After a devastating fire in 2021, Prospect Road’s much-loved Sunny’s Shop and Mr Chan at Rosemont Hall are back, and they’re better than ever.
The fire left the community heartbroken, but the resilience of owners Aaron and Tamara has brought these popular eateries back to life.
Aaron vividly remembers the night of the fire.
“I got a phone notification that something had triggered my alarm at the shop so I checked my cameras and they were all blank. So I knew something wasn’t right” he recalled.
“I opened my back door and saw smoke billowing through Rosemont Hall’s roof,” he recalls.
“I then ran up, bare feet, to the shop in my PJ’s and opened the back door to go in and try to contain it but the heat from the back was already so intense it just overwhelmed me.”
The aftermath was tough, with the fire having a monumental impact on Aaron, the business, and the employees.
“Everything I had built over 4 years had literally gone up in smoke. My whole world had collapsed and to walk out of my house everyday to see the skeleton of what was once my baby was very traumatic.”
“As far as the staff were concerned, the day I had to tell all 50 of them that they no longer had jobs was the worst day of my life.”
But the community’s support was overwhelming, from bringing flowers to offering comforting words. This backing fueled Aaron’s determination to rebuild.
“It was always my dream to have a restaurant and I knew I couldn’t give up on that dream, i couldn’t let myself down and i just had to persevere.”
Recreating Rosemont Hall was a journey of passion. The team painstakingly sourced original materials, like the same tiles for Sunny’s Shop from Thailand, to ensure the new building reflected its beloved predecessor.
“It was two long hard years to get back to this position but now I look back and I realise that my customers didn’t forget me and all my goodwill was still intact” Aaron said.
And forget the customers did not. With Sunny’s Shop and Mr Chan open for business again, the hall is buzzing with the familiar sights, smells and sounds.
“I want to create a place that locals can be proud to call their own and that is an icon in the south Australian dining scene. A place where people want to have fun and experience this unique and one of a kind world would come.”
The menu at Mr Chan remains a treasure trove of Cantonese favorites, while Sunny’s Shop continues to serve its signature Asian fusion dishes.
“We have left everything pretty much as it was. I think there would be an uproar if we changed anything. Although, we have added a few new dishes like the chicken curry puffs with flavours of laksa (which is incredible) and also a burrata with black vinegar and Chinese bread stick which is delicious, fun and amazing value at just $19!”
“This has been a huge undertaking but we are so excited and proud to open the doors to you finally!”
And we’re excited to get back to Rosemont Hall, Aaron.
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