When the pandemic brought their brick-and-mortar restaurant plans to a halt, chefs David Schwartz, Braden Chong and Keith Siu channelled their culinary creativity into the pop-up concept Sunny’s Chinese. 

Like the eventual restaurant the trio plans to open, Sunny’s Chinese highlights the distinctive cuisines of China’s different regions. Each pop-up focuses on a particular area of the country, with previous events featuring Cantonese- and Sichuan-inspired menus.

Naturally, this means that each pop-up menu offers something a little different. Previous events have featured dishes such as lightly steamed baby yu choy with bamboo, pao la jiao and guaiwei sauce; stir-fried cheung fun with soy sauce and scallion; and twice-cooked pork belly with hot long pepper, salted black bean and doubanjiang.

 

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The chefs aim to stay true to the traditions of each region, providing diners with compelling insights into China’s rich culinary heritage. Meals also come with menu cards that offer background and context on the featured food, often addressing common diner questions, such as misconceptions about the use of MSG and whether American Chinese fare can be considered authentic.  

Email subscribers are notified of new events, which so far have consistently sold out almost immediately. Your best bet for catching the next one is to keep an eye on their Instagram and sign up for their newsletter. A permanent location for Sunny’s Chinese is still reportedly in the works, so there’s hope that it will soon be easier to get a taste of this in-demand pop-up.