Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
CHING-HE: My name is Ching-He Huang
and I'm known for making Chinese food easy.
So now we're going to what?
Barbecue sauce. Suen Jeung.
Now I'm on a mission to help
struggling restaurants think
outside the takeout box to turn their business around.
Out with the old, in with the new.
Your new signature dish.
This is Restaurant Redemption.
I'm in Kansas City, Missouri, and I have come to the aid
of a failing family restaurant.
It's a Vietnamese place
and they've had it over for 21 years.
Now the neighborhood that it's in,
it's full of young people,
lots of Asian influence, there's a Japanese place,
there's a dumpling house, and another Vietnamese place.
So if you're going to do Asian here on this spot,
it better be the best.
My name is Linda Bruce.
I do mainly the front of the house.
My name is Victor Perkins.
21 years ago my mother opened up our restaurant,
it was immediately successful.
We would have lines out the door.
My name Mimi Perkins.
I have children, so I'm not here as often.
And Victor's role here has left him a little bitter
because he is here all the time.
From cooking to hosting to bussing
to cleaning the bathroom, whatever needs to be done.
Our mother is technically retired, however,
her idea retirement is coming in on a daily basis
to make sure that her operations
is running the way she sees fit,
but I'm trying to increase the business,
which has dwindled down since the recession.
LINDA: We're just barely making it right now,
if we don't get business back to where it was,
we're not going to be able to pay our bills.
I'm Linda.
Nice to meet you, Linda. I'm Ching.
My mother and my brother are in the kitchen,
this way please.
Mom and Victor...
Hello.
Miss Ching is here.
Hello, how are you?
So tell me about this restaurant.
Who started this place?
My mom did.
I do.
She actually waited tables.
She worked and saved all of her tips
and decided to open a restaurant of her own
and did this without getting a loan.
CHING-HE: Amazing.
Yeah.
How long have you been in business here?
Almost 22 years.
22 years?
That's a long time.
And how has it changed?
Vietnamese restaurants were very novel 21 years ago
and now there are more Vietnamese restaurants,
there are more choices...
So you have more competition.
There is more competition and I think
now people are more open to trying new things
and we're just kind of
where we have been for the last 20 years.
So your menu hasn't changed for 21 years.
We've added a few items--
When I tell you that our menu has not changed in 21 years...
Literally...
It literally has been the same food.
We've never run any specials,
we've never introduced, I mean, we've introduced--
Why not?
I mean, basically we're running
on a skeleton crew right now.
It's basically family.
Who's really in the kitchen here?
Well, I may be the one that's in the kitchen,
but this will always be my mother's restaurant.
Well, the proof is always in the tasting.
So I'd love to try four or five of your signature dishes
and I'll be waiting outside in the dining room
and then I'll let you know my thoughts.
Very well, thank you.
I will send.
Okay, thank you.
While they prepare their 21 year old signature dishes,
I'm going to look at the decor.
This place looks really neglected.
It has so much potential because this is a great space.
The problem is, it's so dark and dingy.
There's just lot of kitsch everywhere, plastic flowers,
clutter on the tables.
There is no proper lighting, we've got horrible,
sickly yellow-orange colored walls
with a bright neon sign.
It's such a shame.
This space has potential,
but it hasn't been kept up
over the years.
I wonder if the food has also
been allowed to fall off.
Or if two decades of making these dishes means
they are perfect.
This is our tofu curry and this is our chow.
It's mom's recipe and it's topped with cilantro
and green onions.
Let's try the curry first.
You can tell the chicken is old.
It's just crumbly.
Wow, wasn't expecting that.
That curry sauce is really sweet,
it should be spicy,
there's no lemongrass.
That's not how a Vietnamese curry
should taste.
So this is the rice porridge.
This looks like it's being sitting there for a while,
and it's thick and gloopy.
The meat tastes frozen.
This is our mother's Pho.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
So this is the Vietnamese Pho, the national dish of Vietnam.
