I think this is exactly the kind of move that makes Phoenix dining feel alive: not bigger, not louder, just more personal. Vivid “Gabby” Chu already has the kind of name that carries weight here because of LeDu Thai in downtown Phoenix, and now she’s opening something that sounds even more intimate, more rooted, and honestly more interesting.
Chu’s new concept, Homme Thai Supper Club, debuted Thursday in uptown Phoenix at 322 E. Camelback Road. It’s described as a “fine-casual” supper club and bar, which feels like a very Phoenix way to say: come hungry, come curious, and don’t expect the usual stiff fine-dining posture. The space can sit 100 people, so this isn’t some tiny whisper of a project either. It’s a real room with room to breathe.
What I like most is that Chu isn’t pretending this came out of nowhere. She said LeDu Thai was her dream brought to life, and that the support from the Phoenix community gave her the confidence to share more of her story. That matters. A lot of restaurant openings are about expansion for expansion’s sake. This one reads more like a chef opening the door a little wider and letting people in.
And the menu sounds like it’s built on memory, not trend-chasing. Chu said every dish reflects a recipe she grew up eating, from Hat Yai fried chicken she learned in her uncle’s kitchen to slow-simmered curries made from scratch. That’s the part that gives Homme Thai Supper Club its pull for me. It’s not just a new place to eat in uptown. It’s a restaurant with a point of view, and that point of view is family.
Chu’s path also gives the opening some real texture. She grew up in Southern Thailand, moved to the U.S. to be a chef, worked across Florida, Chicago and New York, and then made her way to Phoenix, where she opened LeDu. That’s a lot of miles and a lot of kitchens, and you can feel that kind of experience in a concept that says it wants to strip away the pretense of fine dining while keeping the heart, quality and craft intact.
That’s the sweet spot, if you ask me. Not precious. Not casual in a throwaway way. Just a chef with a strong story, a loyal following, and a new room in uptown that sounds ready to tell the next chapter.
— Sloan Rivers
