The following are excerpts from the blogs :

October, 21 2008

Eater Blog: Phandemonium: Andy Wai Aboard at SoMa Grand

SoMa: We shared a long walkthrough at Charles Phan upcoming restaurant(s) in the SoMa Grand a fortnight ago. As we approach an anticipated December opening date, the details continue to elucidate from the restaurant-lounge-noodle bar project. We're hearing that Phan has tapped Andy Wai for the kitchen, which you'll recall will be focusing on Chinese cuisine. Bringing Wai aboard should be a very strong move for the venue, especially given how Wai garnered much fame during his 15 years at the now-closed Harbor Village. To this day, Wai remains a cult favorite to many who have obsessively tracked the man's whereabouts around the Bay since he left Harbor Village.

CURBED San Francisco and
Eater San Francisco

October, 9 2008

Eater Inside: Charles Phan's SoMa Grand

by Sarah Hromack, CURBED and Paolo, EATER

CURBED

Brother blog Eater stepped inside celebuchef/ restauranteur Charles Phan's newest restaurant on the ground floor of SoMa Grand. Best known for the Slanted Door, its kid sister, Out the Door, and now the very recently-opened restaurant at the California Academy of Sciences, Phan will open what is essentially two spaces in one -- a takeout counter for lunch, and a full-on Chinese dining room, bar, and lounge.

EATER

SoMa: Here we have the first sneak peeks at the next project on the list for San Francisco's busiest restaurateur/chef, the one and only Charles Phan. He's done Out the Door and the Academy project, but in many ways, this SoMa Grand project is really his second restaurant. As you can see, work is very much in full swing and they're currently aiming for a December debut. Olle Lundberg (Slanted Door, Moss Room) is designing the still-unnamed (suggestions welcome) 100-seat space. There will be separate entrances for the two pretty self-contained venues: one will be a noodle bar for lunch/take-out, the other a chic Chinese restaurant with dining room, bar and lounge. For clarity's sake, more details on the space are available as captions on the walk-through photos above.