Patio Approved for Spoon Fusion Cuisine in Apple Valley

Spoon Fusion Cuisine, the Vietnamese and Chinese restaurant , will build a new patio for diners after getting unanimous approval from the Apple Valley City Council on Thursday.

Owner Kav Theng said he hopes the patio attracts more business, since business thus has been somewhat slow.

"In the summer, people like to sit outside," he said.

Spoon will join several other Apple Valley restaurants .

Thao said he's observed the success of some of those establishments; regardless of whether it attracts more customers, he said he hopes the patio will be an asset to the business.

Plans show that Spoon's patio, which will re-pave the asphalt space south of the restaurant, will have 10 tables to accommodate 40 customers. A four-foot-high aluminum fence is slated to surround the patio area, which will be handicapped-accessible.

They'll also add plants around the patio. No existing landscaping or trees will be disturbed.

While the council gave unanimous approval for the patio, Councilman John Bergman said he was somewhat concerned about diners' safety regarding the proximity of the patio to an alley on the west side of the building where trucks make deliveries.

He said other restaurants with patios have raised curbs and higher fences around their patios.

"This is basically stripping down an existing driveway," he said.

Spoon serves all the dishes found in most Vietnamese or Chinese restaurants.

Its specialty is dim sum, which features all kinds of dumplings and rice noodle rolls, like steamed barbeque pork buns and baked pineapple buns, and shrimp or pork and peanut dumplings.

Dim sum is served at a handful of restaurants in the Twin Cities.

Theng said he didn't know whether installation of the patio would start before winter begins; if not, he said, it would be installed in the spring.

"I'm pleased to see that you're improving the property and I wish you great luck in your new addition," Mayor Mary Hamann-Roland said.

Liquor Licenses

The council also approved an intoxicating liquor license and a special Sunday liquor license for the restaurant, located in the Granada Shopping Center in the former location of the Song Long restaurant. The license will go into effect Oct. 1, for the rest of 2011.

Spoon already was able to sell wine and 3.2-percent malt liquor beverages.