Kim Tran’s journey on My Kitchen Rules might not have ended the way she wanted it to, but her food journey has just begun.
The St Albans-based contestant, who partnered with her friend, Suong Pham, on the show, will open her own restaurant later this month.
The restaurant, called Ms Kim, will be located in Nelson Place, Williamstown, and will showcase the traditional Vietnamese food Kim and Suong cooked in the TV series.
“I wanted to go on MKR to showcase our Vietnamese traditional cuisine and then come out and open up my own restaurant, continuing on what I cooked on the show,” Kim said.
“I’m going for traditional flavouring and traditional taste, but I’m going to modernise it a bit with plating so it’s also a sensory experience.”
Kim said that while she’d always dreamed of opening her own restaurant, it was her time on
MKR that gave her the confidence to take action.
“Being on the show and making it to the grand final showed me what I’m capable of and to take that leap to open my own place,” she said.
“I wish we’d won because we could have done so much with that prize money, but it’s OK, that’s the decision. I’m going to roll with it.”
“My husband has been a great support and with him we’ve been able to make this journey happen.”
Ms Kim will serve lunch and dinner, with the hopes of having a breakfast menu by summer.
“We don’t want it to be too fancy, but we do want it to be relaxing, welcoming and soothing,” Kim said.
With a Saturday, June 30, launch date in mind, Kim is expecting some familiar faces to help celebrate the occasion.
