Nammi Opens Test Kitchen and Coolhaus Location

Last March, I was talking to Teena and Gary from Nammi and they casually mentioned that they had been thinking about a physical location to go along with their trucks. Since every truck owner has at least thought of having a physical location, I wasn't surprised to hear this. A couple of times I checked with Teena or Gary and while the idea was still alive it seemed that the time required to run three trucks (2 for Nammi, 1 for Coolhaus) was not leaving them much free time to develop the storefront concept.  Or so I thought...


This morning, I received an email letting me know that the Nammi Test Kitchen, also serving Coolhaus Ice Cream, was doing a soft opening inside Valley View Mall today. It is no secret and I make no apologies that Nammi is my favorite truck so I had to drop everything so I could be among the first to see how it translated to a storefront.  I love Nammi food, I love how Gary and Teena run their business and I love the creativity that shows through their truck.  Those three things come out strongly in this Test Kitchen.

The Test Kitchen has a full menu, with most of the "Truck Tested" favorites including banh mis, tacos and rice bowls, along with new "Kitchen Approved" items like sliders, nachos, paninis and soup. Additionally, there is a "Drink Well" with offerings of teas and coffee. All of the teas will be made from fresh fruits...if you know Nammi, you know that powdered stuff is not an option.

Since I have been begging for pho from Nammi for the last 18 months, that was my lunch today.  Teena's father is the mastermind behind the soups and in his honor, the pho bears his name, Dad's Chicken Rice-Noodle Soup.


This is not your average Vietnamese restaurant pho, the chicken is char grilled before going in to the soup pot, so it has a unique flavor that I really liked and the sauces were fresh and flavorful.  For Vegans, the Test Kitchen also serves a spicy hue-style vegan soup.

While the Nammi Test Kitchen is in Valley View Mall, it does not have a generic mall feel. It is the first unit inside the Preston Road entrance so if you don't want to go further in the mall you don't have to. The path from the door leads straight to the movie theater, so dinner and movie and then ice cream sandwich on the way out will be a fun and delicious date night.


Teena and Gary did the majority of the build out of the restaurant themselves putting their architecture degrees to good use!  They designed and covered the walls with recycled wooden pallets and built frames for the wall art and menus. Additional decor including art and Vietnamese straw hats pay homage to the culture of Vietnam.

As with any soft opening, Gary and Teena were finding all the kinks in the business. The saddest one on this hot day was that the ice cream freezer wasn't working properly so they couldn't serve their Coolhaus sandwiches.  Oh well, that just means I get to go back next week!

Nammi is still working out the specific opening hours, but the plan, for now, is to be open 11 a.m. -9 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday and Noon - 6 p.m. on Sunday.  Check the Nammi website to make sure the hours haven't changed. Truck lovers, have no fear, Nammi and Coolhaus trucks will continue to run at their usual locations and times.