Big Sam Young is the Sydney chef known for his big personality and Castlecrag restaurant S’more. Then there’s also his big, adoring social media following. Before all that, he cut his teeth in the kitchens at Mr Wong, Totti’s and Lotus 2.0, then, together with chef Grace Chen – his life and biz partner – Young made his name with luxe meal kits (we’re talking lobster, truffle and caviar) and private catering. Now, the fun, inimitable pair are opening their next venue: Young Palace.

The Chinese restaurant – coming soon to the old Teddy dining room in Potts Point – is an amalgamation of the dining experiences Chen and Young have had in Chinatowns all over the world, from New York to Paris, Amsterdam and Sydney. But it goes further again, with a concept the team describes as a “love letter to the immigrant experience”.

“One of the [venues] I admire the most is Billy Kwong,” Young tells Broadsheet. “I don’t want to do what [Kylie Kwong and Bill Granger did] – but I want to write my own story of being an immigrant. I left Hong Kong 24 years ago, and I’ve been living in Canada, US, Italy and Australia for the last 24 years. So – I don’t know if it sounds arrogant – but I am the perfect guy to write this story, right? Cos I’ve been through it all.”

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The couple knew what their next venue would be. “I just really want to build a restaurant that serves delicious Chinese food that is familiar with everyone. Nice produce, good ingredients, good hospitality. I want to write that immigrant story … You can be eating quality, fantastic, nice produce. Fair price. No BYO, beautiful wine list, nice cocktails.

“We’ve been sold this outdated image of immigrant-run restaurants as cheap, fast, and scrappy. That was survival,” Young added in a statement. “But now we want to tell a new story, one that honours hard work, but also values quality, creativity and pride.”

Just like at S’more, which is known for its decadent serves of lobster spaghetti and whopping Wagyu steaks, the menu at Young Palace will go hard. “The chairman’s menu” delivers sizable mud crabs; a claypot rice dish with truffle, caviar and abalone; and lobsters. But that’s just one half of the offering: The regular menu spans dishes Young playfully calls “white boy’s Chinese”.

The aim is to make Young Palace the place to be, whether you’re looking for an all-out dinner or casual drop-in – that means honey king prawns, lemon chicken, sweet and sour pork and other “crowd favourites”. For Young, it’s all about the regulars. “The people I want to see the most are the locals, right? I want to build a local neighbourhood Chinese joint. I don’t want to do fancy, but there will be options for people who like fancy.”

Teddy, the homely diner from the Ezra boys, recently closed for a refurb – and landed itself on Chen and Young’s radar. They put an offer in and are now guns-blazing making the dining room their own.

“I’m very lucky that we have this opportunity and I just want to write this chapter. Immigrants all work hard – and I think it’s time to celebrate that journey. Because if you don’t celebrate it, what’s the point?”

Young Palace is slated to open at 1 Kellett Street, Potts Point in mid-August 2025.