Susanna Foo's SUGA is open
It's serving sophisticated Chinese cuisine for dinner only.
Susanna Foo's downtown return has begun.
The chef and her son Gabriel are in the soft-opening phase of SUGA - a portmanteau of "Susanna" and "Gabriel" - at 1720 Sansom St. It is three blocks from the site of Susanna Foo, the Walnut Street restaurant that trailblazed with a fusion of French and Chinese cuisine before she sold the building in 2009, a year before her husband, E-Hsin, died from a degenerative brain disease.
It's open weeknights from 5 p.m.
At SUGA, on the former longtime site of Genji, Eimer Design opted for clean lines and blond woods, a far more modern aesthetic than Susanna Foo's white-tablecloth reserve. A mural of a woman in the dress of Mongolia - Susanna Foo's homeland - dominates the front bar area. A spiral staircase links two dining rooms on the first level with two rooms on the second.
SUGA's food - executed by executive sous chef Clara Park - is more sophisticated than that of Susanna Foo Gourmet Kitchen in Radnor, her last restaurant Some dishes from the original Susanna Foo on Walnut Street are on the menu, including kung pao chicken and Mongolian lamb.
OPENING MENUS FOR SUGA
Lunch (not on yet)
Brunch (will not start immediately)