Freshly back from an August voyage to his homeland of Vietnam, Benny Lai (owner of  Chinatown’s Vietnam and West Philly’s Vietnam Café) is poised to open a third location. The new restaurant will be called Grill Fish Café and it will live in the original Vietnam Café location at 814 S. 47th Street, completing his trifecta. The opening date is set for January 14th.

It’s been almost two years since Lai moved the Vietnam Café next door to its larger location, and he’s been waiting for the right concept for the smaller address ever since. Still, it’s not like he’s been sitting on his hands. During that time, Lai heard from neighborhood folks (a proactive West Philly neighborhood at that) about their longing for a legit seafood locale. And now, Lai has their answer.

At Grill Fish (which already has its liquor license and 32 seats waiting to be filled), fresh fish will be delivered every day for various dishes.  During his recent sojurn, Lai saw what type of seafood dishes the Vietnamese cooks had to offer, and he’ll be bringing a few of those home to the just-off-Baltimore space, like the classic bronzino topped with lemon juice, soy sauce, olive oil and basil.

Grill Fish will be a casual and affordable restaurant, according to Lai. That means apps from $7 – $10 and entrees ranging from $15 – $22. And with the wine/beer list being carried over from next door, there’ll be plenty of good-time juice to wash your fish down with.

Grill Fish Cafe [Facebook]