Three years ago, some founding visionaries including Robert Kim (the hospitality veteran behind Lapaba, ABSteak and Norikaya) and Stuart Whang (the South Korea-born, L.A. raised entrepreneur who founded Koreatown wellness institution Wi Spa), had an idea for a space in the historic Chapman Plaza in Koreatown.
The Spanish Revival courtyard complex originally built in 1929 had seen a boom with dining concepts like KazuNori and Quarters Korean BBQ — as had the neighborhood, catapulted by the growing global spotlight on Korean food, music, beauty and culture.
“It was going to be a restaurant, but then once the walls came down, as they roamed the space, the opportunity got much bigger than just having a small local restaurant,” says the club’s director Greg Lee (who’s worked with Michelin-starred chefs like Dominique Crenn, Michael Mina and José Andrés). “They wanted to bring something that was more elevated. There’s a huge influx of people moving to Koreatown just because of the nightlife and the food. It has the energy of New York: There are so many high rises, and a lot of business people, artists and collaborators. It’s an incredibly special community.”
The natural beauty of the nearly 100-year-old stone building with antique architecture and towering ceilings, hidden inside the plaza, inspired a grander concept. “The visions got bigger and bigger, and after a year, it shifted to ‘Let’s create a members-only club and make something truly unique,’” says Lee. “Construction took about two years to break down the walls, build the foundations, and then over the last year and a half, [we’ve] been really fine-tuning the details … moving things around a million times and just trying to make it perfect. Finally, we got to a place where all of us are happy.”
Taking its name from the Korean concept of hueshik (“rest”), Club Hue aspires to give members a pause from modern life. “Club Hue felt special to me because it wasn’t trying to imitate existing private clubs,” says Lee. “What we’re creating is something with a real cultural point of view, rooted in hospitality, art, music and an East-meets-West influence … a place where members feel known, cared for, inspired and a part of something rare.”
Club HueCredit: Jessica Sample/ Courtesy Club Hue
Taking its name from the Korean concept of hueshik (“rest”), Club Hue aspires to give members a pause from modern life. “Club Hue felt special to me because it wasn’t trying to imitate existing private clubs,” says Lee. “What we’re creating is something with a real cultural point of view, rooted in hospitality, art, music and an East-meets-West influence … a place where members feel known, cared for, inspired and a part of something rare.”
Said Whang in a statement, “I have spent my life building businesses in Los Angeles, and Koreatown has always been at the center of that story. Club HUE is an investment in this city and a bridge to the world beyond it, a place built on culture, hospitality and connection. I am excited to welcome members from around the corner and from around the world.”
Who is Clue Hue targeting? “The ideal member for us is globally-minded, culturally curious and values discretion, creativity and genuine hospitality,” says Lee. “So we’re attracting founders, creatives, tastemakers, hospitality enthusiasts, artists and leaders who have made meaningful impacts within their industries.” No laptops and cell phones are allowed. “This is a place where you step away and reset,” he says, “an ultimate place of privacy, where you can truly relax.”
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Club Hue’s Greg LeeCredit: Jessica Sample/ Courtesy Club Hue
Despite its Asian influence, the club’s membership is diverse. “We are not just a Korean club,” Lee explains. “Even though we’re celebrating Korean and Asian heritage and culture, this is about not one single demographic, industry or ethnicity. While we do proudly celebrate Asian culture, the community itself is meant to be inclusive, diverse and international.”
Club Hue’s design is also worldly and intended to promote discovery. Basile Studio and Kelly Architects channeled the golden age of travel and an “East-meets-West” aesthetic through juxtaposing textures, lotus-shaped chandeliers and lush greenery.
Club HueCredit: Jessica Sample/ Courtesy Club Hue
Guests enter the unassuming building and follow hallways adorned with art commissioned by graffiti artist RETNA into a transporting space with a sculptural bar encircling a central stage, an ornate dining room and a separate karaoke lounge evoking the Orient Express. Each room reflects a different mood and features art curated by artistic director Jane Lee, including a mural Michael Haight designed to reflect his time living in South Korea and spending leisurely Sunday afternoons along the Han River.
