One of NYC’s foremost dim sum pros is launching Cha Cha Tang pop-up
Wilson Tang knows New York dim sum: after taking over the city’s oldest operating dim sum den, Chinatown’s Nom Wah Tea Parlor, in 2010, he transformed the usually a.m.-only food experience into a proper dinnertime destination. Though he has since left that restaurant (he still owns other Nom Wah outposts, including Nom Wah Nolita), Tang’s latest venture explores another beloved culinary tradition: the Hong Kong-style diner, known as a cha chaan teng, which translated to “tea restaurant.” Think of it like a good old greasy spoon, a casual, affordable restaurant serving both Hong Kong cuisine and Western food.
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Operating every Sunday and Monday through June 16, Tang’s pop-up Cha Cha Tang will take over John McDonald’s Hancock St. space at 257 Avenue of the Americas and Downing Street. There, the restaurateur will bring his playful takes on the Canto-Western comfort food he grew up eating in Hong Kong’s cha chaan tengs to New York.
The six-week pop-up will see chefs Doron Wong and Akiko Thurnauer in the kitchen, who will be cooking up dishes like a Cantonese roast duck sandwich on a sesame hero ($26), a Cobb salad with char siu pork ($21), milk bread French toast stuffed with taro cream ($19), General Tso’s fried chicken with charred broccoli ($33), and macaroni soup with Spam wontons and bone broth ($18).
There will, of course, be dumplings and other dim sum-y items, like scallion pancakes crowned with caviar and crème fraîche ($22), pork and shrimp siu mai skewers ($16), crispy turnip cakes with hoisin mayonnaise, and chicken dumpling gratin with sawtooth pesto and tomato sauce ($15). And large groups can partake in a convenient family-style menu for $88 per person.
Reservations are now open for the Cha Cha Tang pop-up over on Hancock St.’s Resy page, but seatings for the limited-time concept are already going fast so move quick! Check out the full menu and photos of some of the dishes below:
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