Build-your-own Asian food: New takeaway opens in Aalborg

A new sign has finally appeared in the window of the well-known building on Vingårdsgade that was home to Thai2Go for many years.

After five months of renovation, a new Asian restaurant and takeaway is now getting ready to open its doors.

Behind the new Restaurant Comi is Duy Phong Nguyen, who was born in Vietnam and has lived and worked in Aalborg for the past 18 years.

“The renovation has taken a long time, and now I’m really looking forward to opening,” he tells MigogAalborg.

Build-your-own Asian concept

The concept at Comi will be slightly different from many of the more traditional Asian restaurants in the city.

Here, guests will largely build their own meal.

“It’s a build-your-own concept where you choose your dish and then pick your own sauce, toppings and meat,” Phong explains.

“The idea is quick and fresh Asian comfort street food, made the way the customer wants it.”

The inspiration behind the menu is rooted in Phong’s own background.

Duy Phong Nguyen has spent around half his life in Vietnam and the other half in Denmark.

He is trained in Japanese cuisine and has also worked with both Vietnamese and Thai food.

For the past 18 years, he has lived in Aalborg, working with Asian cuisine at several different places.

Now he is bringing all that experience together in his own kitchen, with dishes inspired by different parts of Asia.

The menu will include Chinese-style lo mein noodles, fried udon noodles, Vietnamese rice noodles with vegetables and Japanese curry.

The latter is something Phong is especially excited to introduce to Aalborg.

“Japanese curry is a mix of Indian and Western-style curry, and I’m curious to see how people in Aalborg respond to it,” he says.

Every detail has been considered

When the new restaurant and takeaway opens, the concept will be thought through down to the smallest detail.

The restaurant is called Comi because the name is a shortened reference to rice and noodles in Vietnamese, while the slogan beneath the logo is meant both seriously and with a touch of humour:

“Comi – when you’re hungry.”

And although Phong is the driving force behind the restaurant, the project has very much been a family effort.

“We have done most of it ourselves. Originally, the plan was to open just two months after we got the premises.

“But the renovation ended up becoming a much bigger job than expected,” he says with a smile.

Only the final details remain before Comi opens in mid-September.

When it does, the main focus will be takeaway, but customers will also be able to sit down and eat inside the restaurant.

Much like they could when the building was home to Thai2Go.