GRAND OPENING WEEKEND ! 5.22 - 5.25
Walk in only
3215 Mission st San Francisco
It’s happening!! ITS ACTUALLY HAPPENING! It’s starting to feel real, can’t wait to have all of you in!
For those who contributed to the Kickstarter I’ll be reaching out soon! Thank you to those that contributed 🙏
Menu release soon, more content sooooon!
Soon, soon! Working on it 🥵
📸: @speizerchef
This was the last time I cooked for the public and it was in Da Nang 😅.
I served a canapé of braised + grilled pork jowl, fermented tofu glaze, pickled okra, crispy rice, and purple perilla.
Inspired by the grilled pig nipples dish at this nhau spot the 999 in Saigon.
It’s been a while. I’ve learned a lot. You have no idea how excited I am to cook for all you.
May 22nd - 3215 Mission st. San Francisco
5pm - 10pm
Walk in - no reservations
Put your name down grab a drink from many of our cool ass neighbors.
Will release content for the opening menu, stay tuned!
Looking to hire a full time cook for The Mantis!
Dm me or email me with your info and resume at [email protected]
Send this to anyone who may be interested
Let’s chat bout it! Menu is sick, promise.
Willing to train, trying to cook some Viet food?
I rode in the back of that bike btw
WE DID IT!!
We hit our Kickstarter goal! Thank you thank you thank you to all who’ve contributed and all who shared to get this project in front of the right people.
You can still contribute and book the chefs tasting. It includes my favorites from the menu and a couple of off menu surprises, 8 dishes! Priority reservations are still be available until 4/20 when the campaign ends.
These funds will make things a little more comfortable leading up to opening.
Thank you again, for believing in this project. For believing in bringing something different to SF dining and believing in me. I doubted myself everyday if it would hit. The Mantis will be the fucking spot, swear!
I’m always bad at good byes. Of course, I’ll always say hit me when you come to San Francisco. Let’s be real, how likely is that going to happen? We all rule our little worlds back home. Hopefully we cross paths again. So it’s not goodbye, it’s see you soon.
I’ve made a ton of lifelong friends this trip, it’s back to real life. Shooting for May 14th as our grand opening weekend with a couple trial runs in between to friends and family.
$8500 till we reach our goal on Kickstarter! It’s soooo close and we’ve come such a long way. Link in the bio, contribute if you can share to those who are interested.
The Mantis will be walk in only. The only way to get a reservation is through the Kickstarter. After the campaign I’ll be reaching out with a secret link for priority reservations.
Thank you for everyone that’s donated. The Mantis will be the fucking spot, swear.
Throughout this month I’ve had a lot of mind blowing meals, I’ve also had a lot of mediocre meals. It’s necessary to scratch that curiosity itch. If you don’t ever risk the bad meal, you won’t discover the magical ones.
The goal wasn’t to just eat around and find inspiration in dishes. It was to understand the core of Vietnamese cuisine and understand the palette, how it changes throughout Da Nang and Saigon. How can I make something not Vietnamese taste Vietnamese?
What I realized is that the cuisine is the art of opposition held in perfect balance. There’s a yin and a yang. I’ve always known this but it was more apparent than ever.
Hot broth, fresh herbs. Crispy skin, silky noodles. Fat rendered down to nothing, cut through with a hit of lime. Fermented depth meets brightness. Char meets crunch. Sweet meets funk. The calibration is dependent on the region.
Nothing stands alone. Everything needs its opposite to make sense. This can also be applied to the people you surround yourself with. In management, relationships, friends, etc.
This is the philosophy I hope to bring to the food at The Mantis.
The Kickstarter is 70% funded!! We have 10 days to raise 15k. We are so close! Contribute if you can, share the project to those who may be interested. Purchase a chef dinner, go in on a larger party and I’ll cook you renditions of my favorite dishes from this trip. Link in the bio
Grand opening May 14th!
That’s what comes with the territory when you do something different. It may not always be for everyone, and that’s ok. If it’s delicious and makes sense then who really cares.
Speaking with other Viet chefs, that I would’ve never had the chance back in the bay, has been very insightful. Many perspectives and approaches to the same reference points.