Rice noodles, this one has some chicken,
some beef and some meat balls.
I was hoping for some beef brisket,
I was hoping for maybe some oxtail, very boring.
The soup, it's lacking the richness
and the flavors of the spices
that usually come with a really good Pho broth.
Vietnamese cuisine is all about freshness,
using lots of herbs to excite the palate.
Hot, sour, sweet, bitter, tangy zest.
And the food I tried did not deliver.
I need to have a chat with the family
and let them know
they may need to rethink this menu.
This is mediocre at best.
Everything tastes muted, it lacks depth of flavor.
Everything looks dull, lifeless and sort of tired,
a bit like this place.
I would have to fully disagree with you.
We've had the same menu for 21 years,
so I know what we do, we do well.
This was just bland.
And the meat tastes like it's dry and then it's soft
and it's almost crumbly.
It's either been overcooked or it's cheap meat.
And the broth itself, the Pho,
it just lacked a real roundness,
a real depth of flavor,
a richness from a good broth.
I couldn't taste any spices in there.
You're not happy about it?
No.
So who has let the standard slip in the kitchen?
Victor is one that works in the kitchen.
I don't work in the kitchen, I don't cook.
I basically feel as if sometimes my hands are tied.
And I'm not going to make any changes
that my mother would not approve of.
So whose is in-charge of this restaurant?
One of you has to take control of that kitchen.
Nothing would make me happier,
to be in-charge of all that food that went out.
But out of my respect for my mother,
I'm just waiting for her to relinquish that.
Is it your mother or is it you?
I haven't heard from you, you want to be in the kitchen.
I'm not going to basically take something away
from my mother.
My mother is basically--
I'm not own the restaurant no more.
And then this is what happens.
She's giving you the power.
It sounds like you are hesitant.
Because--
She's relinquishing, right here in front of you.
I'm in Kansas City, Missouri,
at a family run Vietnamese restaurant.
There are major issues with the dishes I just sampled.
And with the way this kitchen is run.
She's giving you the power.
It sounds like you are hesitant.
Because--
She's relinquishing,
right here in front of you.
There needs to be clear line
of responsibility,
and it starts with the kitchen.
Everything that comes out of that kitchen
has to be perfect.
Are you happy?
I mean, I thought you'd be absolutely delighted.
I--I--I--I--I--
Yes, I mean, it would be an honor,
it would be an amazing experience.
I would love to take it, but not at the expense--
I mean, when you--
Oh, gosh, she said she'll do it.
Shut up.
Just do it.
Yes, yes, I get it. Okay.
I'm really not sure that he does get it,
but this place is in such dire straits,
I've got no choice
but to move ahead with the plan.
I am going to shut this restaurant down,
we're going to bring this place
back to its former glory and even better.
Thank you.
Are you all in?
Yes.
Yes.
Got a lot of work to do.
I'm not shooting it down.
Once I leave for the night,
Linda starts to voice her frustration
with Victor's resistance.
At least have your mind open enough
that we need to do something different.
Every time I offer a suggestion,
you just shoot it down and not do anything different.
I'm not shooting it down.
You are shooting it down.
Okay.
I'm basically in the kitchen, in the dining room,
at the cash register,
while you are not here sometimes.
So do you want to just stay where we are,
or do you want to do something different?
If you want a different result,
you've got to do something different.
I really have my hands full with this place.
In the meantime,
my design team is moving forward
in updating the decor.
We're sectioning off the restaurant
and turning one half into an upscale dining area
and the other half into a casual cafe.
And I have a new menu concept that will draw
the lunch crowd into the latter space.
The concept for this restaurant going forward
is all about bringing a taste of Vietnam right here
to Kansas City.
The Vietnamese culture is cafe culture.
It's street food, it's little bites, it's snacks
throughout the day,
that's how you should think about
this restaurant going forward.
I love that idea.
To really transform this place
into a modern Vietnamese cafe,
we're going to create the perfect quick lunch item,
a bahn mi sandwich.
