SF’s China Live will launch Asia Live restaurant concept in Silicon Valley
Westfield Valley Fair, the home of Northern California’s only Eataly, will welcome another expansive culinary emporium later this year: Asia Live.
The couple behind the ambitious China Live in San Francisco, George Chen and Cindy Wong-Chen, announced their new venture Tuesday.
“Establishing our first Asia Live in the heart of Silicon Valley is a natural progression from our success with China Live, as we expand our culinary focus to encompass the broader Asian continent,” George Chen said in a statement. “We transformed perceptions of Chinese cuisine in America by highlighting the rich diversity of Greater China’s regional flavors, and now we aim to broaden that perspective to all of Asia, reminiscent of our pioneering work with Betelnut in 1995.”
Asia Live, he said, will offer an “immersive exploration” of all Asian cuisines through a diverse restaurant menu, retail marketplace and interactive experiences.
DMARCstudio, which designed the China Live flagship, will transform the former iChina space into the new concept, which will feature sushi and robata stations, tandoori ovens and an Indonesian rice table. Multiple food and beverage areas will accommodate both small and large dining groups. And there are plans for a rooftop terrace.
A fall 2025 opening is envisioned.
The swanky iChina restaurant closed last October after four years in business. The restaurant had offered opulent dining spaces, a glittering lounge, chandelier-lit restrooms and four private dining rooms, including one that immersed guests in a virtual reality experience.
This is a developing story. Come back for updates.