Acclaimed Pop Up Dabao Singapore to Celebrate its Restaurant Grand Opening at METREON in San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Neighborhood on November 22
James Beard Foundation Nominee Chef Emily Lim Brings Underrepresented Singaporean Street Food Dishes Downtown to METREON’S Food Court
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San Francisco, Calif., November 14, 2024 — Acclaimed Singaporean pop up Dabao Singapore by Chef Emily Lim, a James Beard Foundation Award nominee, today announced that she will mark the grand opening of her first permanent restaurant on November 22 at METREON in San Francisco’s downtown Yerba Buena neighborhood. “It's amazing to get to this point,” said Lim, who was born in Singapore and moved to San Francisco in 2014. “It’s important to me to showcase rich and vibrant flavors of Singaporean hawker foods such as laksa as a tribute to my foremothers and celebrate the culture through food. It’s not easy to find authentic Singaporean dishes in the Bay Area.”
Four years ago, Lim’s pop up quickly became a sensation. Her commitment to quality and authenticity popularized dishes such as poached Hainanese chicken rice, curry puffs, char kway teow, and chili crab with garlic noodles. Another example is Dabao Singapore’s laksa, a spiced, curry noodle soup that includes more than 20 high quality fresh ingredients. Lim was a semi-finalist last January for a James Beard Foundation Award in the Emerging Chef category. Her background includes fine-dining restaurants in Singapore and the Bay Area, including being the Executive Sous Chef of ALX by Alexander’s Steakhouse. Lim also was a Food Network Guy’s Grocery Games winner on the World Fusion episode in 2020 and has been featured in over ten other Food Network episodes.
Lim said that where she grew up, the Singaporean food stalls, or hawker centers, are dying out. Singapore's hawker culture was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2020, recognizing its significance in the nation's cultural identity. Lim said that despite this recognition, the hawker tradition faces challenges such as rising operational costs and a declining number of young chefs entering the trade. These factors threaten the sustainability of this cherished culinary heritage. Efforts like Lim's initiative at METREON’s food court to introduce Singaporean hawker cuisine to new audiences are crucial to preserving and revitalizing this cultural legacy.
“The Yerba Buena neighborhood is a great place to reach a range of diners to experience Singaporean flavors. Being in the heart of an arts neighborhood and in the Filipino Cultural Heritage District felt like a natural fit as well as being able to serve folks that are visiting museums, attending events and conferences at Moscone Center,” said Lim. “Still, when people taste our dishes, I hope that they feel like they’ve been transported to Singapore to experience what I did growing up,” she added. Dabao Singapore will continue to offer catering and their signature meal kits for delivery throughout the Bay Area.
Overlooking Yerba Buena Gardens, METREON is home to over a dozen restaurants and eateries with cuisines from Japan, Italy, Korea, Vietnam, Mexico, America, and now, Singapore. Dabao Singapore is one of several new eateries and attractions to open recently in the neighborhood including Nick the Greek, the new Grove Bar, and Germany's official cultural center the Goethe-Institut.
“Dabao Singapore adds to Yerba Buena’s growing number of attractions that are transforming downtown with new public festivals, art exhibits, and new restaurants and great bars,” said Scott Rowitz, executive director of the community benefit district Yerba Buena Partnership. “It’s a delicious addition to the neighborhood.”
Rowitz also cited Yerba Buena Gardens and iconic destinations such as SFMOMA, YBCA, MoAD, Children’s Creativity Museum, Academy of Art University, historic LeRoy King Carousel, Moscone Center, and Downtown First Thursdays street party, among the attractions that are drawing people to Yerba Buena. And now, Dabao Singapore too.