Courtesy of Honey Bubble
When Doug Hines and Mei Lin launched Honey Bubble Tea on Ponce de Leon Avenue in early 2013, Atlanta looked very different. Ponce City Market hadn’t opened, much less become the tourist hotspot it is today. Hotel Clermont was still known solely for its seedy basement strip club, and the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail didn’t attract many visitors—yet. Twelve years later, Honey Bubble is still serving sweet boba drinks, and Hines and Lei have branched out into fine dining with the creation of the Consulate in Midtown. In November, the couple will use knowledge from both businesses at a new counter-service restaurant called Mama Lin’s Chicken Delight. (The name Mama Lin’s pays homage to chef Lin’s mother, who taught her to cook.) Cobranded with Honey Bubble, it will serve Asian-style fried chicken sandwiches and sides, alongside boba drinks and desserts.
“My wife made a Chinese fried chicken sandwich for the family meal at the Consulate four years ago and the staff loved it,” Hines says. “It was really unique—it had enough personality to be its own concept.”
He and Lin had been looking near the Beltline for another location for Honey Bubble and stumbled upon the former Hoot’s space across Memorial Drive from Muchacho (935 Memorial Drive Southeast). It had a full kitchen, which was more than they needed for Honey Bubble alone. “We figured we might as well take advantage of the equipment,” Hines explains.
Slated to launch in November, Mama Lin’s will focus on the chicken sandwich, served with a choice of five sauces and three cheeses, including Cooper sharp American, Holland smoked gouda, and fiery pepperjack. It will come on an Alon’s buttery brioche bun with toppings still in the works. A la carte side options range from a black fungus mushroom salad to 18-inch garlic-Parmesan “Forever Fries.” Popular in South Korea, Tornado Potatoes will also be featured. A Tornado Potato is a long, thin, curly potato swirl, fried and topped with onions, peppers, and cucumbers.
Courtesy of Honey Bubble
The full Honey Bubble menu will be available, including some new flavor combinations like lychee-coconut or mango-raspberry. Cans of Ginger Pure, a Hines-Lin invention made from additive-free ginger juice, will also be for sale.
The 2,200-square-foot space will seat 30 people inside and another 15 to 20 on the patio. However, Hines says he expects most people to get their food to-go. Nevertheless, he’s designing it with a mid-century modern look and elements that harken back to mainland China, such as lanterns and a Chinese hutch.
