Review: Vinai gives you a big vang for your money

A long-awaited restaurant has finally opened its doors in the northeastern neighborhood of Minneapolis. Chef Yia Vang’s Vinai is a reality after five years in the making.

Guests are greeted by the aroma of Southeast Asian ingredients and the sounds of a busy kitchen. The restaurant is open plan so guests can look over the bar into the kitchen and watch the chefs at work.

The overall design is understated and clean, with chic lantern-like fixtures hanging from the ceiling and a large wooden structure reminiscent of the roof truss of a house serving as the centerpiece.

It’s also a nod to Chef Vang’s heritage, with many of the design elements using the Hmong textile tradition for their patterns. In some ways, the restaurant is reminiscent of trendy bars I’ve been to in tropical places like my home state of Hawaii.

I imagine it’s similar to restaurants in Thailand, where Vang’s roots lie. The name Vinai even comes from the name of the refugee camp where he was born, Ban Vinai.

Vang has said Vinai is a love letter to his parents, and the menu is proof of that, offering dishes that Vang says reflect the eating habits of his childhood in a Hmong household.

The dishes can be enjoyed individually, but can also be easily mixed to create new combinations. This is a testament to Vang’s ability to make a dish shine on its own – but work beautifully when combined with other dishes.

The menu isn’t cheap — some dishes cost over $40 and cocktails tend to be over $15 — but for a Minneapolis restaurant with a celebrity chef, that’s not unreasonable. There’s a lot of variety, both in terms of prices and ingredients.

Dishes include braised beef rib in a bamboo and taro stalk broth, and a whole grilled spatchcock-style chicken seasoned with a coconut-ginger sauce that brightens with fruity undertones.

I have a weakness for tinned meat, so the mackerel in a sardine tin, seasoned with chilli and spring onion, is high on my list. The real highlight of the menu is the Crabby Fried Rice, a lovely mix of garlic, blue crab and vegetables. It’s seemingly simple – but delicious. That’s true of everything I tried on my two visits, first at an invited preview event and then again this week after the restaurant officially opened.

Another standout feature of Vinai is its cocktail menu, which is full of twists on old classics, including an Old Fashioned with cardamom bitters and a Hmong take on a cucumber margarita. Others also incorporate Southeast Asian flavors like lemongrass.

One small note, however: the glassware leaves a lot to be desired. When Vinai’s drinks are chilled, they condense. Combined with the matte black tabletops, you will constantly notice wet water rings next to your plates.

Vinai began as an idea in 2019, and since then Yia Vang has achieved considerable success as a chef, competing on Iron Chef, starting a podcast about being Hmong, and being nominated for multiple James Beard Awards.

I imagine Vang wanted to open Vinai earlier, but as a regular customer, I believe the restaurant benefited from having a chef with so much more experience.