Inside Lucas Sin’s Sold-Out Cha Chaan Teng Pop-Up
Sin brings a taste of Hong Kong to NYC
“OMG. We need to go!” and “Should we make a reservation?” glowed brightly on my screen after Lucas Sin and Camden Hauge announced their first Lok Kee pop-up this summer. I’m lucky I acted fast, as it sold out within days.
Lucas and Camden’s reputations precede them. Lucas, a Hong Kong native, chef, and James Beard-award winning video host, and Camden, the entrepreneur behind China Wine Club and Shanghai-based Happy Place Hospitality Group, are the husband-and-wife duo behind Lok Kee, a modern take on the 1950s-style cha chaan teng.
“Lok Kee is a cha chaan teng—my favorite type of restaurant in the world. I’ve been thinking about it for a good amount of time now,” Lucas shared. “My hope is to open a cha chaan teng in New York City… [it] is currently manifesting as a pop-up, but we’re working towards that goal.”
Cha chaan tengs are Hong Kong’s casual tea cafes, blending Cantonese cuisine with external influences. “It is an internalization by Hong Kong people for Hong Kong people of the many influences that came into Hong Kong, whether that’s from British colonial history, Southeast Asian trade, or just contemporary things that Hong Kong people are interested in,” Lucas explained.
NYC has seen a rise in their popularity recently, but some establishments in Manhattan’s Chinatown, like M Star and S Wan, have been around for over two decades. The Western influence is apparent in offerings like Hong Kong-style French toast, macaroni soup, or scrambled eggs and toast. Traditionally, though, they’re in a league of their own, with robust menus of over 100 options to choose from.
There are potential plans to take over the pop-up’s current location, M Star, which has been in the neighborhood since 2003. But the official opening dates are fuzzy.
“The future of Lok Kee is undetermined,” Lucas explained. “This is one of these more delicate types of situations that is a little bit more complex—not like we’re building a restaurant from scratch, right? So when it comes to inheriting a restaurant or even building a restaurant that already exists in a community, the timeline is a little bit nebulous.”
Although Lok Kee is in its early stages, I wanted to share some observations from a very exciting meal I had there last Friday. This was not a comped meal or invitation.
