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Chefs sometimes say love is the secret ingredient in their dishes. Tammy Nguyen blends her heart and soul into her new Fusion Wine Bar restaurant. The culinary heritage of her Vietnamese roots is displayed in options such as banh mi sandwiches and spring rolls. For those seeking other Asian or American food she adds her “Tammy” touch to her house made sauces for popular dishes such as papaya and mango salads, gyoza, and chicken wings.
Nguyen told me she works “8 days a week.” She comes to the restaurant at 8:30 a.m. and an hour later, opens her nail salon next door. Some of her customers at T’s Nail Bar have gravitated to the food and drink next door.
“We’ve tried almost the whole menu, and we like the Vietnamese Crispy Wings with Tammy’s garlic fish sauce and diced white radish. We ordered the Vietnamese mango salad tonight and plan to play Tuesday Trivia,” said Angie Casillas of Livermore.
Casillas’ husband, Anthony Di Feo, noted, “It’s a one-stop-evening. Angie got her nails done, and now we enjoy dinner with our favorite beer on the list, refreshing 333 Triple The Excellence Vietnamese pale lager.”
Three Pleasanton neighbors encouraged Nancy and Terry Hueffed to try Fusion Wine Bar. “Before tonight’s dinner, I had never eaten Vietnamese food. We loved our springs rolls, mango salad, and fried bananas with coconut ice cream. Tammy came over and chatted with us. We will come back,” said Nancy.
Nguyen decided it was time to follow her dream of opening a bar and restaurant after raising two kids, now college graduates, as a single mom. Nguyen signed the lease in 2023. “It took time to get the permits, buy furniture and equipment, and train the line cooks with my recipes. My family supported the investment,” noted Nguyen.
Nguyen designed Fusion Wine Bar as a gathering place for neighbors, friends, and family. Community minded, Nguyen has a well-deserved reputation for helping first responders for many years.
Before opening her restaurant, she regularly brought trays of egg rolls for many years to Alameda County Sheriff and police venues on special occasions. During the Sunol Little Fire in July, she gave free coffee to first responders working at the event. In her restaurant, she regularly offers a 15 percent discount to first responders.
The patio is decorated with Vietnamese lanterns. As an event space, the tables pull together for celebrations or teams gathering for Tuesday Trivia or Wednesday Music Bingo teams. The bar serves mocktails and drinks made with soju and sake, both brewed rice wines. The wall of wine is stocked with a broad selection of Livermore Valley bottles. Local breweries dominate the beer list with two Vietnamese and one Thai brand.
I ordered a Cucumber Mojito and my friend Andrew, a Spicy Passion Fruit Mule. Unlike most cucumber cocktails that carry a dried up piece as garnish, Nguyen’s creation by bartender Avree Shelton had an abundance of freshly cut cucumber pieces and mint garnish. Andrew said his mock mule was delicious and refreshing, and he did not miss the alcohol.
On the Shared Plates menu, Andrew suggested the Prawn Nest Salad Bites, wonton cups filled with lettuce, shrimp and the Tammy’s special fusion sauce. When I mentioned that steamed gyoza are a must, Andrew corrected how I said it; he traveled many times in Japan and offered the correct pronunciation, gyeoh’-zah.
I was grateful for my friend’s support to explain the background on Agedashi Tofu Cake, a Japanese-influenced dish, from the Vegan menu. The base of the tasty dish is silken tofu, coated in starch, then deep-fried. Rather than the dried fish bonito flakes, Nguyen topped the savory cake with finely shredded, fried mushroom flakes. The contrast between the soft, custardy interior, crispy coating, and umami mushroom flakes is alluring. The house made sauce of vegan fish sauce, sugar, and coconut juice added a savory touch to the dish.
On the Specialties menu, the Vietnamese Mango Salad is worth sharing. Five fragile Vietnamese shrimp crackers hold a mélange of mangos, mint, crispy fried shallots, shrimp, cucumbers, red onion, basil, peanut, topped with house made sweet and sour dressing. Tip: Eat it quickly before the crackers become soggy.
The Rangoon is a new specialty item—and Nguyen’s favorite dish. My recollection of crab Rangoon is a passed appetizer of a small wonton filled with more cream-cheese than seafood folded into a pouch. Nguyen’s version is a large, flat wonton wrapper with a puffed center packed with diced shrimp, Japanese sushi-style imitation crab, and minimal filler.
Familiar Vietnamese dishes such as banh mi sandwiches with barbecue pork, pickled radish and Tammy’s special sauce are listed as specialties. Other options include Fusion Chicken Wraps and an Asian Burger served on Vietnamese bread with American cheese and house sauce.
Global desserts include churros, dulce de leche ice cream cake, and other sweet treats. The bananas for the fried banana, sourced from Vietnam, are purchased along with other ingredients during Nguyen’s Monday trip to the Vietnamese supermarket in San Jose when the restaurant is closed. During the week, she buys fresh herbs and greens at local stores. The Vietnamese coffee is special ordered.
For a mid-week pick-me-up, consider strong Vietnamese coffee in classic, sweetened style with condensed milk or a matcha coffee, and Nguyen offers a Happy Wednesdays menu. With the purchase of two glasses of wine or two draft beers, she offers one free dish. Options include two spring rolls, three pieces of seafood bruschetta or several vegan options from vegan egg rolls to onion rings, adding up to a fulsome fusion meal.