Every detail is intentional: “We have hand-forged forks from Japan. All of our plateware was handmade in Japan and Korea,” Lee says. “[We have] hand-blown glassware from Japan, from some of the world’s best beverage artists. We have a Vietnamese ceramicist that handmade all of our pots and pouring cups, and helped us with our beverage program for coffee and teas.”
Club HueCredit: John Troxell/ Courtesy Club Hue
After creating a beautiful space, the owners assembled what Lee calls an “Avengers team of hospitality people.” (Kim, who Page Six reported in May is being sued for embezzlement by his longtime business partner at K-Town lounge Mama Lion, is no longer involved in day-to-day operations.)
Membership director Chris Cutjapan was a general manager at Soho House’s Little Beach House Malibu; beverage director Joshua Choe worked at Joshua Skenes’ Leopardo and Angler as well as at Ludo’s Petit Trois and Curtis Stone’s Gwen; and membership operations manager Hanna El Bayeh hails from San Vicente Bungalows.
Club HueCredit: Jessica Sample/ Courtesy Club Hue
“We have about seven managers on the team now,” says Lee. “Every single person is so impressive: they are industry leaders from across the world’s greatest clubs and three Michelin-starred restaurants. Not just that, but we have the same ethos and vision and passion and care for guests.”
Leading the kitchen is Tokyo-born executive chef Hiroo Nagahara (who worked at Michelin-starred Bar Charlie in Vegas, co-founded Asian food truck The Chairman, and has since opened San Francisco’s Nomica and Downtown L.A.’s Bao Hiroo). “He embodies both technical excellence and creativity, without ego,” says Lee, who notes his meticulousness. “He’s going to tell you how he blended five different rice for this rice bowl … his rice is flown in from Japan and hand-milled.” He adds that fish and wagyu are dry-aged in-house — and Nagahara knows “the scientific breakdown of every fish and when it’s the absolute optimal flavor and texture.”
Club HueCredit: Jessica Sample/ Courtesy Club Hue
The club will begin with a dinner menu. “It’s progressive California cuisine with an Asian backbone,” says Lee. “There’s Asian influence to everything that we have, like his wagyu ribs, that’s a Chinese influence, but then he has a lot of Korean-inspired fermentations and sauces.” Think a waffle with matcha-infused butter and Petrossian caviar, a panzanella salad, sashimi and wagyu bone-in short rib. Adds Lee, “It’s small plates meant for a shared experience with layered flavors, beautiful presentations and energy that can move the dinner into the late night.”
Club Hue’s Kusshi oysters and A5 Hitachi-gyu tartareCredit: John Troxell/ Courtesy Club Hue
Dinner will be offered starting at 5:30 p.m. five nights a week, from Tuesday to Saturday. “And then we’re going to evaluate to see the demand,” says Lee, who notes the drinks are equally important. “Many people are coming here for dinner; half of them are coming to the bar just to sip a beautiful glass of wine and have a delicious cocktail.”
He credits Choe for building a beautiful wine list and cocktail program. “[It] feels elegant and worldly, but it has subtle Asian influences rather than gimmicks, and everything is designed to complement the atmosphere and chef Hiroo’s food.” On the wine side, they’re working with some of the city’s biggest wine collectors on curating a potent list of vintages. Cocktails blend traditional foundations with Asian influences, and some brands they’re working with include IWA Sake and Eva Chow’s KHEE Soju.
Club Hue’s dry-aged bluefin otoro, Hokkaido uni, Golden Osetra caviar and moreCredit: John Troxell/ Courtesy Club Hue
The club will be even more exclusive than the originally reported 1,000 members. “We’re actually going to end up capping our members at like 500,” says Lee. “Because we are a boutique intentional space, we want to know [our members]. What kind of music do they like during dinner? Are they going to stick around and have a bottle of Champagne and dance with the jazz band later? We’re getting to know everybody on a deep level, so when they come in here, it’s an experience that’s been tailored to them.”