Trying new dishes and thinking out loud: reverse engineering, dissecting, turning it inside out and on its head.
Bouncing ideas of our favorite parts and components and how we could implement it in our own cooking. These are conversations I usually have with myself. It’s refreshing being around like minded chefs. All with different relationship with their Vietnamese identity.
It’s really on us to push the culture forward.
63% funded on the Kickstarter! I really never thought we’d get this far but here we are! A little under 2 weeks left. Spread the word, share the link help me get to the finish line!
Link in the bio
Though I’m currently in a deep love affair with Vietnam, I do miss my quiet routine at home.@fatcatsf has opened and it’s making me anxious and excited to come back and cook.
I’ve thought a lot about my Vietnamese identify.
It took many years to repair my relationship with my dad and my Vietnamese side. It took a lot to forgive them. Claws was a way for me to understand that perspective, and shows there’s many ways to be Vietnamese. This trip has progressed that tenfold.
Before coming here I’ve written the opening menu. As the trip has progressed I’ve erased it and rewritten it multiple times. I’m not going to serve pho, spring rolls, or Banh mi like everyone else. Is this menu too “out there”? Too in the cuts? How will San Francisco receive it? I feel as long as it’s delicious, the people will come.
I hope San Francisco is ready for what I’m about to bring. I know when I come back, my life will never be the same.
We’ve currently jumped 20% on the Kickstarter!
So thankful for those who’ve contributed.
When you’re so used to giving and giving, it’s often hard to ask. But the support has been amazing.
To be honest I mentally prepared myself for the Kickstarter to fail, and for the path to opening to be that much more difficult and scary. Thank you @ni_oiii for pushing me and giving me hope. 2 weeks left and I know we can do it!
Contribute if you can there’s many cool rewards, but sharing the link helps.
I come back on the 13th then the real work starts.
Taking in alot from this trip to Vietnam, I’ll explain in other posts. I picked up photography again, here are some shots from the past 3 weeks.
It’s been over 12 years since I last been here. So much has developed and grown. A new wave of young talent trying to make something out here in Saigon. Deeply inspired and can’t wait to bring that to SF.
We’re about 30% funded on the Kickstarter with 16 days left in the campaign. It’s all or nothing so if I don’t hit my goal I won’t get anything.
There’s some great reward tiers like a chefs tasting menu, buyouts and merch. If you’re interested in investing outside the Kickstarter send me a dm.
If you’re not in any position to contribute you can help by sharing the link to those who may be interested. Kickstarter link is in my bio.
Help me bring my dream to life 👉👈
A famous nanny used to say: “When there’s love, dear… those are the ties that bind.”
When there’s food, dear… those are the bites that remind.
Oh and when there’s Kevin, these may be the evenings that fall out of line 💫
Fall / bites?
📍 2cms Kitchen & Bar, 72 Huỳnh Mẫn Đạt, Bình Thạnh.
📅 Thurs - Mon, 26/3 - 30/3, 6pm - late.
🎟️ Dm to reserve!
25% funded already! So thankful for those who’ve contributed to the Kickstarter.
The first couple months, the only reservations we’ll be taking are for those who contributed to the kickstarter. It’s the only way to ensure priority reservations for the space.
The funds will help finance opening costs, permits, kitchen improvements, inventory, and ensure a proper runway for this space to take off.
I’m currently in Saigon, seeing what I can take over here and bring to San Francisco. Already feeling so inspired and feeling more connected with my Vietnamese identity. I can’t wait for you guys to see what I’ve been working on these past couple of months.
There are some pretty cool rewards aside from the chefs tasting I’m offering. The campaign ends in a couple weeks and it’s all or nothing. Will you help my dream come true?!
Link is in the bio
Thank you for those who contributed and for those considering. I’ll be updating my trip on the stories and soft launching some of the menu items at my pop up @2cms___ next week.
@fatcatsf team is holding it down and is on track to open 2nd week of April so stay tuned!
If you’re interested in investing outside of Kickstarter dm me and we can chat.
Special s/o to @michaelchanphotos for filming and editing this video
SF rookie class of ‘26 🤘🤘
