Do you know about the ChinDian Cafe? The Asian fusion cafe at 1500 E. Hennepin is owned by the husband and wife team of Thomas Gnanapragasam and Nina Wong. Thomas is an ethnic Tamil who grew up in Malaysia, while Nina is ethnically Chinese but grew up in Vietnam, so their menu is a rich blend of Asian flavors, ranging from Vietnamese spring rolls and Indian hot and sour soup to kung pao chicken and nasi lemak – the Malaysian national dish of coconut rice, fried chicken, pan-fried egg, peanuts and anchovy sambal.

I stopped by recently, and discovered some big changes since my last visit. They have remodeled and expanded, creating a gallery space that will feature different artists every month. Currently, they’ve got an exhibition of New York City cityscapes by photographer Paul McGovern on display (through June 11).

Author: Jeremy Iggers

Jeremy Iggers is a journalist, university instructor and social entrepreneur with interests that include food, philosophy and global-local connections. Previously, he was a staff writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and publisher of the Twin Cities Daily Planet. He lives in south Minneapolis with his wife Carol and two cats.