Through Provenance’s French tasting menu with Korean influences, chef Nich Bazik brings inspiration from his global travels right to his hometown, which he considers “the most exciting city in the world.” Photo by Jason Varney, courtesy of Provenance

The One Who Keeps the BookPhiladelphia

How to Get Into Provenance in Philadelphia

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Nich Bazik is a chef’s chef. Having worked with some of Philly’s greats — at James, Meme, SnackBar, Fork, Russet, Bistrot La Minette, Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, The Good King Tavern, and 13th Street Kitchens (where he was culinary director) — he is deeply connected to the city’s restaurant ecosystem. And in 2023 and early 2024, some of the best chefs in town hosted Bazik for pop-ups and collaboration dinners as he prepared to open his first restaurant.

Inspired by his global travels to cities like Paris and Seoul, his restaurant Provenance, which debuted last summer, is the type of ambitious culinary environment that Bazik wants to work in and dine in, right in his hometown. “I am constantly inspired by Philadelphia, which I consider to be the most amazing city in the world,” he says.

Bazik set out to open a place that is “focused on the total experience,” he says. In addition to the menu, “everything has been thought of to make the guest experience more than just going out to eat great food,” he continues. “The lighting, music, flatware, glassware, artwork, FF&E [furniture, fixtures, and equipment], bespoke plates; everything.”

Bazik also echoes the same sentiment when it comes to the type of work environment he aims to create for his team. “It starts with the staff’s overall happiness, and then everything else falls in line,” he says.

Along with a complete renovation of the space to his exact specifications, Bazik has developed an always-changing, ultra high-end tasting menu rooted in classical French cooking with Korean influences — the kind that is more common in cities that have the Michelin guide. So far, guest feedback has been “overwhelmingly positive,” he says. “It’s fun hearing guests compare this restaurant to their other favorite dining experiences around the world.”

Diners continue to clamor for a spot at Provenance, and the critical acclaim continues. Just last week, Provenance’s pastry chef Abigail Dahan was nominated for outstanding pastry chef or baker by the James Beard Foundation Awards.

We sat down with Bazik and reservations manager, Ming (who prefers to keep her last name private), to learn all the tips you need for making it a night to remember at this destination restaurant.

What You Need to Know
Provenance

  • Plan Ahead
    Reservations open at 12 noon on the first of every month for the following month. Nightly seatings across its three spaces are at 5:30, 7, and 8:30 p.m.
  • The Layout
    There are 11 seats at the kitchen view counter, six to eight seats in the Sunkoo Yuh Room, and six seats in the wine cellar.
  • Book in Advance
    There are no seats for walk-ins.
  • What to Order
    There’s no ordering at this tasting menu restaurant of French cuisine with Korean influences. You’ll experience 20 to 25 dishes through four courses, from raw dishes at the beginning to a few dessert courses.
  • Pro Tip
    Arrive hungry for this luxurious 2.5 hour meal. And inquire about custom cakes for your dining experience.
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Resy: When do reservations drop?

Ming: Reservations for the next month are released on Resy on the first of each month at noon.

And how quickly do seats usually get booked?

Ming: We opened January reservations on Dec. 4 and were almost fully committed for Fridays and Saturdays in just two days.

How many seats are there at Provenance?

Ming: There are 23 to 25 seats (we’re in the process of rearranging). There are 11 seats at the kitchen view counter, six to eight seats in the Sunkoo Yuh Room, and six seats in the wine cellar.

Photo by Jason Varney, courtesy of Provenance
Photo by Jason Varney, courtesy of Provenance

What’s the busiest time of each evening and the busiest day of the week?

Ming: We’ve been consistently busy with each seating throughout the week, which is really nice. But the weekends tend to be busier.

Bazik: Since each diner gets 20 to 25 different dishes, the kitchen and front-of-house team are constantly busy from the moment the first guest arrives to the moment they leave. If we do 36 covers, that means 900 plates leaving the pass … that is a lot of engagement.

What’s the best piece of advice you have for someone who might be hoping to get a table?

Ming: Resy will always have our current availability, and I would suggest placing yourself on our Notify list if you’re unable to book. I constantly monitor the waitlist and reach out when we have last-minute cancellations.

Do you take walk-ins?

Ming: We are reservation-only at this time.

Photo by Nate Cluss, courtesy of Provenance
Photo by Nate Cluss, courtesy of Provenance

How many covers do you typically have in a dinner service?

Bazik: We average 30 covers an evening.

Do you utilize the Resy Notify feature?

Ming: Yes, and we fulfill waitlist requests on a first-come, first-served basis.

What’s the best time to dine there?