Initial membership will be even less: “We want start with 150 to 200 members,” says Lee. “We’re planning to bring on only like 25 to 40 new members each month and slowly start building up to opening up for lunches and seven days a week, and some beautiful brunches and high teas will be coming soon as well, hopefully by fall.”
Club Hue’s Saikyo miso cremeux, blackberry sorbet, Iranian pistachios and red shisoCredit: John Troxell/ Courtesy Club Hue
Programming for members will include special dinners and cultural events. “Like for IWA, their grand winemaker who lives in Champagne is going to fly out and do a dinner with his sakes,” says Lee. “We have Michelin-starred chefs around the world we’re going to have monthly private dinners [with], chef collaborations.” Members can also expect art and music experiences: “Our music and entertainment director is the international artist Tom Breu, and he tailored all of the house’s music that you hear when you come throughout the day — playlists that are changing every single week,” says Lee. “He’s curating our late-night entertainment and DJs, jazz performers and pop-up pianists and solo guitarists.”
The club is currently accepting applications for what will be highly selective membership. Membership tiers include Under 30, Founder, Founder Premium, Lifetime and Corporate — with different pricing and perks. A standard membership starts at $7,500, with a $3,600 annual fee, while a lifetime membership costs $120K. Those interested in learning more can visit the website or contact [email protected].
Membership benefits include access to other global private members’ clubs, partner hotels and restaurants; concierge services; bar and dining access; and invites to members-only cultural events. Perks for premium founders include luxury chauffeur service within Koreatown in BMW i7s; complimentary valet; concierge and travel planning services; priority access to future global Hue locations; and more.
Adds Lee, “We created an app like Uber Black, but we call it Hue Black, and we have chauffeurs to come and grab you in our BMWs around K-Town and drop you off. And we’re also working with Sonato, a reciprocal club program. So no matter where you travel around the world, we have an extension of Hue somewhere that’s going to take care of you.”
Credit: Aero
Other partners offering services and preferred pricing include Aero semi-private jets; South Korean travel concierge service firm Travel Different; private member concierge platform Velocity Black; and the Beverly Hills Hotel and Hotel Bel-Air, which are offering members special rates. Members also receive privileges at clubs around the world, in destinations such as Doha, Hamburg, Milan, Vienna, Singapore and Mumbai.
Notes Lee, “We’re especially focused on building relationships throughout the Asia Pacific, because some of your members are naturally moving between cities like Los Angeles, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong.”
Club Hue introduced itself to the community and potential members with two May cocktail parties. “Those events were just an all-out party — girls dancing on the bar, amazing jazz band, an international DJ,” Lee says. “That energy is not what you expect every night, because we are focused on Michelin-star service for dinner. You are going to expect these live jazz bands and these DJs and entertainment toward the end of the night, but we won’t get to there until around 10:30-11 p.m.” After dinner, the club shifts into late-night revelry.
Club Hue’s preview nightsCredit: Jasmin Rosemberg
On Tuesday, July 28, Club Hue opens its doors. “The summer is really about introducing Los Angeles to the spirit of Club Hue through intimate dinners, these cultural events, the music and dining programming,” says Lee, “and really honing in and perfecting these unforgettable first experiences for our founding members.”
Long-term, the team sees Hue as a global hospitality brand. “The vision is to create future locations in key international cities, but still maintain that intimacy and quality that define this original club,” says Lee. “We have some incredible members coming from Japan and Hong Kong and Korea, and so it’d be fitting to have a location somewhere in the Asian Pacific. There may be a need to have a second club in Los Angeles, because the space is quite boutique. If there was going to be another domestic location, New York might be our next move. We’re looking at the possibilities, at where the demands would be.”
Adds Lee, “But before we go too deep into expansion, right now we’re trying to focus on making this the best club in the city.”