Our Story

That was the one thing that my grandpa keeps telling me all the time. His name was Han Dinh Nguyen. He had lived through the Vietnam Wars in Saigon, where the most important thing to people was to survive. My grandpa did varieties of jobs from baking bread, making chopsticks, clothes and shoes, to even housing construction so he could to be able to look after his family of 9. But his magic had and always would be in the kitchen. And while money didn’t grow from trees, with his creation, the cheap cut of meats, home grown vegetables could be turned in to a feast. That is where my inspiration comes from. I cook with my heart, using simple ingredients to create home-cooked goodness. The menu concept presents modern takes on classic Vietnamese dishes from south to north and capture the honest flavours that are found in the streets & alleyways of Vietnam.

 

Another inspiration comes from my step father - Thach Khac Nguyen, a really close friend of my late father, who passed away when I was 2 years old because of a car accident. He loves and looks after me and my brother just like his own kids, and I am forever grateful. My family tradition is to name the business by the person’s name who you honor and admire, the reason for the name “Rock Yard” that is inspired from my stepfather’s name.​

 

Thuan Tran (Brian Tran)  - Owner & Head Chef