Zen Tearoom in soft opening today

[Robin Garr]

The long-awaited Zen Tearoom, with Huong "CoCo" Tran in charge, opened today at 2246 Frankfort Avenue, next door to her nephews' Basa Modern Vietnamese and two doors from Tran's Zen Garden vegetarian restaurant, making a neat little Asian mini-row in Clifton.

I hate to use words like "awesome," but it's a true delight - a little Frankfort Avenue divided into three rooms that breathe comfort - low tables, comfortable chairs, some pillows for floor sitting. A long, curved tea bar with knowledgeable staff to help you sort through literally dozens of teas and try any you like. Light snacks from CoCo, some Vietnamese, some international. A place of peace, good tea and good eats.

Soft opening today from 3 p.m. - 11 p.m., tomorrow (Feb. 21) from 11 a.m.-10 p.m., and Sunday from noon-5 p.m.

A bit more of the story on LouisvilleHotBytes.com:
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/?p=356

How exciting! Congratulations to Huong! I used to run her little bakery for her and deliver breads to the South End Vietnamese markets. Shes' a wonderful person that I'm proud to have ever been associated with. I'll definitely be checking this place out ASAP.

What a culinarily creative family!

This is intriguing to me, in the past year I've gained a new appreciation for tea and have been trying a few varieties here and there. Sounds like a great place to relax after a long day. What are their hours?

[Robin Garr]

What are their hours?

Soft opening this weekend is 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., today, noon-5 p.m. tomorrow. I assume their regular daily hours will be similar.

I've always been a little unsure of the "soft opening" concept. The only real experience I've had with it before was in my hometown, in the middle-of-nowhere-Western-Kentucky, where I tried to take my girlfriend to a new restaurant that had just opened. They turned us away, saying that they were only currently in the soft opening stages, and only friends were allowed to dine.

Though I assured them that I would be willing to be their friend forever if they would just give me access to the only Thai food in a 100 mile radius, they still didn't seat us.

So I just wanted to make sure that if I drive over there on Sunday (I actually have some free time), that I won't have any trouble being served.

[Robin Garr]

So I just wanted to make sure that if I drive over there on Sunday (I actually have some free time), that I won't have any trouble being served.

No problem. CoCo is the soul of zen hospitality. This soft opening just means "unpublicized opening." They didn't send out any news release, they just opened the doors.

The only real experience I've had with it before was in my hometown, in the middle-of-nowhere-Western-Kentucky.

Hah, indeed. I was so excited when Tokyo Sushi opened up in Paducah. I'm still holding out for an Indian restaurant in WKY.

This is so exciting! I've been a loose-leaf tea lover for many years now after living in California and Hong Kong. I always wondered why tea always took a back seat to coffee when it's so much better to the mind body and soul. I haven't gone to Zen but if they have loose-leaf tea, you'll find that it's a thousand times better than any of that instant or bagged tea you find popular in many restaurants/stores. Best of luck to CoCo!

So I was able to make it to the soft opening this afternoon, and I was very excited and impressed. I was immediately greeted with smiles around the room and was offered a small selection of various goodies and a cup of tea. I made myself at home in a small, comfortable room in the interior of the house, plugged my laptop in, and began working on some homework. The atmosphere was calm and comforting, yet it offered just enough distraction to keep me realizing that I was in fact in the land of the living. I ended up having one of the more productive homework stretches that I've experienced in quite some time.

I tried two different teas, namely the ones Robin mentioned in his short review. The "gunpowder tea" had a scent faintly reminiscent of tobacco, yet the flavor seemed pretty classic Green Tea. It simply reminded me of home. I'm by no means a tea connoisseur, but I hope to be able to learn more about it in the future, with the help of the wonderfully nice staff there.

My favorite light snack was the cucumber rolls with peanut dipping sauce. They were colorful and inviting, and the fresh mint leaves in the roll were a pleasant surprise.

In short, I've already been convinced that I'm going to make a point of travelling to Zen Tea House periodically in the afternoon to snack, enjoy some tea, relax, and do some homework, and immediately following, I'll probably just take a walk next door to the Zen Garden and grab some dinner.