'Saying goodbye to an old friend': Popular Edmonton Chinese restaurant closing after 50 years

For half a century, Red Diamond House Restaurant has been a staple for Chinese cuisine in the Idylwylde area of east-central Edmonton. But this month, once its remaining stock is sold, the eatery will be closing its doors.

Longtime owner Tracy Luu shed a few tears at the thought.

“It’s like saying goodbye to an old friend,” she said, with her son Robin Tran and his brother Mark helping to translate.

Luu, 79, has owned the restaurant at 75 Street and 82 Avenue for more than 37 years and been working there for longer. Her family, including her four sons, have all helped out in different capacities over the years, each working in various roles.

While Luu is now ready to retire, operating costs have also risen beyond what the family can afford, pushing them to close.

“It’s hard to say goodbye, Red Diamond House has become a home for so many,” Tran said.

Building a life

Luu first came to Canada in the late 1970s, fleeing Vietnam in the wake of the war.

“She kind of got exiled,” Robin Tran said. “It was tough for her because she came here with nothing.”

She left with two young sons, ended up in Macau where she had Tran, and came to Canada when he was just seven months old.

A couple from a nearby Alberta town sponsored her, and soon she was living in a small apartment with her boys just a few blocks away from the restaurant. She didn’t have a car and walked to Red Diamond to apply for a job as a dishwasher.

Tran said it was often stressful for his mother, and that she had to work very hard.

“She just needed to do what she needed to do to provide for us, to give us a better life.”

Luu has been at Red Diamond ever since, working her way up, and eventually buying into the restaurant before becoming its sole proprietor.

During that time, not much has changed at Red Diamond, Tran said. The iconic buffet is no longer offered, but most patrons familiar with the place in its early days will see very few things are different.

There are vases more than two feet high showing painted scenes of ancient China, intricate wooden room dividers that were specially ordered from Taiwan, and a Buddha statue that greets people near the restaurant’s red double door entrance.

Luu said people rub his belly for good luck.

50 years of memories

Over the past 50 years, Red Diamond has scooped up awards and been called one of Edmonton’s top Chinese restaurants. Tran said the place was a hot spot for parties among some of the city’s biggest movers and shakers.

Even the Edmonton Oilers used to dine there during the peak of the dynasty years, and former Alberta Premier Ralph Klein was also a patron in the 1990s, he said. When Tran asked his mother if she remembered serving Wayne Gretzky, she nodded.

“Yeah, a long time ago. 1980-something, but not now. They came here for dinner,” Luu said.

Tran said the eatery used to be incredibly busy. On a regular night every table would be filled, and many patrons wouldn’t stick to their own table. Visiting neighbours and friends who were also out for dinner was a common occurrence, Tran said.

However, Monday was the day when the family would gather for dinner every week. Tran remembered that his uncle, who was part-owner at the time, would cook for everyone.

These days, Tran said many people who come to the Red Diamond are there specifically to see his mother. The family said she has been the heart and soul of the location for all these years.

“They ask her to come out, just to see her and give her a hug,” he said.

“A lot of the younger people that have come here for a while, they refer to her as mom.”

When Tran tells people that they’re closing, he said the first question he’s asked is if they will be relocating instead. While he’s still unsure, Tran said there is a possibility the family may stay in the restaurant business.

“It’s in consideration for the future. If the timing is right.”

While the restaurant is closing, one thing Luu isn’t ready to part with are her recipes. She said she likes everything she cooks but her favourites are the spicy amin chicken and her Vietnamese spring rolls.

A lot of people ask for the recipe for that chicken, Tran said.

“What’s the secret? She still won’t say.”

lnewbigging@postmedia.com

Related

Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.
You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.