It incorporates traditional Vietnamese ingredients
like pork belly, liver pate and fresh vegetables.
It's all about simplicity
and you don't get much more
simple than a sandwich.
Chicken liver pate, really easy.
You start with vegetable oil and add shallots,
chicken livers, thyme, hard boiled eggs and brandy.
A quick cook and then we set aside to cool.
While the pate is cooling,
we're gonna make the wok fried pork.
First we've got to do a quick marinade with lemongrass,
chilies...
Great chopping skills.
Soy and fish sauce.
Ready?
The last step before assembling is
to puree the cold pate ingredients.
Let's assemble this.
The pate one side.
A little bit of this pork.
The pickle, fresh cilantro.
Looks delicious.
Here you go.
All the layers, the textures, it's delicious.
I get so many requests for the bahn mi sandwich
so often and I would bring it to Victor.
But why haven't you executed something like this?
Linda was wanting to add that to the menu
and I was pushing back,
because why would I introduce something new
to a menu and have to do all the foot work
when I'm by myself.
I already felt as if I had enough work
to do as it was.
It's making a sandwich.
It can't get quicker than making a sandwich.
I want Saigon 39
to start attracting a lunch crowd.
So we are adding a quick and easy
Vietnamese lunch item to the menu.
A bahn mi.
Apparently, they've been getting requests
for this for years,
but Victor has been refusing to make it.
I would make these recommendations
and I would bring them to Victor.
I know he is working a lot,
but I just felt like that was something we needed.
It's like great ideas but what's the action plan?
I mean, anyone can have a great idea.
She's tried to tell you for the good of the restaurant
but it hasn't got through.
There's been no solution.
Front of house is yours, the kitchen is yours.
And I've never been able to have that
as a concept in my mind.
Right, but you have now.
Yes.
So you have to be present now.
I'm not just sold on Victor's commitment.
It doesn't seem like Victor even wants to be here,
never mind give everything
he has to turn this place around.
I think it's time for a serious chat.
Are you happy?
Yes.
Truly owning that kitchen.
You are going to have to step up.
It's not going to be easy.
I felt like there is an aspect of me
that you haven't witnessed,
you haven't seen me in a work mode, as a leader.
But trust and believe that when push comes to shove,
I can get the job done.
I am ready.
It's not hard not to question Victor's sincerity
but since he says he wants to move forward,
I am going to do just that,
and give Victor a simple and foolproof pho recipe
that he should be able to pull off easily.
If you're Vietnamese restaurant,
you have to sell pho.
I'm going to start with that.
Okay.
A great pho starts with a rich meat broth.
The pho that I tried yesterday, the meat was not spectacular.
You were using cuts of meat that were just bland.
It was just really off.
We are going to start with the basics.
We've got here some chicken thighs,
chicken wing tips, oxtail, chin, pork bones,
we've got chuck, beef bones.
We've also got a lovely piece of brisket.
These meat cuts are all economical and easy to find.
After we parboil these parts
and they simmer for about 12 hours,
the flavors become amazing.
That slow cook is the key to good pho making.
What do you use meat-wise, when you make pho?
The brisket and then a chicken breast.
So you Americanized the dishes as opposed
to sticking to the heritage.
Okay. Well, that's got to change.
I agree.
Diners are more adventurous these days
and these cuts of meat are more flavorful
and won't dry out in the broth, like the boneless,
skinless chicken breast they were using before.
Then I've got here is seven quarts of chicken stock.
That's gonna enrich the flavor of the broth.
We are adding charred ginger and onions for smoky flavor.
Rock sugar for sweetness,
lemongrass and whole spices like coriander,
star anise, cardamom, and fennel.
That's it.
When it's time for Victor
to serve the soup,
all he has to do is add the cooked meats
and some rice noodles to the broth.
Fresh herbs and condiments will be served on the side,
so the guests can customize their soup.
