Korean-American food influencer Jaeki Cho brings New York-Seoul vibes to Hong Kong pop-up
Pineapple bun sandwiches with char siu and honey butter were one star of Shop B’s event with Cho, who champions community via food and music
On November 15, Korean-American content creator Jaeki Cho touched down for a one-night-only pop-up in Hong Kong, bringing a taste of New York and Seoul to Sai Ying Pun’s Shop B.
The event, a collaboration with the modern Cantonese restaurant, saw Cho transplant his influential “Righteous Eats” platform from the digital realm to a physical gathering, offering a taste of his mission to foster community and cross-cultural dialogue through food and music.
The menu was a combination of Cho’s Korean heritage and New York upbringing mixed with local Cantonese flavours.
The stars of the night were a Hong Kong-style bacon, egg and cheese in the form of a pineapple bun sandwich with char siu and honey butter, and K-BBQ in a loaded baked potato using crispy pork belly and gochujang sour cream. There was also a ceviche with cured hamachi, scallop, pickled red onion and mala oil, eaten with prawn crisps.
Cho, a former music journalist for hip-hop publications XXL and Complex, is not a restaurateur in the traditional sense. Instead, he has carved a niche as a culinary curator and ally, using his platform to champion small food businesses in the United States. The Hong Kong pop-up served as an international extension of this ethos.