More information about all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ restaurant possibly coming to Oakland.

Earlier this month signage went up for an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ restaurant in Oakland, and recently a menu and photos were posted to the windows. The menu advertises $27.99 for adults with over 30 types of meats; Korean dishes like bibimbap, jjajangmyeon, ramyeon, and bulgogi; Korean appetizers like mandu, japchae, and gaeranjim; and a selection of other Asian items like sichuan noodles, Chinese-style jajangmen, orange chicken, and fried rice. It will be located at 414 Semple St. (map), in the former location of Korea Garden which closed a while back in preparation for a move to the Asian food court under development in the Strip District.

I am not as definitive in this post as I am with other restaurants coming soon because Pittsburgh has been duped before by handmade print-outs promising Korean BBQ. However, building permit paperwork does show that a new restaurant by building owner Jiyan An is coming soon to the spot.

English Korean Language Social Hour, November 1 at Pitt.

via @VisitSeoul 

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center and the English Language Institute will present an Korean-English Language Social Hour on November 1.

A language and cultural exchange between Pitt language learners and international speakers..

The event runs from 12:00 to 1:00 pm in the Global Hub on the first floor of Posvar Hall, and is open to members of the Pitt community. Registration is required.

Hong Kong Dim Sum planned for North Oakland.

via Hanna Langholz Wilson Ellis

A restaurant called Hong Kong Dim Sum is planned for 4520 Centre Ave. in North Oakland (map), the newish apartment complex One On Centre. If approved by the Zoning Board of Adjustment, the restaurant would occupy over 4,200 square feet of the first floor. Details are scarce, but should the restaurant arrive it would help fill one of the largest remaining gaps in the Pittsburgh dining scene.

Chinese restaurant/cafe coming to Squirrel Hill in Footer's Cleaners spot.

A new Chinese restaurant / cafe seems to be coming to Squirrel Hill. Footer's Cleaners at 5864 Forbes Ave. (map) closed earlier this year and the building was bought by JC Investment Squirrel Hill Property LLC, run by a Yao Chen from Erie. A Chinese construction crew has been performing work on the interior of the 3500-square-foot space, and Hungry Panda advertisements are on the windows. Paperwork to the City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning has more information about the proposed restaurant / cafe; the contact information on the application leads the former ownership behind Oakland's Top Shabu Shabu and Night Market Gourmet, and contact information on permits lead to a real estate company that also owns a Chinese restsaurant in Irwin.

Footer's is owned by the same family who ran Lord Duncan Cleaners on Forward Avenue, which also closed earlier in 2023.

Romance Comics, Japanese Daily Life (Seikatsu), and Kamimura Kazuo’s Manga Co-Habitation Age, September 20 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Dr. Jon Holt and his talk "Romance Comics, Japanese Daily Life (Seikatsu), and Kamimura Kazuo’s Manga Co-Habitation Age" on September 20.

Jon Holt is Professor of Japanese at Portland State University. His research interests include modern Japanese poetry, Japanese Buddhism, and manga. He recently published “Type Five and Beyond: Tools to Teach Manga in the College Classroom” in Exploring Comics and Graphic Novels in the Classroom (IGI Global, 2022). He has published numerous translations in English of essays on manga by Natsume Fusanosuke in journals, such as The Comics Journal, INKS, ImageTexT, Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies, International Journal of Comic Art, and U.S.-Japan Women’s Journal.

Dr. Holt will speak at Carnegie Mellon University on the 19th about Doraemon and other topics. The talk at Pitt starts at 4:30 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map).

Tzu Chi Academy-Pittsburgh presenting adult Mandarin class in South Hills, October 22 - December 17.

Tzu Chi Academy-Pittsburgh 匹茲堡慈濟人文學校 will hold an 8-week Mandarin class for adults, October 22 - December 17 in the South Hills.

The course will be conducted in person at South Hills Middle School every Sunday, starting from October 22, 2023, to December 17, 2024, between 10:00 AM and 11:15 AM. This course is designed for beginner language learners aged 18 and above. Complimentary textbooks will be supplied, and the tuition fee for 8 sessions is $80.

