Dim Sum House owners Jane Guo and Jackson Fu announce the grand opening of Xi West Weddings and Private Events at 3939 Chestnut Street, 1st Floor. The mother-son duo are thrilled to debut the city’s new Asian and female-owned wedding and special events venue and catering facility where they can now host wedding receptions, micro-weddings, rehearsal dinners, bridal showers, baby showers, large group dining, private parties, corporate events and food festivals for up to 350 people.
The 6,000 square foot space cost over one million dollars for renovations and took four years to complete, after a two year delay during the pandemic. For event planners and couples, the space brings together modern industrial design, a cocktail program and coffee service with traditional Chinese menus that range from dim sum to rice, noodle dishes and seafood dishes. For higher end weddings seeking something extra special, the menu can include delicacies like Norwegian King Crab three ways. The space has a modern bar, lounge and cocktail space in the front on Chestnut Street on ground level, with a ballroom and event space through the larger doors, followed by a bridal room and oversized bathrooms. The space can seat up to 225 seated and 350 standing.
“Dim Sum House by Jane G’s is thrilled to introduce our brand new wedding and event space XI West in University City,” said Fu in a statement. “We first opened our flagship restaurant Dim Sum House in University City in 2017. We have multiple spaces for large group dining, but we were getting more and more requests to host larger events and larger groups. We had to turn down many of them that exceeded capacity upstairs. We then looked at the marketplace and created a plan to open the city’s newest Asian owned wedding venue and event space. The first floor had remained vacant since we moved in, so we approached the landlord to active the space. We signed in 2018 and work began in late 2019, and was immediately shut down when the pandemic began. It has been a trying few years but the wait was well worth it. We can’t wait to welcome our first official guests and be part of the most important day in a couple’s lives. We asked ourselves ‘what would we want to see in a new venue’ and what type of decor, menus and amenities, and we created our dream space. We can’t wait to see it in use!”
He added, “For modern and young couples seeking something unique, affordable and experiential, we have the perfect space and menu for a dim sum themed wedding. For those looking for something more traditional, we bring together a modern and gorgeous space together with authentic Chinese banquet options. For young Asian couples and their parents, we offer the best of both worlds with modern vibes and an Instagram/TikTok worthy backdrop, with authentic cuisine and event coordinators that are versed in Chinese tradition. For those looking for something truly over the top, we can work with couples and event planners on experience that include the Lion Dance, firecrackers, live entertainment and much more.”
XI West Weddings and Private Events is now open and features 6,000 square feet of modern loft industrial designed space that was built for weddings, bridal showers, rehearsals dinners, family reunions, birthdays, celebrations, corporate events, holiday parties, luncheons, food festivals and much more. The versatile space was designed by Architect Fred Vidi Design with interior design by Janice Mok from Mok Design Inc. Design elements include raw exposed wood, custom laser engraved brass paneling, orb chandeliers, customizable LED lighting, warm tones, granite stone, chick tilework and other unique elements. XI is “west” in Chinese. The name XI West is Fu and Guo’s iteration of Eastern culture meeting Western culture.
The 14 foot bar, lounge and cocktail reception space can host up to 100 people. The dining room can seat up to 225 people for banquet style seating and hold up to 350 people in total for a standing event. Other seating combinations are available to accommodate workshops, conferences and theater style events. For events of all kinds, the space can be subdivided to accommodate multiple uses and different party sizes. Beyond the ballroom and dining space, guests will find a private 500 square feet bridal suite with a private bathroom and ample room for brides and the bridal party for hair, make-up, and changing.
XI West will have a preferred vendor list that includes regular partners of the venue and hospitality company. Outside vendors for flowers, cake, photography, entertainment and other needs are allowed for events with advance permission. The growing list of preferred vendors includes Love Me Do Photography, DJ Ricky Lee, Saints Light and Sounds Entertainment and Philadelphia Suns.
The menu specializes in Authentic Chinese cuisine, as well as two very different types of Dim Sum, Shanghai and Cantonese style. From soup dumplings to pastries to seafood dumplings the extensive menu and offerings will be a great experience for any type of party. Event menus are flexible and customizable, with the recommended banquet offerings being based on family sharing style of dining.
Sample and popular dishes include: Mustard Green & Flounder Soup, Beef Lover’s Quarrel, Crystal Shrimp Dumplings, Shrimp Chive Dumplings, Shrimp Cheung Fun, Steamed Striped Bass, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Garlic Snow Pea Leaves, Peking Duck, Sizzling Beef Short Rib and House Lo Mein. XI West will offer some unique dishes and seafood, with dishes that include Shark Fin Soup, Jellyfish Appetizer Combination, Coral Clam with Yellow Chives, Honey Walnut Jumbo Prawns and Live King Crab Three-Ways with Steamed Minced Garlic Sauce King Crab Rose (Body), Garlic Honey Tempura King Crab Legs and Traditional Crab Meat & Umami Fried Rice.
For the beverage program, XI West will offer a collection of spirits, beers and wines, plus signature cocktails and coffee-inspired cocktail program with La Colombe. While some event venues are more traditional in cocktail offerings, Fu and Guo understand the current cocktail culture that is especially important and popular to modern and younger couples.
For wedding related events, XI West can host rehearsal dinners, bridal showers, wedding receptions, and micro-weddings where the space can be flipped from ceremony to reception.
The new space will also host food festivals with a potential dumpling fest in discussions that would bring together Dim Sum House and Dim Sum Garden.
