Sum Restaurant, serving a Cantonese-style menu, is in the works for the recently refurbished retail space at 165 Avenue B between East 10th Street and East 11th Street.
The restaurant is the creation of chef Ben Pope. According to paperwork (PDF!) on file ahead of tonight's CB3-SLA committee meeting, Sum will have daily dinner service from 5 to 11 p.m., with opening hours at noon on Saturday and Sunday. (The PDF has a working menu for Sum.)
And the configuration shows 15-17 tables good for 40 seats. (There is a service bar with 3-5 seats.) Sum is seeking a beer-wine license. However, this item will not be heard during tonight's committee meeting.
Pope was the executive chef helping launch 2 Duck Goose, another Cantonese-style restaurant, in Brooklyn last year.
According to the Times in a preview piece on 2 Duck Goose last August: "The chef Ben Pope, a native of Hong Kong, studied at the French Culinary Institute and found himself missing the Cantonese food he grew up with."
Before a top-to-bottom renovation last year at 165 Avenue B, the ground-floor unit was a residential space. However, prior to this, it was a storefront housing the great junk shop Waldorf Hysteria.
8 comments:
looks a little high end but always fun to see someone reach a pinnacle of personal expression in their profession. looks neat. Welcome !
Waldorf Hysteria was great - still have a dresser from there - miss that place..
Thank God! there's nowhere to eat in this 'hood.
I miss the days when the person that cooked your food stayed anonymous, now we have to get a complete profile and read about their unique approach to the leek.
Still I am grateful this will not be another sports bar or drink yourself drunk brunch place.
Now, how often does one get to quote His Royal Highness Prince Philip?
“If it has got four legs and it is not a chair, if it has got two wings and it flies but is not an aeroplane, and if it swims and it is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it.”
A & C, down the block. is the best Chinese. And take out. And unpretentious. And, yes, anonymous. But you get to see your food being cooked right in front of you, and they have an A rating.
I think we might have seen the bust of the bar with a little restaurant mixed in to a little bar and more restaurant added for flavor. This space has been vacant for a while, so I believe the landlord cut their losses -- though really their own greed -- and went with Chinese, which as we all know is not known for its haute cuisine high priced decor. Though, with what's been trending in the EV (the high priced Indian with lines out the door on 11th & B), I could be wrong.
I miss the days of BYOB at places where the food was rally good, service friendly, and prices made the BYO even better.
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I bought a vintage (circa 1910) Magic Chef™ stove at the Waldorf Hysteria! Was hesitant to try and use it—would require a licensed plumber anyway—because the manifold was cracked, but I use it for pot and pan storage.
OMG 2 Duck Goose is so good. Can't wait for that one!
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