Chung Chow

Coming Up

Training at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa gave Chung Chow a base before the work moved, in the usual order, from front of house to the line. Service came first as a waiter in Hawaii, where the pace of the room and the exchange between guest and kitchen are part of the craft. The line sharpened that foundation at Per Se in New York and later at Lincoln Ristorante in New York, with each kitchen adding more control over timing, precision, and composure. Since 2015, that background has been carried into noreetuh, where Chow is chef/co-owner and the restaurant’s point of view is shaped by those earlier rooms.

Where They Are Now

Hawaiʻi-centered cooking sits at the center of noreetuh, and Chow has named that intent plainly: “Being able to share my culinary and cultural heritage of Hawai‘i, especially in New York where it is little known and sometimes misunderstood.” The food points back to Hawaiʻi without flattening it into a reference style; it carries memory and origin through a New York dining room that asks to read the cuisine on its own terms. Musubi makes that argument in the clearest way. Chow has said it is his favorite menu item because it lets the restaurant show an everyday Hawaiian food in its most direct form. In a market where Hawaiian food can be narrowed or misread, the move is simple: present a staple without overworking it. The result is not minimalism for effect, but a quiet claim about value — that a humble format can hold cultural weight and still communicate cleanly on the plate.

Signature

Chung's signature dishes include Big-Eye Tuna Poke, Chow Noodles, Mochi-Crusted Bass, Bruléed Hawaiian Pineapple, Silken Tofu with Kokkaido Uni, Ikura, Salmon Gel, Umeboshi, and Shiso. Taken together, they sketch a kitchen that moves fluidly between delicacy and richness, brightness and depth, with each plate reflecting a careful hand and a clear sense of place.

In Their Words “Being able to share my culinary and cultural heritage of Hawai‘i, especially in New York where it is little known and sometimes misunderstood.”