Registration is required and can be completed online. South Hills Middle School is located at 595 Crane St. in Beechview (map).

Many More Asian Market shares progress pics of its new Strip District location.

On September 16 Many More Asian Market shared some progress pics of the work at its new Strip District location.



The new store will be at 2767 Liberty Ave, Strip District (map), a few blocks from its current location. In October 2022 work started on the new warehouse space that will have a food court and boba tea place; it was originally scheduled to open in the summer but is now looking at a fall opening.

New Chinese movie Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms (封神第一部) in Pittsburgh, from September 20.

The 2023 Chinese movie Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms (封神第一部) will play in Pittsburgh from September 20.

After conspiring with a conniving fox demon to kill the emperor and seize power, King Zhou reigns as a tyrant so brutal that he incurs the wrath of Heaven. In a final attempt to save the mortal world from desperate peril, the gods decide to intervene and invest in an unlikely champion brave enough to challenge the evil king—even if it may cost him everything.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront. Tickets are available now for three September 20 showings, though tickets are expected to be released for another week of shows.

New York-based chain Nan Xiang coming to SouthSide Works in 2024.

A New York-based chain specializing in Northern Chinese cuisine, Nan Xiang, is coming to SouthSide Works in 2024. A LinkedIn post from CBRE says:

Nan Xiang has signed a lease for the former Sake space at Southside Works! The space is 5,947 SF and will feature authentic Northern Chinese cuisine. Look for Nan Xiang to open in late Q1 2024.

The restaurant's official site describes its offerings:

Xiao Long Bao (also known as Soup Dumpling) originated from Nan Xiang County of Shanghai, China. “Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao” opened its door at the heart of Asian cuisine, Flushing, New York in 2006 and soon gained popularity among food lovers in the Big Apple over the past 16 years. Nan Xiang is the first choice for local Chinese immigrants who are craving for authentic Northern Chinese food, Jiangsu & Zhejiang cuisine. A lot of western diners also visit Nan Xiang to experience our famous dishes recommend by various publications and food bloggers. Welcome to Nan Xiang, we provide the most original flavors from China.

. . .

Our signature dishes are the restaurant’s unrivaled crab and pork soup dumplings, plentiful steamed buns and Shanghainese dim sum. Other popular dishes include pan-fried crispy noodles, fried rice cakes, scallion pancakes with sliced beef, fish fillet & pickled cabbage noodle soup and pan-fried dumplings.

Doraemon Matters: How the Manga Robot Cat from the Future Lives on in Japan Today, September 19 at CMU.

The Carnegie Mellon University Department of Modern Languages presents Dr. Jon Holt and his talk "Doraemon Matters: How the Manga Robot Cat from the Future Lives on in Japan Today" on September 19.

Who is Doraemon? Where did he come from? Why does he still remain popular in Japan and in Asia? Dr. Jon Holt (Portland State University) explores the blue robot cat's multiple manga origins as he went on to become one of Japan's most beloved characters even today. He started in children's manga (comic books) but he was very much from the master mold of gag manga at a time when the Japanese comics industry was far, far too serious with its mature and male-youth manga--the gekiga movement--that dominated the market from the 1960s through the 1970s. Doraemon is more than a pop icon, he is a harbinger of Japan's future from its future.

Jon Holt is Professor of Japanese at Portland State University. His research interests include modern Japanese poetry, Japanese Buddhism, and manga. He recently published “Type Five and Beyond: Tools to Teach Manga in the College Classroom” in Exploring Comics and Graphic Novels in the Classroom (IGI Global, 2022). He has published numerous translations in English of essays on manga by Natsume Fusanosuke in journals, such as The Comics Journal, INKS, ImageTexT, Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies, International Journal of Comic Art, and U.S.-Japan Women’s Journal.

The talk runs from 6:00 to 7:00 pm in Posner Hall 340 (map).