Uncle Lim Asian Fusion or Uncle Lim's as most locals know it, has finally reopened their downstairs dining space once again, sixteen months after it was completely inundated causing extensive damage to the building.

It was nearly 12 months ago that Ethan Lim and his wife Emily reopened the popular restaurant on Keen Street, five months after last year's flood.

Due to the damage, the priority was to rebuild the kitchen and the upstairs dining area so the couple could start earning an income once again. Downstairs was put into the "it will have to wait basket".

Ethan told the Lismore App, the owner of the building has been good but getting a tradesperson to fix the downstairs area is what has caused the delays.

The concrete floor now has an epoxy resin on top making it more flood resilient which is important for Uncle Lim's because the downstairs area is susceptible to water inundation when Lismore suffers from flash flooding. If the Lismore Square car park gets water in it then so does downstairs at Uncle Lim's.

"It normally overflows from the back room, I don't know why," Ethan said, "We have a pump that pumps it back out to the street and we start again."

During the winter months, Ethan has got the two wall heaters working and provided some outdoor gas heaters to warm diners. The downstairs area provides protection from the cold winds and warmth via a reverse cycle air conditioner.

"The furniture arrived in containers late last week and we managed to assemble the tables and booths in two days between Emily and myself."

Just like last weekend's Lismore Lantern Parade, the community support for Uncle Lim's has been wonderful.

"Business has been good and the support has been good but the last interest rate rise. It was really steady until this last rise then it went a bit quiet. We are a bit slower in winter anyway but this has been quieter," Ethan said.

Another issue affecting Ethan and Emily, and a lot of local businesses in Lismore, is staffing.

"We lost our kitchen cook recently and it is very difficult to hire another especially if they come from Melbourne or Brisbane because you have to provide accommodation. This is how it is in the Asian industry."

So, it is back into the kitchen for Ethan, Emily and the rest of the family as the search for new kitchen staff continues.

Uncle Lim's is at 178 Keen Street, Lismore and is open Tuesday to Sunday 4:30pm to 8:30pm. You can book by calling (02) 6621 5518.