New Vietnamese bistro set to open in downtown Troy early next year
Quang’s Vietnamese Bistro will be located in the rear section of Kim’s Convenience store
TROY, N.Y. >> The Collar City is getting a new flavor with the coming of Quang’s Vietnamese Bistro.
Vietnamese pho, vermicelli bowls and spring rolls, created by Vietnam native Quang Tran, will soon be available in downtown Troy.
The eatery is expected to open in January at 88 Third St., in the rear section of new retail store Kim’s Convenience.
Opening a restaurant of his own has been a longtime dream for owner Tran, a Troy resident who is a server at Peck’s Arcade, though he wasn’t sure it’d ever really come to fruition.
“It’s always been in the back of my mind,” Tran said. “I’ve always kind of been running away from the idea.”
But when Kim’s Convenience owner Jinah Kim casually mentioned the proposition to him last fall, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Originally, the property owner was supposed to create a restaurant in the space, but when those plans fell through Kim reached out to Tran to see if he’d be interested.
“The biggest hesitation for me with opening a restaurant was getting all of the kitchen equipment, getting things up to code, searching for a location,” Tran explained.
When Tran stopped by the Third Street location for the first time, he said, “Wow, all of that headache stuff is already done.”
“I felt like it was just handed to me on a platter,” he continued.
So, Tran took the plunge into entrepreneurship.
What inspired Tran to open a Vietnamese restaurant was partly his own desire to have good Vietnamese cuisine close by. Until now, he’s been driving to Clifton Park and Albany for a decent bowl of pho, he said. “I was sick and tired of making that commute just for soup.”
The Quang’s menu will include beef pho, which is the most traditional type, along with chicken pho and a vegan option.
Quang’s Vietnamese Bistro will also feature an assortment of Vermicelli bowls.
For appetizers, Tran’s spring rolls, which were a hit when debuted at a TroyAsia Night Market pop-up event, are making a comeback.
“We’re basically trying to serve very authentic, comfort Vietnamese food,” Tran said.
The menu will be limited when Quang’s first opens, but Tran predicts it will expand over time, mentioning the possibility of adding banh mi.
The bistro will have a full bar as well.
Once open, Quang’s Vietnamese Bistro is expected to serve for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday, with takeout and delivery options available too.
As the first Vietnamese restaurant in the city, Tran is excited to introduce Vietnamese food to the Troy community, and he’s doing it with his own namesake.
The restaurant title and Tran’s first name, Quang, is pronounced as (KW N). “Like swan with a Q,” Tran explained.
Aside from being the first restaurant of its kind in the area, Quang’s plans to set itself apart with its level of service. Prior to making the move to Troy and starting working at Peck’s Arcade, Tran had a career in the high- end dining scene in San Francisco.
Tran plans to bring that same service philosophy to Quang’s Vietnamese Bistro on a much more casual scale. “I think my niche is going to be delivering high- quality service and Asian food because usually, those don’t really go hand in hand,” he said.
Tran envisions the atmo- sphere at Quang’s to be like welcoming people into his own living room.
In the future, Tran may want to open a full- scale restaurant, he said. “We’re going to take it slow and see how it unfolds.”
Updates on Quang’s Vietnamese Bistro will be posted online at www.facebook.com/quangsbistro.