An omakase shaped by memory, technique and creative freedom by Sa’Cha x LahKee.
Sa’Cha is a boutique Latin-Asian restaurant in Dubai Creek Harbour, founded by chef-turned-restaurateur Pang alongside Chef Nicolas Badran. The restaurant brings together South American inspiration and Asian technique through the personal journeys and culinary philosophies of its founders.
Guided by a belief in “freedom in cooking,” Sa’Cha focuses on honest, simple and flavour-driven food without being constrained by trends or rigid culinary definitions. The menu combines bold flavours with refined technique, while the modern Amazon-inspired interiors, open kitchen and waterfront terrace create a warm, intimate setting designed around connection and hospitality.
A name rooted in culture and comfort, LahKee is where everyday moments meet nostalgia, and every dish carries a sense of story. Founded by a close-knit circle of friends and family and led by husband-and-wife chefs Mark and Mary Calbay, LahKee presents Asian-forward comfort food shaped by Filipino, Japanese and Chinese influences. LahKee is located at Al Safa 1 Park Complex, Dubai, and is open daily for lunch and dinner from 12pm to 10pm.
Sa’Cha by Pang welcomed LahKee to Dubai Creek Harbour on Friday September 25 and Saturday September 26, for the second half of a four-night culinary collaboration that brings two of Dubai’s independent kitchens together.
Bringing together Sa’Cha’s Co-Founders Nicolas Badran Pang, and Lah Kee’s Chef Patron Mark Calbay and Head Chef Mary Calbay, curate a six-course omakase created specifically for the occasion.
Sa’Cha by Pang’s Co-Founder and Brand Chef Nicolas Badran says: “Sa’Cha has always been about the freedom to cook from our own experiences and influences rather than fitting into a particular category.
“Pang and I come from very different culinary backgrounds, and LahKee has its own equally distinctive story. This collaboration is an opportunity to bring those perspectives together and create something that feels true to all four of us.”
For Sa’Cha, the collaboration is an opportunity to open its kitchen to another independent Dubai restaurant and explore what happens when four chefs with different backgrounds are given the freedom to cook together.
Rather than a conventional guest chef takeover or a straightforward fusion menu, Sa’Cha Gets LahKee is built around exchange. The four chefs bring their own memories, influences and techniques to the table, creating a menu that moves between Sa’Cha’s Latin-Asian identity and LahKee’s Filipino, Japanese and Chinese influences.
At Sa’Cha, that spirit of creative freedom is central to the restaurant itself. Founded by Malaysian-born chef Pang and Colombian-born Nicolas Badran, the restaurant brings together their culinary journeys through food that draws on Asian technique, Latin American flavour and the personal experiences of both chefs.
Pang brings 19 years of experience across Singapore, the UAE and beyond, including time with international restaurant groups such as COYA and SUSHISAMBA. At Sa’Cha, he has used that experience to create a restaurant that gives him the freedom to cook from his own background and instincts, rather than being defined by a single culinary category.
Nicolas, meanwhile, brings a Latin American perspective shaped by his Colombian heritage and an international career that has included kitchens such as Astrid y Gastón in Lima,
Manko Paris and SUSHISAMBA Dubai. His experience has helped shape Sa’Cha’s distinctive meeting point between Latin American flavours and contemporary Asian technique.
For Mark and Mary Calbay, LahKee has been shaped by a similarly personal approach to food. The husband-and-wife chefs draw on Filipino, Japanese and Chinese influences, combining nostalgia and comfort with contemporary technique and a playful approach to familiar flavours.
Mark adds: “There’s a natural connection between the way we approach food and the way Sa’Cha by Pang does. We each have our own memories, influences and techniques, but there’s a shared curiosity behind it all. The exciting part is seeing what happens when those ideas meet at the same table.”
Across the six courses, all four chefs will contribute to a menu created specifically for the collaboration. Guests can expect the bold, vibrant flavours and Asian precision associated with Sa’Cha alongside LahKee’s nostalgic approach to Asian comfort food, with the menu moving through citrus-led, umami-rich and deeply savoury flavours.
For Sa’Cha guests, the dinners offer the chance to experience the collaboration in the restaurant’s waterfront setting, with the four chefs coming together for an experience that is as much about the exchange between the kitchens as it is about the food itself.
THE DETAILS
Sa’Cha Gets LahKee at Sa’Cha
What: Sa’Cha Gets LahKee: Six-Course Omakase
Dates: Friday, September 25 & Saturday, September 26
Times: 7pm–9pm & 9.30pm–late
Where: Sa’Cha by Pang, Promenade Level, Address Creek Harbour Hotel, Dubai Creek Harbour
Price: AED 268 per person, including soft beverages
Premium option: AED 399 per person.
Bookings: +971 58 973 8806 or Sa’Cha’s website (spaces must be booked in advance)
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