Mister Jiu's, chef Brandon Jew's (Bar Agricole, Quince) large and ambitious Chinatown project, has been years in the making. Now it's about to make a grand debut, opening the floodgates of dining to San Francisco's Chinatown.
Taking over the rather massive former Four Seas space, the restaurant is located on two levels, though the main dining room occupies only the first floor; upstairs is the former banquet hall, complete with dance floor, that is currently out of commission. The main entrance is located on Waverly Place, opening directly into a long bar with standing room only, where bar director Danny Louie (Chino, Alembic) will serve cocktails incorporating Chinese ingredients like Jasmine tea. The ceilings are painted a rich, jade green while the walls are a lighter off-white color; combined with the ashy blonde wood floors, the effect is both minimalist and bold. Large potted plants are scattered throughout, adding to the Instagrammable hipster appeal that is underlying.
The dining room, designed by Boor Bridges, is centered around three grand lotus flower chandeliers that made the move from the banquet hall upstairs, hanging above large mid-century inspired round tables embedded with Lazy Susans. The rest of the room is broken into smaller tables, while bench seats line the walls. The large, open kitchen is outfitted only with woks (no stovetops of any kind), and is extremely roomy. Pastry chef Melissa Chou's (Mourad, Quince) station faces the dining room, while further back is the domain of Jew, sous chef Sara Hauman (Huxley) and the rest of the talented crew.
The five dish banquet menu is served family-style for $69, and will include fresh takes on the food that Jew grew up eating at his family gatherings, and occasionally, in Chinatown itself. Dishes like sizzling rice soup, Peking duck with crepes, and fresh lotus root with almond custard are some of the offerings that diners can expect to see. Check out the opening menu here.
Mister Jiu's officially opens on Tuesday, April 12 for service. The restaurant will be open from 5:30-10:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, and until 11 p.m. on Friday-Saturday. The bar opens at 5 p.m.
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