The Orillia store is owner Ming Le's third store. He says preparing high-quality food “doesn't take much effort.”
Thank you Orillia foodies for opening a new Vietnamese restaurant in the city.
Minh's Modern Vietnamese Dining opened on April 30th at 438 West St. N., the former site of Chinese restaurant Gung Ho. It will be the third Minn's restaurant, following in Collingwood, which opened during the pandemic, and Owen Sound, which opened last June.
Why did Ming Le open a restaurant in Orillia?
“We owe it to (Collingwood) customers,” he said.
“We have a lot of customers who have cottages here. They say, 'Min, you should consider Orillia, it's a really nice place.'”
Le spent two and a half months renovating the location and creating a new restaurant with a modern aesthetic. The color scheme is black, white and turquoise, with natural plants, mirrors and a large TV playing music videos. All three restaurants feature the Italian's Vespa scooter as a distinctive decoration.
Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School teacher Jason Janis is already a regular at Minns.
“I love food. I grew up in Windsor where there were a lot of Vietnamese restaurants, and I remember that. It's good to eat ethnic food in Orillia,” he said.
Le's goal is to provide high quality Vietnamese food to local eateries. The recipe is his mother's. A former banker, he entered the restaurant industry on a recommendation from his daughter and to share the style of cooking he had learned.
“I'm proud of this,” he said.
Everything is made in house using the highest quality ingredients. The beef bone soup is simmered in-house for 24 to 28 hours. All beef is AAA. All chicken is from Costco.
“Don't be silly,” he said.
At Le, we limit the number of items on our menu and the number of dishes we prepare per day to ensure everything is fresh. He often sells out of his Collingwood restaurants.
Menu items are written in Vietnamese and English. Main course prices range from $18 to $22. Categories include broken rice, pad thai, bun vermicelli, pho rice noodle soup, wonton soup, stir-fry, and more.
A Vietnamese sandwich called banh mi costs $10. Entrees range in price from $8 to $20. Vietnamese ice cream is also available for dessert. Jasmine tea is a fragrant Vietnamese loose-leaf tea that is served in teapots and ceramic cups.
The best seller is Pad Thai.
“The reason I do Pad Thai is because Pad Thai is well known,” says Lee, who puts his own spin on Thai cuisine.
“I do everything with Vietnamese flavor.”
The restaurant also serves dim sum daily, including steamed shrimp dumplings and barbecued pork buns.
When Le wants to add a new item, he tests it with customers first to see if it's well-received and makes good business sense.
So far, Orillia has three staff members from Toronto, plus himself and his wife.
Orillia may not be his last location as he strives to spread food across Simcoe County.
“I don't know where it's going to be next,” he said with a laugh, but added that he was also considering Barry.
Minh's is open seven days a week from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. The restaurant offers dine-in, takeout, and delivery via food delivery service.
For more information, call the restaurant at 437-225-2250 or visit the website.