is

Entertainment

OF EVERYTH

Nu? Nu-Asian

Innovation's now a family affair at Mon Jin Lau.

T

he sparkle in his eyes was as
bright as the dining innovations
he has presented through the

years.
It was another crowded evening at Mon
Jin Lau at Maple and Stephenson in Troy, as
owner Marshall Chin clutched the hand of
his wife, May Sue, and smiled while extol-
ling their fine sons, Brian and Brandon.
Two years ago, they had given Mom and
Dad the greatest gift restaurant owner
parents can receive ... That of having their
honorable children enter the business
with them in carrying on a great heritage
... Brian and Brandon Chin have proven
themselves thoroughly able in helping to
run this excellent dining institution origi-
nated in 1969 by their grandparents, Joe
and Monica Chin.
Youthful Brian, 29, and Brandon, 25, are
assisting in operating what today is consid-
ered the closest thing as possible to a gour-
met Asian restaurant ... and with reason-
able prices ... This after Joe and Monica
had opened a Cantonese restaurant in an
area then that was far from a prime locale
... They called it Mon Jin Lau, a takeoff on
their two first names and "house of 10,000
jewels" ... The large menu now may not
have 10,000 selections, but certainly more
culinary gems than can be found in most
restaurants.
Their sons, Marco and Marshall, had
entered the business with them, just like
Brian and Brandon, and made a huge
change for the better in their presentations
of Nu-Asian dining ... So much in fact
that Mon Jin Lau, headed by Marshall and
May and their two sons, is far and away
considered among the finest of its kind in

this part of the country.
Today's informally upscale
Mon Jin Lau features imagi-
native dishes that cannot be
gotten anywhere else ... a
huge asset is its noted low-fat
cooking ... Traditional Chinese
dishes can be gotten, but most
popular are the Malaysian,
Thai, Shanghai, Mongolian,
Korean, Vietnamese, etc., in the
enjoyment of a true Nu-Asian
culinary experience.
Also American dishes with an Oriental
flair like the bestseller delicious filet with
its bok choy, carrots and shitake, oyster and
straw mushrooms ... along with Japanese
sushi that has proven so popular additional
sushi chefs have had to be added to make
the immensely accepted cuisine.
Seating at Mon Jin Lau is for 180 in
two dining rooms, plus a lounge bar with
additional tables and fresh sushi bar ... Its
kitchen is open Monday-Thursday 11-mid-
night; Friday 11-1; Saturday 4-1; Sunday
3-midnight.
Also working with Marshall, Brian and
Brandon is someone many will remember
... Evening manager Mike Syrum, for-
mer dining room manager at Knollwood
Country Club, Rattlesnake Club and Detroit
Athletic Club ..,. His presence is a valued
addition to the high standard of dining
which Mon Jin Lau has achieved.
Most of the dishes reveal familiar names,
but have a very distinctively different flair
and taste that fairly oozes of originality ...
This among the various dining delights
that can only be deliciously savored at Mon
Jin Lau.

'jest teottn,ed

,fie

New Year celebration of Hong Hua, Orchard
Lake Road, north of 12 Mile, Farmington
Hills ... Bringing in Year of the Boar
Sunday, Feb. 18, with another packed
house expected for Hong Hua's unusual
events and gourmet Chinese food ... 5
p.m., champagne and hors d'oeuvres; 5:45,
lion dance; 6:30, four-course dinner; 8:30,
karaoke and live music . $89 per person,
including tax.
LOOKS LIKE another restaurant
will open when the warm weather comes
... The former Key Largo, Bogie's, etc., in
will reach.
Walled
Lake, is working feverishly to wel
ALTHOUGH THE restaurant had
come
folks
back to the site.
been opened quietly for a few weeks, the
POPULARITY
KEEPS growing as
recent grand opening of IN on Franklin
Giulio's
Cucina
Italiana
on Plymouth Road,
at Northwestern and 12 Mile, Southfield,
Livonia,
has
its
next
Opera
Night Thursday,
officially heralded its public opening to an
Feb.
22
...
with
songstress
Kimerica
Parr
overly-crowded evening ... Folks ate appe-
and
pianist
Michael
Parr.
tizers and pizzas galore and enjoyed the
RESTAURANTS DON'T have to list
open bar ... Revealed were the lunch and
the
fat content of foods, but as the FDA
dinner menus with world-wide dishes pre-
(Food
and Drug Administration) says,
pared by owner Tony Gioutsos' son, Chef
"It's
a
good
tip to always ask which fats
Matthew Gioutsos, and Tony's corporate
are
being
used
to prepare the food you
executive chef, Matte° Giuffrida.
order."
Folks looked in awe at the huge change
Hiller Markets join the parade in remov-
from the innards of Excalibur and Caffe
ing
trans-fat from prepared food sold at
Milano to the Pi of today ... One who sure
all
its
six markets ... Recipes are being
shook his head a lot was Pi's general man-
revised
by Rick Halberg, Hiller's director of
ager, John Golematis, who spent 20 years
culinary
services.
at Excalibur as server, bartender, host and
If
you're
a restaurant owner, food han-
manager.
dler
or
whatever
and are getting rid of
Too bad the circular drive in front of
trans
fat
content,
let me know so I can
the former Excalibur is gone ... Owner of
inform
others.
the ill-fated Caffe Milano sure made a big
CONGRATS ... To Fred Swartz on his
blunder in removing it ... Entrance to Pi is
birthday.
now on the building's south side.
EACH YEAR all guests get a dollar,
Danny's e-mail address is
which will be plus a little good-luck baby
dannyraskin@sbcglobalmet.
orange ... They'll be gifts at the Chinese .

From the time Benson Fong,
Charlie Chan's No. 2 son, came
here from Hollywood in 1969
to help his relatives, Monica
and Jin, open their new restau-
rant, to now, it has continually
grown large in stature.
Today, with sons Brian and
Brandon joining Dad and Mom
in the restaurant business,
there seems no limit to the
future heights that Mon Jin Lau

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February 1% 2007

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