Small Business Spotlight: Tea Lam’s Corner

162 E. Crogan St, Lawrenceville, GA 30046
Instagram: @tealamscorner
Facebook: Tea Lam’s Corner

We love spotlighting small businesses across Gwinnett and their owners who make the communities within our county diverse and truly unique. One newly opened business in particular called Tea Lam’s Corner is making waves in the culinary scene within downtown Lawrenceville by offering traditional Vietnamese sips and bites. We sat down with owner Luan Phan for a taste test to bring his and his wife’s story to light as well as a review of their incredible dishes.

Luan Phan’s journey to becoming a restaurant owner was completely unexpected. He was working near Lawrenceville Square as a project manager and had no intention of going into the food industry until an idea popped in his head one night. After having to head back to the office to finish up some work, a craving for boba tea arose but Luan didn’t want to have to drive all the way to Duluth to grab one. It was right then and there that Luan decided he wanted to open a boba tea shop and after going home and telling his wife Thao Nguyen of his idea, the dream became a reality. Luan and Thao had no idea where they wanted to open their boba spot but soon a vacancy in the Lawrenceville Square opened up, giving them the perfect place to set up shop.

As soon as you walk inside Tea Lam’s Corner, the casual yet trendy atmosphere welcomes you inside. The entire interior design was completed by tireless hours of work by Luan, his wife and Luan’s old coworkers Phil and Derrick who would stop by after work to help out. This is the type of place where you can enjoy lunch with your friends, study and even work remotely! The natural wood tones of the custom bar area where you order your boba drinks and Vietnamese bites to eat along with the warm string lights provide a cozy ambiance for your meal. Another eye-catching aspect of the restaurant’s interior design is the custom art murals along the walls including a large cherry tree and a “hole in the wall” art piece which were all done by the owner’s wife Thao Nguyen. There’s also a back patio area that’s the owner’s favorite spot to sit back and relax, especially at night once the patio lights come on.

TASTE TEST TIME!

Drinks: The Creme Brulee boba latte has a delicious caramel taste with a caramelized sugar topping that you can “crack” open with your straw, giving you a true creme brulee experience. All of their boba drinks also come in a cat shaped dome cup adding a cute visual component. Another tasty drink from the menu is their homemade yogurt drinks that come in a variety of flavors but the lychee one in particular is delicious! This recipe is full of probiotics and is very refreshing.

Appetizers: I tried the tempura shrimp as recommended by one of the team workers and wasn’t disappointed! The light and crispy tempura batter pairs well with the cooked shrimp and when dunked into the spicy sweet sauce that comes with it, this app is taken to the next level!

Mains: As someone who’s never had traditional pho before, I had no idea what to expect from their Shrimp Pho (Pho Tom)! I was advised by the owner to make his favorite dipping sauce which consists of the restaurant’s homemade chili sauce combined with sriracha, hoisin sauce and a squeeze of lime. He recommended dipping the shrimp from the pho into the sauce and then sipping the broth. Their shrimp pho is full of rich flavor and is the perfect dish to enjoy especially during the cold weather. The thick rice noodles within the pho added just the right amount of chewy texture to the broth. Another main dish that I tried was the combination Vermicelli (Bun Dac Biet) which came with grilled shrimp, fish sauce, egg rolls, sliced cucumber and peanuts all on top of thick Vermicelli noodles. This dish was a savory flavor bomb and was truly unlike any noodle dish I’ve tried before!

If you’re looking for a casual boba spot to relax with friends and enjoy the rich flavors of Vietnamese cuisine, then you need to check out Tea Lam’s Corner! Owner Luan Phan also wants to give a special thank you to everyone who came out to the grand opening of Tea Lam’s Corner and for everyone’s patience as they worked out their kinks during their first week because the support of the local community has meant everything to him and his wife.