Watching Ching so easily put this
soup stock together so quickly, I was honestly in disbelief.
This to me is exactly the way in
which I would love to serve it.
He was excited but there is an underlying
sense of uncertainty and doubt.
While Linda and Victor get ready for tonight,
I want to take one last look at the front of house makeover.
We wanted this to feel like an authentic Vietnamese café.
So out with the orange walls and blue ceilings,
in with the chic Vietnamese motif.
Magnifique.
Close your eyes.
Okay.
Okay. This is now your restaurant.
Are you ready?
Yes.
Open your eyes.
Oh, my gosh.
Up there is Saigon 39 the restaurant.
Blue walls like the ocean and then the light blue paint
that was on the ceiling is gone.
I love it.
This is Mimi's Vietnamese cafe right here in this section.
Gone are the horrible orange walls and over here,
it's a little sitting area.
This spot is perfect for people enjoy
a bahn mi or Vietnamese coffee.
It just looks so clean and open and...
You deserve a second chance at success.
It's going to be a new beginning for us.
Linda is clearly excited about this new direction.
I can't tell from Victor's face
if he likes it or if it's even sparking any ideas for him.
I still think he'd rather be somewhere else.
But right now we all need band together
and get through tonight's grand reopening.
How are you feeling?
A little nervous with these new items and--
Who's gonna be on each station?
Who's going to do what tonight?
Are you going to show them each dish?
When I have to, yes, yes.
I really need to know
if he is capable of owning this kitchen,
because right now his expression,
everything about him in the kitchen,
he looks so uncomfortable.
You need to communicate to them.
You need to show them how it's done.
You are going to pull it together.
Right? You are you the exec chef.
Oh, my God. Ooh.
Before the crowd rushes in,
Linda is showing Mimi the new décor,
and she couldn't be happier.
This is fantastic. My God, I love it.
While everything is going smoothly
in the front of house, tonight's service
hasn't even started yet and Victor is already behind.
You guys have to speed it up.
It seems like he's forgotten everything
I've taught him over the past two days.
This is the first time I've ever done this.
Close up the sandwich and do the next one.
Have a line going.
You're not working fast enough.
Is that good to go outside?
No, no, no.
No, of course not. So rectify it.
Victor is all over the place.
He's still not owning the space,
and I'm extremely disappointed.
Why you are looking at me like you are about to *** me?
Okay, I need to have a word with you.
I'm pulling Victor aside because I really need to know
if he is capable of owning this kitchen.
If he even wants to.
Tell me, what's going on in your head?
Is this what you really want to do?
Yes.
Really?
Yes.
You don't seem like it.
Right now I still don't believe you.
I'm not here to make you believe me,
I'm not a salesman, Ching. I'm basically--
Well, you know what? Wait, let me speak.
Because throughout this process,
you have been a salesman.
You have said yes, yes, yes, yes, and tonight,
I've been extremely worried, because seeing you in action,
you weren't owning that kitchen.
I would have thought you would have stepped up even more.
It'll get better from this point forward.
Yes?
Yes.
I hope so.
There's only three tables that have food.
We need more food.
Garnish, garnish, garnish.
Keep moving.
There's a ton of people with only water.
With Linda's help in the kitchen,
food is finally starting to get out to the tables.
And the good news is,
people seem to think it was worth the wait.
The flavor of the sandwich was amazing.
Compared to the pho
that I've eaten here in the past,
I like this pho better.
It's like heaven in a bun.
And Mimi is finally getting a chance to relax
with some of her longtime customers.
Are they gonna add this to your menu?
I think so, that's what it looks like.
It's good.
It's good.
We're excited to come back tomorrow and have it again.
What a journey.
When I first got here,
this place was about to close down.
There was hardly any business.
There were some serious family issues.
I have done my part to help Saigon 39 start anew,
but now Victor and Linda have to step up
and really prove that they can do it.
I really don't know if this family can make this work.
Let's hope they can pull it together.
My work is done.