Fortunes are about to change in Inglewood. As first reported by the Scene in April, Chad Newton and Gracie Nguyen, co-owners of You Are Here Hospitality, are opening Golden Prawn #3, a classic Chinese takeout joint in Riverside Village.
Over the past few weeks, the Kraft paper has come off the windows on the McGavock Pike building, revealing a bright, white interior, cheeky wallpaper and neon signage surrounding a hot bar line almost ready to serve the public. YAHH plans to open Golden Prawn #3 on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Once that happens, the restaurant will be open seven days a week for both lunch and dinner.
The restaurant has a few sit-down counter spots but is essentially a takeout-only spot located in the former home of Castrillo’s Pizza. They’ll offer limited hours for the hot line and the full menu all day. Online ordering will be available.
Inside Golden Prawn #3
“We have been cooking nonstop, and it is different testing recipes when you are not in the real space,” Newton says. Once they were able to get into their new kitchen, they were able to adjust the recipes to the wok. They’ve been offering dishes to friends and family, the media and the staff of other restaurants around town, testing out the classics — including orange chicken, Mongolian beef and hot-and-sour soup.
A red neon sign glows inside, reading “wok hei,” which translates to “breath of the wok.” Newton explains that the very hot wok is how chefs get the flavors that diners have come to love in Americanized Chinese food. “All those BTUs give you those beautiful, charred flavors.”
Golden Prawn #3 menu
The menu at Golden Prawn #3 is retro, a nod to the takeout Chinese food Newton ate several times a week growing up in California. YAHH wants to make prices affordable for families who want to do the same. A two-item hot-line plate is $12.49, and includes a side of fried rice, chow mein or a combo. The team came up with 14 different fortunes for inside the classic fortune cookies, including soliciting ideas from the public in a contest and also sneaking a few coupon-type offers in there.
Remember that the #3 in the restaurant’s name is tongue-in-cheek (at least for now). There aren’t two other locations (yet).
It might seem like Golden Prawn #3 is getting a lot of attention for a small takeout restaurant in a city with a dynamic food scene like Nashville’s. But Music City is short on takeout Chinese, particularly on the East Side. That, combined with YAHH’s good will (the team also operates East Side Banh Mi, East Side Pho, Sweeza and Fly Pelican Fly), is making Golden Prawn #3 as highly anticipated as waiting for food delivery on a rainy night.
