The owner of a popular Korean restaurant in Inman Park is branching out with a new Asian seafood-focused concept later this year.
Richard Tang, who opened Char Korean Bar & Grill in 2016, is slated to open Girl Diver at 905 Memorial Drive in the new Madison Yards development in late fall or early winter.
The restaurant will serve crawfish, shrimp and crab legs by the pound, prepared “as a play off of the traditional Viet-Houston style,” Tang said.
Other menu items will include grilled octopus with confit baby potatoes, cilantro aioli, ahi amarillo maya and charred lemon; seared scallops with corn puree, bacon and herb salad; and fried rice with egg, Chinese sausage, scallion, onion and fried shallots.
Also expect to find a “smart” craft beverage program designed with Damian Clark, formerly of Atlanta bar Establishment.
Expect a focus on simple, fresh ingredients (”We’re not going to have unicorn horns and fairy dust,” Tang said), and drinks that can be made in under a minute, possibly with a tiki theme.
“Everybody should know how to make a good craft cocktail,” Tang said. “That’s the norm now. We need to start focusing back on customer service and give guests what they want.”
The space -- which Tang is designing with Abri Design Studio -- will draw inspiration from the work of well-known Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. Hokusai is best known for his work “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” and was an early influence on manga through pieces like “The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife.” The restaurant will seat about 99 guests and will feature an outdoor patio.
Tang said he hopes Girl Diver -- named as an homage to the ama and haenyeo, female Japanese and Korean divers who dive without equipment -- will be embraced as a staple neighborhood bar and restaurant by Reynoldstown residents, in much the same way Char has been treated in Inman Park.
The restaurant will start out just serving dinner and will transition into brunch, with the possible addition of lunch.
“We’re going to take it slow,” Tang said. “We want to make sure we have a fluid transition. You only have one time to make a good first impression.”
Girl Diver will join several other forthcoming businesses in Madison Yards, including a Publix location set to open this week, as well as Hooters sister concept Hoots and salad concept Salata.
Scroll down to see renderings of Girl Diver:
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