Namchow opens Russian restaurant

Namchow Group (南僑集團), which is known for its soaps and the Duroyal (杜老爺) brand ice cream, further expanded its business territory yesterday by opening a Russian restaurant in Taipei.

The two-floor restaurant, Salt & Bread, also marks Namchow's first move to grab share in the nation's competitive dining market after having opened six restaurants in Shanghai over the past seven years.

"Although Taiwan has only about 200 Russians, we believe Taipei residents' interest in trying out new things and accepting different cultures would be the main factor supporting this place," group chairman Alfred Chen (陳飛龍) said.

Nanchow, established in 1952, manufactures frozen dough, cookies, noodles and cooking oil, and imports products by Haagen-Dazs and Kellogg's.

The company's strong backing has allowed the restaurant to reduce costs by having most foodstuffs produced locally, said Elly Chou (周明芬), who heads the project and is also general manager of the group's subsidiary Lucky Royal Co (皇家可口公司).

Chen was cautious on when the restaurant, with initial investment of NT$50 million (US$1.5 million), would break even, saying that he hopes the business "can increase in value by five or six times in seven years."

He plans to expand further.

"Next step: we want to build a dining tower in Bangkok, Thailand," he said.