Talk about a whole vibe. With its tea garden–inspired dining room awash in rose and jade hues beneath a floral ceiling sculpture, Blossom by SYC has been ushering in throngs of influencers, scenesters, and looky-loos clamoring for the perfect selfie backdrop from the instant it opened in LoHi in late July.
“All the pretty girls want to come in here, take pictures, and have birthday parties,” joked owner Shuang (Sherry) Crossland. “They actually dress up in pink to match the [decor].”
I witnessed the hoopla for myself while dining there on a recent Friday evening, as the queue of hungry hopefuls at the entrance started snaking down the block. But my focus didn’t shift from my table for long: After all, the contemporary Chinese food being served here constitutes a spectacle in its own right.
A Refined Repertoire
A perfect case in point: the mozzarella-stuffed croquettes called “lychee shrimp pearls,” which are covered in pink bubu arare (tiny, spherical rice crackers) and arranged on a golden stand that indeed resembles a lychee tree. Another is the tofu cheesecake with salted caramel cream, presented in a silver ring that’s removed before your eyes to flow like lava over the plate. And then there’s the Peking duck, ceremoniously carved tableside.
“Authentic Peking duck is a very specialized process,” noted Crossland. “More than simply roasting, the preparation involves multiple steps, including carefully preparing and drying the duck so the skin can become beautifully crisp while the meat remains tender and juicy. It’s a technique that takes years of experience to truly master.”
That’s why she not only purchased a custom-built oven that “controls the high heat . . . needed to achieve the texture and finish that [the dish] is known for,” in her words, but also brought an expert, chef Jian Chen, out from California to supervise it.
And he’s not the only specialist in the kitchen. Chef Lucy Jia is a dim sum doyenne who moved here from Dallas to make dumplings by hand daily: Think xiao long bao filled with crab roe and pork-and-shrimp shao mai topped with a dollop of truffle as well as classic har gow and wontons in chili oil.
Overseeing it all is Hong Kong–born executive chef Adam Chan, whose own contributions to the menu range from Sichuan-spiced Wagyu tartare and textbook wok-fried string beans with garlic to a Japanese-inflected entree of miso black cod, glazed with orange marmalade in a pool of miso-yuzu cream. “Our visions aligned very well,” said Crossland of developing a “smaller, more focused and refined” repertoire relative to “a lot of Chinese restaurants where you feel like you’re reading a Bible. [But it’s] still evolving.”
The same goes for the beverage program. While the opening selection of eight cocktails (two of them nonalcoholic) already shows flair to spare via ingredients like salt-dried plum, mandarin orange, and tamarind, Crossland aims to introduce more tea-infused libations to the mix. “Tea is such an important part of Chinese culture, and there are so many different flavors and aromas to work with,” she pointed out, adding that the list of about 10 wines by the glass will also expand in due time.
A Bold Blueprint for the Future
Actually, even the much-buzzed-about interior design may eventually see subtle transformations, according to Crossland: “I’m always noticing little details that I want to adjust, add, or improve.” But she’s happy that its dramatic confluence of plush velvet, sleek marble, and mosaic tile already seems to suit Denver diners just fine.
After all, though she’s a seasoned restaurateur with numerous concepts to her credit—including hot pot spot The Bronze Empire and Japanese chef’s counter Sushi by SYC—she considers Blossom among her most “elevated and personal” projects.
“My very first restaurant was Go Fish Sushi, which I opened 19 years ago, so Japanese cuisine has been a huge part of my life and restaurant career for almost two decades. But at the same time, I’m very proud of the food and culture I grew up with [and] want to share it,” the native of Dalian in northeastern China noted, pointing out that Miya Moon regularly offers specials from her home region.
And Crossland isn’t about to stop here. With three more restaurants currently in the works, starting with Sushi 37 in Cherry Creek, the ambitious entrepreneur may one day have her stamp on every corner of this city.
“I look at the neighborhood, what I think is missing, and [what] makes sense both creatively and from a business perspective,” she said. “I want each restaurant to have its own identity and give me an opportunity to create something different.”
Visit Blossom by SYC Sunday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4 to 11 p.m. 1691 Central St., Denver, blossombysyc.com
