After shutting its doors on Sept. 25, Gem Dining in Fountain Valley, part of the Kei Concepts empire, will reopen in mid-January with a new name and a new concept. Kei Supperclub will be a ticketed dining experience with founder and executive chef Viet Nguyen personally creating dishes and interacting with guests in an intimate setting.
“Nguyen will be there personally two nights a week cooking, entertaining, and talking to the guests,” said Kei Concepts representative Christopher Ma. “It will be a bit of an omakase-slash-tableside experience.”
Tentatively scheduled to open Friday, Jan. 12, Kei Supperclub will feature a revolving themed dinners, with 12 to 14 seats, each showcasing an eight-course prix-fixe menu with wine and cocktail pairings. Dishes will draw inspiration from Kei Concepts established eateries as well as whatever Nguyen fancies from his gastronomic repertoire. It will be open two days a week on Fridays and Saturdays with one seating per evening.
Kei Supperclub will follow similarly styled dinners, like Trust in Santa Ana, where guests buy tickets in advance to sit at an 18-seat counter overlooking the kitchen where chef Justin Werner hosts a 12-course prix-fixe dinner party.
“Viet has always wanted to open a fine-dining, upscale experience,” explained Ma. “His main focus are restaurants that are accessible to everyone, but he’s also wanted to do something like this for a long time.”
Nếp Cafe, located inside the former Gem Dining space, will remain open during the day with Kei Supperclub taking over two nights per week. Kei Supperclub and Nếp Cafe are part of the Kei Concepts portfolio of restaurants that include Sup Noodle Bar, Vox Kitchen, KIN Izakaya, ROL Hand Roll Bar and Ini Ristorante.
