Asian-American cocktail bar Vir
Asian-American cocktail club Viridian starts in Oakland
Starting Tuesday in Oakland is Viridian, the city’s first clearly Asian-American cocktail club from an all-asian ownership team.
The Uptown newcomer merges produce-driven cocktails, dim sum and Asian sweets, all in an exceptional, neon-lit room that networks Hong Kong brand brand New Wave filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai.
“Choosing this profession course being an Asian United states isn’t one you take gently,” said owner and club manager William Tsui, whom most recently handled the bar at San Francisco’s two Michelin-starred restaurant Lazy Bear. In college, he had been regarding the medical track before dropping away. “Hospitality is really a calling.”
For Viridian, Tsui has put together a team that is impressive including their youth buddy Raymond Gee (Noodle Theory Provisions, Hakkasan) and Jeremy Chiu (Shinmai, Mina Group) — all Oakland natives. They’re accompanied by basic supervisor Alison Kwan (Lazy Bear, real Laurel), executive cook Amanda Hoang (Bird puppy) and consulting cook Alice Kim (Lazy Bear, Coi).
The origins of Viridian began four years back, whenever Tsui began the pop-up Tiger and Crane with previous Saison club manager Samuel Houston. Like Viridian, it paired cocktails with dim sum, but efforts to find a home that is brick-and-mortar panned away.
