Billed by former Orange County Register food critic Brad A. Johnson as “the most impressive non-Vietnamese restaurant to open in Fountain Valley, ever,” Gem Dining announced its temporary closure on Sunday.
“Starting September 25, we are hitting the pause button to shape a brighter future and even more exciting future for Gem Dining,” Kei Concepts, the team behind Gem Dining, posted to the restaurant’s social media.
Management went on to say “this isn’t a goodbye” but instead “a bittersweet pause, a moment of gratitude and anticipation as we dream up a Gem Dining that is reborn, reenergized and richer in spirit.”
Opening in 2018, Gem Dining, helmed by executive chef Viet Nguyen, who also owns nearby Vox Kitchen as well as Sūp Noodle Bars in Buena Park and Cerritos, received positive reviews for its contemporary take on Pacific Rim cuisine through a California lens. The Michelin Guide also listed it as a notable restaurant, highlighting Nguyen’s kampachi crudo with beet-cured amberjack and compressed mango, laksa risotto and sticky toffee pudding.
“This restaurant was supposed to be an institution for all of us, all of our chefs, to come together in one space to create a lot of amazing cuisines,” said Nguyen in a video posted to Instagram. However, when the pandemic hit, Kei Concept opened Nếp Cafe inside Gem Dining in an effort to remain open and lucrative. It worked: A second Nếp Cafe location in Irvine opened in 2022 following the popularity of the Vietnamese coffee and brunch concept in Fountain Valley.
“Nếp has been a tremendous success, but obviously because of that there is a lot of stress on the space. The space is getting too small for two concepts,” said Nguyen, noting that Sunday, Sept 24, was the last day for Gem Dining in its current iteration.
During Gem’s hiatus, staff will reportedly take time off to travel and “learn more cuisine to come back with a much better menu, better space … we hope to show you what our travels have brought back,” said the chef.
Neither a re-opening date nor a possible new location have been announced.
Nếp Cafe will remain open inside the Gem Dining space. Starting Monday, Sept. 25, the Fountain Valley cafe will have new hours: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
