Local Eats

DOU DOU CAFÉ

By Mabel Suen

In Richmond Heights, Dou Dou Café serves Vietnamese cuisine seven days a week and features a casual, concise menu of homestyle dishes from Vietnam, including appetizers, noodle soups and entrées.

The eatery comes from husband-and-wife duo Donnal Chung and Frances Pham, who named the restaurant after their 11-year-old son, who’s affectionately nicknamed “Dou Dou” (pronounced “dough dough”), which translates from Cantonese as “bean bean.” The couple officially purchased the building that now houses the café and their flagship business, Donnal’s Salon, the day he was born.

For Chung – a Hong Kong native who has owned and operated his own salon since 1993 –having a menu available every day that features all of his favorite home-cooked meals is a dream come true. When he moved his salon into the building three years ago, he knew he wanted to fill the adjacent 800-square-foot space with Pham’s thoughtfully prepared dishes.

Pham, who is Chinese-Vietnamese, learned to cook alongside her mother while growing up in Saigon and, ever since, has had a passion for creating fresh, tasty food in the kitchen. Her café originally debuted in December 2019, but closed the following spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened last fall.

“My wife has always loved cooking, and now I get to have my favorite food anytime and share it with everybody,” Chung says. “I have a very particular, picky taste, and I think Vietnamese cuisine is very healthy and light. I really enjoy that and love having our neighbors, friends and clients come in to our fun café to hang out and have good food, too.”

The made-to-order menu currently includes two appetizers: spring rolls with the guest’s choice of beef, shrimp or both, rice noodles and herbs, as well as lettuce wraps with stir-fried beef and veggies. Traditional noodle soups include sliced beef phở made from a secret family recipe, chicken phở and spicy lemongrass beef noodle soup.

Two entrées are also on offer: a chicken noodle salad topped with marinated, stir-fried chicken, as well as spicy pork belly and rice with soy sauce-marinated egg. To drink, guests can choose from canned and bottled soft drinks, as well as hot beverages including tea, Hong Kong milk tea and Vietnamese milk coffee.

Going forward, Chung and Pham hope to offer more of their favorites. For now, they’re happy to bring a selection of their go-tos to the neighborhood.

“I see [my wife] work hard, and she’s smiling all the time, and I do the same for my own business,” Chung says. “That’s how we spend our time together, and I hope to continue for a long time.” ln Dou Dou Café, 6318 Clayton Road, Richmond Heights, 314-952-2255, doudoucafestl.com