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The Chef Who Led a Global Dining Empire Sets Out on His Own in San Francisco’s Chinatown

By Elizabeth W. Jernigan 2 weeks ago

Before it became known as a nightlife brand associated with globetrotting DJs and elaborate bottle-service presentations, Hakkasan was a global pioneer of contemporary Asian food. Ho Chee Boon, who was Hakkasan’s international executive chef, opened restaurants for the high-end hospitality group in London, Moscow, Bangkok, New York, San Francisco and beyond. Under Ho’s leadership, Hakkasan restaurants earned Michelin stars in both London and New York.

Now in 2021, a year that’s seen hospitality behemoth Tao Group acquire Hakkasan (which closed its New York and San Francisco restaurants in 2020), the Malaysian-born Ho is writing his own path at a new

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Restaurant Openings in San Francisco You Need to Know About

By Elizabeth W. Jernigan 1 month ago

Believe it or not, new restaurants are still opening.

Jaranita

Jaranita | Photo by Hockeystick Media, courtesy of Jaranita

Jaranita | Photo by Hockeystick Media, courtesy of Jaranita

The last 14 months have been pretty brutal for the restaurant industry. For what felt like eons, it was just temporary closings and reopenings (and repeat), shutterings, and an overwhelming feeling of unrelenting angst. Now, though that feeling of angst is still very much there, it’s accompanied by a sense of hope. After all, if chefs and restaurateurs still believe enough in SF’s dining scene to open new food trucks and bistros and

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Explore the latest restaurant openings, including sushi pop-up Ken in San Francisco

By Elizabeth W. Jernigan 1 month ago

Chef Chi Hang Ngai, also known as Chef Ken, is finally opening up his own proper restaurant in San Francisco.

Ngai has worked at Sushi Ran in Sausalito for 10 years and more recently spent five years at Kusakabe, both jobs under chef Mitsunori Kusakabe, before striking out on his own with his new restaurant, Ken, on Divisadero.

It hasn’t been a straight route to opening, however. 

“Right after I told my chef that I decided to open my restaurant, [it was] not even a week and then the city, everything just shut down,” Ngai said of his decision to

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Decades-old Tyger’s Coffee Shop quietly closes in San Francisco

By Elizabeth W. Jernigan 2 months ago

Tyger’s Coffee Shop, a longstanding fixture of San Francisco’s Glen Park neighborhood, has quietly closed.

Glen Park Association first reported that the nearly 30-year-old diner permanently closed on March 31, though specific details surrounding the closure are unclear.

On Wednesday, SFGATE spoke briefly with the new business owner, who was giving the restaurant interior a fresh paint coat, but he declined to comment on what will replace Tyger’s Coffee Shop.

According to Glen Park Association, the restaurant had briefly closed last year during the pandemic, but reopened later to offer takeout and eventually outdoor dining service. Its business hours had

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