Sydney chef “Big” Sam Young, who operates the attention-grabbing S’more bistro on the north shore and boasts a substantial social media following, is set to open an old-school Chinese restaurant at Potts Point.

Young and his long-term partner, talented chef Grace Chen, confirmed the site they’ve zeroed in on is well-known Sydney dining turf: the current home of Teddy, on leafy Kellett Street. The owners of Ezra restaurant next door opened Teddy last September after briefly operating Raja, an upmarket Indian restaurant, at the site.

It’s familiar territory for Young, who cut his teeth at nearby Merivale venues Lotus and Ms.G’s, before breaking out on their own during the pandemic, segueing into takeaway meals, indulgent pop-ups and their Castlecrag start-up.

The venture would be “old-school Chinese, probably more suburban [in style],” Young said, echoing a job advertisement he recently placed looking to recruit chefs.

“It is going to be an elevated neighbourhood suburban Chinese restaurant inspired by the 𝄒80s,” the job notice elaborated, before stating it’ll open in August.

The yet-to-be-named restaurant will open in an increasingly competitive part of Sydney for Chinese restaurants, with Neil Perry’s luxe, multi-level Song Bird in Double Bay and Wan’s Cantonese in Darlinghurst just a couple of the newish arrivals.

There are also the well-loved Potts Point spots, including the popular 15-year-old Fei Jai, which outlasted Billy Kwong in the upmarket suburb, and friendly hole-in-the-wall TBC by Grape Garden Restaurant on Bayswater Road.

While Song Bird has its Spencer Gulf king prawn wontons, Wan’s is a go-to for lobster toast and Fei Jai’s crab omelette has its own fan cub, Young and Chen have the kitchen pedigree: they worked side-by-side in the kitchens at Ms.G’s and Queen Chow in Enmore.

The couple, who are both fluent in Cantonese, explored a broader food brief at neighbourhood bistro, S’more. Their pop-ups – which included their 2021 Juicy Banana at the Vibe Hotel in nearby Rushcutters Bay – showed a deft hand with luxury produce, including lobster.

Young is hopeful to sign a lease in the coming weeks, but cautioned there are still some hoops to jump through before opening.

Teddy and Ezra co-owner Nick Mathews Bowden said when Teddy closed at the beginning of June for some minor renovations, a number of potential operators showed interest in the site, including Young and Chen.

“It’d be nuts not to entertain these offers,” Mathews Bowden said. “If a deal falls through, we’ll reopen [Teddy] there.”