Ming: At our kitchen view counter and Sunkoo Yuh room, we have two seatings — 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. In our wine cellar, we have one seating at 7 p.m. Guests enjoy the same tasting menu and the same dining experience, just in different rooms.

Tell us about the interior design.

Bazik: The design was inspired by modern Korean architecture and design. My wife’s college friend is a restaurant designer in Seoul and her aesthetic was very inspirational. I shared design elements of her work and other inspirational elements with Lance Saunders, of Stokes Architecture and Design, and he was able to put the vision together. I wanted [to] play off of light and dark with lots of movement, but have it be minimalist in design. That’s why our floors flow into our walls and our walls become our ceilings with lots of curvatures and minimal right angles. We wanted a design that wasn’t easily definable by a time or place.

Photo by Jason Varney, courtesy of Provenance
Photo by Jason Varney, courtesy of Provenance

Tell us about the playlist.

Bazik: It was important to me for the music to be joyful. We play ’50s and ’60s pop music. For the most part, it is something that resonates with our guests — in the sense that it either reminds them of their youth, or listening to that type of music with their parents. I don’t think anyone can help but smile while listening to The Supremes. The music also provides a relaxed atmosphere that allows our guests to focus on the experience and remember that dining out, even if it is fine dining, doesn’t need to be staid or stiff.

How would you describe the food at Provenance?

Bazik: The food here is rooted in classical French cooking. I categorize French fine dining as sourcing the best ingredients possible, and a strong emphasis on sauce-making. There are a fair amount of Korean pantry items that make up our repertoire, due to the fact that my wife is from Korea and that is largely what we eat at home. The food is meant to be evocative, and not provocative.

Tell us about the tasting menu.

Bazik: The basic format is a four-course menu that is made up of 20 to 25 dishes. Before the meal begins, you start with canapes that resemble a raw bar [with] shellfish in different preparations. The amuse-bouche is the formal start, which will always be a salad of marinated seasonal vegetables. From there, we go into a course of raw/barely cooked seafood, then a course of cooked seafood, and then an “entree.” This is followed by a cheese-themed pre-dessert and salad, and then a whole spread of desserts. The meal is completed with bite-size mignardise (our pastry chef extraordinaire, Abby Dahan’s, take on popular candy bars). Every guest leaves with a take-away bag (usually a gateau Breton) and a copy of the menu from the evening.

The food is meant to be evocative, and not provocative. … Provenance is not the type of tasting menu dinner where you leave hungry.

What is the very best dish you’ve served so far?

Bazik: We currently have a caviar dish that is up there for me. It is Golden Oscietra, a white sweet potato and spinach royale, and an emulsion of soft tofu and olive oil. The combination of the sweet potato and spinach is reminiscent of matcha, and it is both comforting and exciting at the same time. The caviar is the focus though, and is the best I have ever had, and sourced in a way that I actually know where it is coming from with the supplier hand delivering it to us. We taste each can to make sure it is up to our standards.

Is there anything that is always on the menu?

Bazik: Other than the format, the menu is constantly evolving — although we have a general repertoire that we draw from, made up of my experiences both in work and life. The menu is deeply personal and always has a counterpoint to draw from.

What are the drink menus like?

Bazik: We have a full wine pairing, a full temperance (non-alcoholic) pairing, as well as a full bar. One unique pairing we offer is a half and half pairing — that is half wine and half temperance. Our wine leans heavily French, but is not limited to those classical regions. Alex Nord, our sommelier, focuses on choosing bottles that go great with our food. Guests can’t split a beverage pairing, but each person at the table can choose what they’d like: Either a pairing, a couple glasses of wine, or even just a soda. Also, bottled water, coffee, and tea are part of the dining experience and provided without a fee.

How long is your dinner service?

Ming: We allow 2.5 hours for the dining experience.

Photo by Nate Cluss, courtesy of Provenance
Photo by Nate Cluss, courtesy of Provenance

What’s the best party size to come in with?

Ming: I wouldn’t say there’s a “best” party size, honestly. Our counter was specifically built to have 11 seats so that we could accommodate solo diners, which is a nice touch.

What’s the largest group you can book through Resy?

Ming: Six in either the Sunkoo Yuh or wine cellar rooms. If you did want to have a larger party, we would treat that as a buyout for one of the seatings at the kitchen view counter.

Any additional tips?

Bazik: Provenance is all about the experience. Special requests for special occasions are always welcome — a pro tip would be to inquire about custom cakes for your dining experience! Also, save room for eating … Provenance is not the type of tasting menu dinner where you leave hungry.


Provenance is open Wednesday to Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m.


Sarah Maiellano is a Philly-based food and travel writer. Follow her on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.