“Lucky Fortune Fine Chinese Restaurant” opened on Main Street, Damariscotta early this month. So far, business has been good. Opening a new business of any kind can be risky in winter, but Wai Lam, the owner, knows an important truth.
“If you make the local people happy, you are all set by summer. Busy,” he said.
There may be a reason why the cars were pouring in at 2 p.m. on a weekday. This Chinese restaurant has an ingredient often lacking in eateries that proclaim one nationality or another.
Wai Lam is actually from mainland China and he brought a secret weapon: Pen Lam. The family matriarch is in the kitchen, cooking every day at Lucky Fortune.
The menu is filled with wonderful sounding dishes like Tung Ting Shrimp, Treasure Island and Four Happiness. There are over 100 choices and many more combinations on the menu of the small restaurant. With orders available in small sizes as well as large containers, and affordably priced, the buzz around town is already picking up.
Elysha and Ryan Thompson were there on Tuesday afternoon to find out if what they heard was true. Elysha works at Lincoln Home.
She said, “The night shift at Lincoln Home has been bringing in food for the past two weeks,” she said. “They say it is really yummy.”
” We’re here to find out first hand,” said Ryan.
Wai Lam, his four brothers and three sisters came from China with their parents 15 years ago. Like many immigrants, they sought out a place close to the same latitude as their home, thinking there would be fishing villages.
The family arrived first in Boston but eventually moved to Maine. In the case of Wai Lam, he moved way north. His wife and three children, aged 4 to 11, live at home in Skowhegan while Wai Lam, and his mother Pen Lam work in the ‘south.’ He says he gets home, but “not every night.”
One of his brothers owns a restaurant in Lewiston and the other six have gone on to college and made careers in many fields.
Wai Lam also owns a Belfast restaurant “China One.” On the Facebook page of China One is the ‘lucky’ fortune that named the Damariscotta shop. It reads “Love is the most valuable thing in life.” For Lam, that means loving his family but also the joy of cooking fine food that makes people happy.
Lucky Fortune is open from Sunday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and until 9:30 pm on Friday and Saturday. They accept Visa, MasterCard and cash (no checks) and have Gift Certificates available. For takeout, orders can be placed at 563-2800 or 563-3800.
