Popular Vietnamese restaurant coming to Sault Ste. Marie

After running a seasonal operation up in Batchawana Bay over the past two summers, Chan Bui is preparing to bring Sunset Noodle House to Sault Ste. Marie. 

The Vietnamese restaurant is expected to open in the soon-to-be former home of Gliss Steak and Seafood on Spring Street as early as January 2023. 

“We are just so passionate about food,” said Bui. “When we closed down, there was a lot of people that were really, really sad, and they said we should open up in the Sault — and it also makes sense too, because I really do want to live in the Sault in the winter. To make that move for us just makes sense.”

A self-identified foodie from Toronto, Bui moved to Batchawana Bay with her husband, Trieu Ngo, and their two daughters five years ago after buying the Sunset Shores campground. 

Bui and Ngo launched the Sunset Noodle House at the campground in July 2021 to see if Vietnamese cuisine would catch on there.  

“We had to do it lightly just to see how it will be received, because it’s a lot of work,” Bui said. “With Vietnamese cooking, especially if it’s authentic, you have to make everything. We probably make 95 per cent of the things that come out of the kitchen.”

It didn’t take long for the Batchawana Bay eatery to gain popularity for its made-from-scratch Vietnamese offerings, despite being open for just two months out of the year.   

“We saw the success this year of how much people loved the food, and we thought yes, it is a good idea to move into the city because people have accepted the flavours and people are excited to try new things,” Bui said. 

The relocation to the Sault, Bui says, will allow Sunset Noodle House to offer even more of a Vietnamese culinary experience for foodies by creating and introducing new items on the menu. 

Bui is looking at incorporating fresh rolls into the menu when Sunset Noodle House opens early next year. The fresh rolls, Bui says, would enable patrons to cook and assemble their own Vietnamese spring rolls with what she describes as a gas-powered hot plate of sorts.       

“You get to cook your own meat, and then you would assemble your own roll,” she said. “When we go to the Sault, there will be that option for people - and then of course, I would come out and I would teach people how to do it first.

“Once people get the hang of it, it’s a really great experience because when you’re ready to eat, you just dip the rice paper into water, you take it out and make your roll and you eat — and then if you want to talk to your friends, then you just sit down and you talk,” she continued. “It’s a really nice experience, and it’s nice to incorporate that while you’re eating — and you’re having fun, too.”

Bui says she has made “many connections with people through the love of food,” and wants to continue making those connections in Sault Ste. Marie. 

“Vietnamese food has an array of different ingredients and different flavours. The essence of Vietnamese cooking is balance, and the essence of Vietnamese cooking is that it has five main tastes: When you’re eating Vietnamese food you should be tasting sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty,” Bui said. “So when you eat it, it should be perfectly balanced — you should taste all that, but it’s never overpowering. All the flavour should be coming in at once.”