The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Sugar Bowl raising curiosity, enjoying success
Pho and bakery eatery opened last month in former dessert shop
Before it even opened last month in the former I Love Pies! location at 34912 Ridge Road in Willoughby, Sugar Bowl, although unnamed weeks before, announced its soon-to-be arrival curiously: Pho and Bakery — Coming soon!
If the giant pink lettering didn’t attract attention, the details of what was going to be offered at the eatery certainly did.
The concept, it turns out, was by design, said Sugar Bowl Pho and Bakery coowner Menila Preevanich, whose extensive experience preparing pho (Vietnamese rice noodle soup) led her to open her own businesses.
For five years, the Thailand native and Mayfield Heights resident has co-owned the Cleveland Heights-based Pho & Rice in Coventry Village. This successful venture, and a lack of pho spots in Lake County, set the idea in Preevanich’s head to consider opening another place.
“I found out from a friend about this vacancy and always wanted to expand,” said the 35-yearold Preevanich. “I’ve been in the restaurant business for 10 years. And I’ve always loved to bake. With this, my partners and I can also offer sweet treats to go along with traditional pho dishes.”
Since she consistently bakes at home, in addition to preparing the noodle dishes, Preevanich was inspired to add baked goods to her second business, since none are served at Pho & Rice.
“Bakery items are always popular, just like pho has been in the United States for a long time now. I was looking at the East Side, particularly Lake County, a lot. I thought it odd there was nowhere to get pho out here. It was wide-open opportunity, so we took advantage of this space. Why not?”
As a fan of Superior Pho in Cleveland’s Asiatown, Preevanich stresses authenticity in Sugar Bowl’s fare, dismissing the misconception that pho is merely fancy ramen.
“We use the real beef bone, when a lot of others use a paste,” she said, waving off disclosing the names of any guilty businesses. “You can taste the difference. And the color is different. It gets darker. It’s what separates real pho from simply noodles and broth.”
Sugar Bowl’s modest menu consists of appetizers, pho and salads, with options for vegetarian bowls. Thai dishes may also be added later. Bubble teas and slushies are also available. Udon, Japanese thick wheat flour noodle, is also on the menu.
“My kids love udon, so I added it,” she said.
Preevanich believes opening a smaller bakery alone, with so many larger operations around, wouldn’t stand, so, odd as the pho and bakery concept may be perceived, though “quickly winning people over,” she put it inside of her new restaurant.
“All our bakery items rotate frequently, including macaroons, meringue, unicorn fudge, cupcakes and Japanese cheesecake — there is no definitive menu listing of the dessert items,” she said. “We don’t want to make the same flavors all the time. You’ll just have to come in and see what we’re offering.”
Preevanich and her partners, Jaclin Naruwan and Prakobkit Saengchareum, were fortunate enough to undertake only a minimal amount of addition to the location, including a new back room and all-new design in the front where patrons can dine in. All in all, Sugar Bowl, a name chosen by Preevanich’s husband, came to fruition for about $60,000.
Proud to be offering a combination of things not frequently seen in many restaurants, Preevanich is even more proud of her homemade confections.
“All desserts are made here, from my hands,” she said. “From the beginning, we wanted to be cute since we make our bakery items cute, that’s the idea, cute and good. We want everybody to enjoy what we have.”