Fusion Fish Cuisine operations director Yung Nay chuckles when asked about his favorite item on the menu.
“I purposefully designed the pastry station not for the customer,” Nay says. “But for myself. Just because I have a craving all the time.”
In a matter of speaking, this same logic can be applied to almost every aspect of Fusion Fish Cuisine, the newest restaurant concept located in Meadowmont. Everything about the restaurant has a personal touch, from the soba noodle salad to the hand-picked wine menu.
For Nay, his journey with food began before he came to the United States.
“At a young age, my family, we owned farms. We grew up in farms planting pretty much anything and everything you could think of. We had all kinds of animals that we raised. In addition to that, we sold our produce to vendors and contracted with them. From a young age, I grew up in the food industry because we used what we have.”
This type of upbringing influences how Nay and his team of chefs prepare their menu. Local brands can be found throughout the menu, especially with their drinks and coffee. The team are regulars at the farmers markets in the area as they try to celebrate the best parts of the Triangle area.
“Nowadays it’s hard to come up with an original concept,” Nay says. “Everything is out there. So for us, what we like to do, is come up with something new that we can use in our dish. Take a little from Asia and apply it to modern cooking.”
The team at Fusion Fish works to create a concept that is pleasing to all customers, whether they are trying Asian fusion for the first time or the hundredth time. The roots of Asian fusion cannot be traced back to one place and influences from China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and many other places all combine to make a delicious dish.
Chef Nicholas Salvi explains that concept of Asian fusion is actually more simple than customers think, with a base layer of noodles and vegetables that are lightly cooked.
“A lot of times people are scared to go outside the box and that’s where we ask them to trust us,” Salvi says. “We’ve been there, we’re traveling there, we want to bring you along with us. So the fusion is just being able to step outside the box.”
Salvi says that his favorite item on the menu is the chef’s challenge, which gives the customer the option to pick which protein for the entree and whether it’s created Asian-style or European-style but allows the chef the flexibility to take it from there.
In addition to hosting weddings and other events around the local area, Nay and his staff also host sushi-making team building events. Cooking is a skill which develops over time and activities like these, Nay explains, help build communication and teamwork between people.
“Because cooking has skill involved, so everybody is different. Some learn fast, some take a little time. So what we do is we walk them through it, so those that are taking a little time to learn, the other guy can step in and help out and I can step in and help out.”
In the end, Nay wants to give his customers an experience that will leave them wanting more. Asian fusion can crafted in many different ways and the talented team at Fusion Fish Cuisine draws from years of experience in creating their work.
“What we want to do is give a unique flavor that customers can come in and appreciate.”
Listen to Sharon Hill’s interview with Yung Nay on Today’s Business.
Featured image via Fusion Fish Cuisine
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