Kei Supper Club
Ticketed tasting menu dining, through a Kei Concepts lens
During the gap between Gem Dining’s 2023 closure and Nep Cafe’s 2024 transition to offering dinner service, Kei Concepts unveiled what was going to be a monthly rotating ticketed dining experience – Kei Supper Club. The idea was to use the former Gem space to host two tasting menu seatings per night, several nights each week, and use each month’s menu to riff on dishes from a different Kei restaurant.
At the time, the plan was for the first month’s menu (shown here) to riff on Gem and Nep, with the second month’s menu serving as a preview of Sea, the group’s upcoming dim sum restaurant. Ticketed meals for the first month sold out almost immediately upon availability, but ahead of the second month’s ticketing date, Kei pulled the plug on Supper Club, announcing that it was being paused ahead of R&D for a second stage transition.
We enjoyed Kei Supper Club for what it was – the sort of elaborate plating, excellent service, and delicious bites that Kei’s restaurants have become known for – though the portions were small, and in the absence of a filling final savory course, we didn’t leave completely thrilled. Guests were sent home with little metal gift boxes containing cookies, and a thank you note for participating in the experience.
Our hope is that Kei Supper Club reappears in the future, as it could be a fantastic showcase for the Michelin/James Beard-caliber talents of chef Viet Nguyen and his team now that Gem is on ice. We could easily imagine this concept existing within a future Kei restaurant, much as é by José Andrés lives within Jaleo in Las Vegas, and showcasing what Kei is capable of when it’s less restrained by traditional price points and culinary expectations.
Stats
Price: $$$
Service: Table
Open Since: 2024
Closed: 2024
Addresses
10836 Warner Ave.
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
Instagram: @keisupperclub