marks 10 years of Thai noodle success in Vancouver

Article content When Angus An first opened Fat Mao a decade ago, some people were skeptical. Article content 'It took us a couple of years to really get traction and build a regular clientele,' An said. 'At the time, people saw 'soup noodles' and thought, 'Oh, I can get a $6.99 won ton soup noodles in Chinatown. Why would I come here?' But we believed in the recipes, and we wanted to do something different. Now, with inflation, everything is over $20, and nobody can really say much.' Article content Article content In late 2006, he opened Gastropod in Kits. Following the 2008 economic downturn, he pivoted to Thai and reopened as Maenam. For Fat Mao, he wanted to go more street-level than Maenam, which last year earned a spot in the Michelin Guide's Vancouver edition. Article content Article content 'I was very motivated by the mom-and-pop stores in Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand — you go to a hole-in-the-wall place and they have three noodle dishes on the menu. That's all they serve. As a business model, that made a lot of sense. You don't need to have a huge overhead. I've never been really fond of restaurants with huge menus. And then, we found a nice location in Chinatown.' Article content Article content Reaching the 10-year anniversary has been satisfying for An, founder and executive chef of Full House Hospitality. Along with Maenam and two Fat Mao noodle houses, the group's portfolio includes Longtail Kitchen in New West, Sen Pad Thai on Granville Island and Sainam in the West End. Article content Article content 'I actually eat at Fat Mao more than any of my other restaurants because there are things on the menu you could eat every day. And I often see other chef friends there for lunch before work, or they text me when they're there. That makes me really proud. And obviously, most restaurants don't make it past three to five years, and for a small concept like this to last for 10 years is, for me, is quite special.' Article content To celebrate the anniversary, Fat Mao has brought back a couple of fan favourites. The Tom Kha Coconut Mushroom Soup (creamy coconut soup with mushrooms, infused with galangal & lime leaf, aserved with glass vermicelli noodles) is available until Aug. 15 and the Southern Thai Beef Laksa (spicy southern-style laksa, beef shin, peanuts, dried shrimp, won ton egg noodles) from Aug. 16-31. Guests can add a Crispy Lager to any noodle bowl for $5.