Magasin Cafe Will Start Serving ‘High-End’ Vietnamese When it Reopens

Magasin Vietnamese Cafe, the casual, modern Vietnamese restaurant on Magazine Street that Kim Nguyen opened in 2012, is getting a facelift and going upscale with “high-end Vietnamese” after closing in June for renovations.

In a report filed by Todd Price, Nguyen said that her mother just returned from Vietnam and wants to be a chef. After the renovation, expect a more refined interior and “the kind of food typically served at a Vietnamese wedding banquet, like abalone and sautéed lobster.” Nguyen's mother will “cook the dishes she made before immigrating. And the family wants diners to slow down and savor the food.”

Nguyen is also the force behind Magasin Kitchen in the CBD, which will not go upscale at this point. She also runs Sprout & Press on Freret Street, which serves juices and light lunches (including poke).

Currently, the only spot in New Orleans doing upscale Vietnamese food is Cafe Minh in Mid City. It bills itself as “creative and sophisticated Vietnamese-French fare in a white-tablecloth bistro space.” [NOLA.COM]