New Filipino-Inspired Restaurant to Open in Fredericton Under La Rozzi Bistro
FREDERICTON – HenHen Fusion Bites will soon open in Fredericton. Co-owners Paul and Noena de Leon say that they are excited to bring Filipino-inspired food to the Fredericton community.
HenHen Fusion Bites is a Filipino-inspired restaurant that is partnered with La Rozzi Bistro in Halifax. This new restaurant will feature all the same foods as La Rozzi Bistro, just under a different restaurant name.
Noena says that she and her husband had never intended on opening HenHen Fusion Bites, it was something that just sort of happened. During a trip to Halifax two years ago, they came across La Rozzi Bistro and enjoyed the food. After this initial trip, Paul made a blog post about the restaurant stating how much they had enjoyed it.
Then, on Canada Day, the two took a trip to Halifax to visit their daughter and watch the fireworks. They called the store to see if they were open and the owner recognized them and made it a point to go in and serve them herself.
“While I was looking for the number to call, I noticed that she had posted in one of the Facebook groups that I’m in, and I noticed that she was asking for people who want to franchise,” Noena tells Huddle.
So, she asked the owner of La Rozzi Bistro about the opportunity and if it was still available. This then led to the de Leon’s starting up what will be known as HenHen Fusion Bites in Fredericton.
Over the past few weeks, Paul and Noena have been working on training and putting together the business. Although it is quickly progressing, Noena says that they are enjoying it more than anything else they have done in the past.
HenHen Fusion Bites will have many of the same items available as La Rozzi Bistro. These would include dishes like fried chicken, spaghetti, and others. However, everything will be prepared in a Filipino style.
“We Filipinos have a different liking to how our fried chickens are made, and our partner La Rozzi hit that spot,” says Paul. “Even the spaghetti is a different taste. The Italians use more spices, but for Filipinos it’s more sweet.”
Paul says that the goal of HenHen Fusion Bites is to bring more Filipino-inspired dishes to Fredericton, to introduce more people to the Filipino taste that they love.
“We want to offer more Filipino things to the Fredericton community. Not just the Filipino, but also the locals, also the students, virtually everyone,” says Paul.
Noena says that she and her husband have a goal of opening the restaurant by August 1. However, they are still looking for a permanent location. She says that they are currently looking at a location on Riverside Drive, but are unsure if it will work out.
“Maybe we’ll just try to open in the farmers market if that won’t go through, but we’re hoping that we could get that soon,” says Noena. Another option she had mentioned was at the Exhibition Grounds on Smythe Street.
“We’re particular that it should be accessible to not just the customers, but also to future employees of HenHen and also to anyone else,” says Paul.
Paul says that they are hoping to have a soft launch of HenHen Fusion Bites within the next two weeks, being open in time for New Brunswick Day.
Ryley Roach is a Huddle student intern, based in Fredericton. Send her your feedback and story ideas: [email protected]