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moved to their current location.
“Now, we’re in a better location with better ambience,”
Linh Diep said. “There’s more parking, and we’re next to a
movie theater. We’re one of the few Vietnamese restaurants
in the area, and we’ve helped people understand the differences
among Thai, Chinese, Indian and Vietnamese food.”
Vietnamese food is light, with lots of vegetables, and My
Linh’s menu offers a variety of poultry, seafood, beef and
vegetarian meals. Among the restaurant’s signature dishes
are: crispy crepe filled with chicken, mung beans, bean
sprouts, mushrooms and onions; one half boneless, pan fried
duck marinated with lemongrass, garlic and wine; and sliced
beef sauteed with spicy curry and onions, topped with scallion
and peanuts.
The restaurant has about 10 employees, most of whom
are part time. There’s an outdoor patio available for dining,
adorned with plants when the weather turns warm.
Sauces for sale
Recently, My Linh (pronounced “ME lin”) unveiled a line of
gourmet sauces –– tuong ngot, Ahn’s bean curd, vegetarian,
nuoc mam and spicy nuoc mam –– directly from its kitchen.
The sauces are available for purchase in the restaurant or
online at www.mylinhtasteofvietnam.com, and they may
soon be sold in local gourmet stores.
For Anh and Linh Diep, working together as mother and
daughter presents a unique dynamic, but one to which
they’ve grown accustomed. Anh is in charge of the kitchen,
including the preparation and presentation of the dishes,
while Linh oversees the dining rooms, bar and all other
aspects of the business.
“Sometimes, there are emotional charges, but we have
our goals, we put our emotions aside and do what’s best for
the restaurant,” Linh Diep said. “We are very hard-working,
reliable, trustworthy people.”
Although they are women in business, they don’t view
themselves that way.
“For us, we try to think of ourselves as business people,
and gender is secondary,” Linh Diep said. “We’ve been determined
to turn our dreams into reality, and success can be
achieved when opportunity meets preparation.”
Those dreams were made possible when they came to
this country, and they’re proud to be pursuing the American
Dream right here in Albany.
“What makes America so successful are people who work
very hard,” Linh Diep said. “That’s a big part of Vietnamese
culture, too.”
My Linh recently unveiled a line of
gourmet sauces
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