BILLINGS — What started as a love of food and travel has become Billings' only dedicated Vietnamese restaurant, and, for its owners, a symbol of starting over.
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Phonomenal, which recently opened in the former Soup and Such location at 2716 Third Ave. N., is introducing Vietnamese favorites like pho, bánh mì, and spring rolls to downtown Billings.
Husband-and-wife owners and business partners Kaela Chanhthavee and Quito Keutla say the restaurant is about more than expanding the city's dining scene.
"It's like the universal love language," Keutla said of food.
"We love to travel, and we love to eat, and we love Vietnamese food," Chanhthavee said.
The couple, who are both Laotian, moved to Billings from Seattle during the pandemic with their three children. Keutla grew up in Billings, and the move allowed the family to be closer to relatives while continuing their work in real estate.
As longtime fans of Vietnamese cuisine, they noticed something was missing. In Seattle, Vietnamese restaurants were everywhere, they said, making the absence of one in Billings even more noticeable.
"We knew, I think, about 10 years ago when we came to visit, and we saw the opportunity when it comes to food," said Chanhthavee. "What stood out for us is Vietnamese. There's no Vietnamese restaurant.”
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The couple had previously operated a food truck in Seattle. Chanhthavee spent years teaching herself to cook Vietnamese dishes, learning from friends, family recipes, and what she jokingly calls "YouTube University."
"I didn't grow up in the food industry or anything like that. No, I didn't even know how to cook," Chanhthavee said. "I spent years and years."
She said it was their growing circle of friends in Billings who ultimately pushed her toward opening the restaurant.
"Our friends, now that we made so many friends out here, they're always asking for Vietnamese dishes, and so I would make it up for our gatherings," Chanhthavee said. "But not to sell. But (Keutla) somehow convinced me."
Rather than offering dozens of dishes, Phonomenal focuses on a handful of carefully prepared favorites. Its signature pho simmers for at least 24 hours, and because of the time-intensive process, including one ingredient that takes about 90 days to prepare, the restaurant only makes one batch each day.
"We want to be able to just put our love into it and not mass produce," Chanhthavee said. "If it's gone, it's gone."
For the couple, the restaurant is also an opportunity to introduce Billings to a culture they hope brings people together.
"Food just really connects people," Keutla said. "That's what we want to bring to Billings — to connect them to Vietnamese food and show that culture."
Just as the dream was coming together last year, tragedy struck.
In April 2025, an electrical fire broke out in the family's garage. After neighbors alerted them to the smoke, the family escaped within minutes, but the house was destroyed.
"It burnt down completely," Keutla said.
The fire happened while they were preparing to open the restaurant. Despite losing nearly everything, they said they refused to let the dream die.
"That's all you can do," Keutla said. "Just rebuild."
"That's the most important thing to do is to push forward," Chanhthavee said. "Better days will come."
Today, those better days include serving customers the dishes they spent years perfecting.
“That's the thing about life, right? Whatever life throws at you, you gotta take for what it is and just gotta learn to grow and build from there," Keutla said. "No matter how hard times get, better days will come ahead."
Phonomenal is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch, and Friday evenings from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
