A large crowd of hungry people had gathered for the official grand opening of Tan’s Fusion in Morrisburg. From left: South Dundas Mayor Jason Broad, MP Eric Duncan, Brittany St. Pierre, representing MPP Nolan Quinn, owners Tan Masong and Aaron Orlicky, South Dundas Councillor Tom Smyth, and Decorator Michael Burton. Tinkess Photo

MORRISBURG – South Dundas continues to add to its wide variety of dining options with the recent official grand opening of Tan’s Fusion by Nakhon Thai in the Morrisburg shopping plaza (former Centennial Restaurant location.)

The restaurant actually opened late last fall, and since then has built up a loyal following. Now that most of the interior decorating has been complete, they wanted to hold a grand opening to invite the community in.

The restaurant is owned by Aaron Orlicky and his wife Tan Masong. The journey that brought them to Morrisburg is an interesting one. The couple met in Thailand in 2000 while Aaron was teaching scuba diving on Phuket Island.

Tan began what would be a very successful cooking career three years later at a Thai takeout restaurant in Melbourne, Australia. The family grew when Aaron and Tan welcomed Jessica in Tan’s home province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. This is where the restaurant’s name Nakhon Thai comes from.

The family moved to Ottawa in late 2006 with Tan gaining invaluable experience in various Thai restaurants, eventually opening their first restaurant in Ottawa’s Little Italy neighbourhood in 2009, then adding a son, Jaden, in 2010. In 2011 they had the opportunity to open a second restaurant in Kemptville. The Ottawa restaurant was closed and the family moved to Brockville in 2014 where they opened another restaurant in a heritage building located at 28 King St. West.

10 years later, the opportunity to open a third restaurant in Morrisburg, where Aaron grew up, was too good to pass up, which brings us to where we are today, with the owners of three highly regarded restaurants welcoming the community to come and discover what they have to offer.

The newly decorated interior is stunning, thanks to the work of designer/bartender Michael Burton. The two sides of the restaurant are completely different; the front brighter and more “fun” and has a strong family vibe, while the dining room has incredible dark, rich colours, a variety of seating styles and is suitable for couples or groups whether you are celebrating a family event, enjoying a romantic evening, or discussing business in a comfortable environment. There is even a small patio area, which should be very popular on a summer afternoon or evening.

South Dundas Mayor Jason Broad and Councillor Tom Smyth attended the grand opening, as did MP Eric Duncan and Brittany St. Pierre, representing MPP Nolan Quinn.

“It’s been a great, great new addition and changeover from the previous,” said Mayor Broad, “So thanks to the new owners for this great new restaurant we have.  On behalf of the Municipality of South Dundas and their residents, welcome to Morrisburg.”

“I know if the first few months continue on, you’ll be having many years of success,” commented MP Duncan, “I’ve got a scroll here as well, just to say your unique venue selection and delicious food have added a vibrant addition to the village of Morrisburg and the municipality of South Dundas. It is never easy to start a small business and to keep it thriving. It requires great effort, a solid staff team and a loyal customer base. I’m glad to see you’ve cultivated all that and those keys to success in your first few months in business. We wish you many years of success ahead and congratulations.”

“I just want to thank everybody for coming out to witness our grand opening here,” said Aaron, “And like you said, since November, we’ve had a lot of people coming in and been very happy to do this. It was a ton of work to get it going in the first place. And I want to thank a few people here. All our staff have been really great, from serving food to helping with painting. Michael designed the whole thing inside, so I think everyone’s had a tour already, but again, it’s all hand painted chandeliers,  excellent job, Michael.”

If you’ve been to one of the Tan’s Fusion restaurants or are just a fan of Thai food you will have some idea of what to expect, but the number of selections on their menu (yes, there are Canadian options too) will impress you.

Tan’s Fusion Morrisburg is located at 63 Main St. in the Morrisburg Plaza. They are closed on Mondays, open from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, 11:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and till 10:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Sundays they are open from 11:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

To learn more about Tan’s Fusion Morrisburg, you can find them on Facebook.

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