BALANCING TWO CULTURES
It was not easy for Executive Chef and Co-Owner Kenny Leung to open Yao even though he has decades of restaurant business experience behind him. He reveals to NYLM in an exclusive interview, “It’s not easy to open a restaurant, especially when you try to find a balance between modern and traditional dining settings to go with our cuisine. We invited a design team from Canto to New York. They know well about Cantonese culture, but also have to be super clear about the dining culture here in New York City. It took us a long time to visit New York local restaurants, discuss the balance of two cultures, and finalize a plan. We knew that even with a good plan, we would also need to implement it (and possibly find some challenges). Since YAO is inside of a hotel, there are many restrictions, so we had many unexpected difficulties.”
I just had to ask how Leung and his business partner, Thomas Tang, decided on a Modern Cantonese concept. He told us, “There are two reasons. First, ‘modern’ removes all constraints that ‘traditional’ draws. I can create much more beyond Cantonese, with all the ingredients and cooking techniques from around the world. Second, everything has been changing, including people’s appetite.
Particularly in New York City, you will have to consider what locals like, what tourists like, what we have in the New York market, and what we can’t find here.”
Just for the record, Chef Leung served an apprenticeship in a Guangzhou (Canton) government cooking school at age 15 and eventually “moved on up” to Guangzhou’s elegant White Swan Hotel And Restaurant, where he helped stretch the boundaries of classical Cantonese cooking with guest chefs. His first foray into NYC restaurant ownership is Chinatown’s August Gatherings which he opened with Tang in 2015.
A MENU CREATED WITH LOVE
What sets the YAO menu apart from those at other upscale Chinese eateries? For starters, Chef Leung works on every aspect from procuring produce and meat to taking photos and writing descriptions of dishes on the menu. The YAO menu is so long because each page has only a few dishes with large photos taken by the man himself! The real pleasure is discovering that the dishes that you get as a customer actually match the photographs (that is truly a rarity in NYC)!
PASS THE DUMPLINGS
I started out my dinner with simple apps: Steamed Vegetarian and Pork Dumplings and I could tell that they were made fresh. I had the opportunity to try the Green Salad weeks before it hit the menu because it’s intentionally fresh and light for light summer eating. The citrus dressing, chunks of fresh mandarin orange, radish slices and artfully arranged Heirloom Ruby Red Leaf lettuce (resembling an opening flower) in a shallow bowl make this a winner!
Entrees at YAO are made for sharing as portions are very generous! The Baked-Salt Chicken (which is deemed a Tang’s Pick on the menu, meaning it’s a co-owner’s favorite) was something I had to try. That’s because at least a half dozen regular guests told me that this method of cooking creates the juiciest bird. Heated salt is what creates the beautiful golden color and seals in the juice! It was so fun to see the server take the lid off the fancy porcelain bowl, cut through the parchment and then slice the chicken into uniform pieces with the precision of a surgeon.
I heard all about the Grilled Berkshire Pork from friends who had visited, and this is yet another knockout entrée that I had to try—it’s select premium Berkshire pork belly grilled over Binchōtan charcoal from Japan. The fat content of the pork belly was perfect, making each piece melt in your mouth.
Next, I couldn’t wait to dig into the Oven Roasted Black Angus Short Rib which is slow cooked for 48 hours and finished with a crisp layer of duck skin. It lives up to the hype as advertised as “offering an exceptional taste in every bite”!
The Assorted Organic Mushrooms in a Hot Stone Pot is baked in a stone dish in a soy-based sauce. There are more than 10 types of mushrooms used—from common to rare. All the different textures of the mushrooms really make this special.
There is a unique range of desserts at YAO and I guarantee that half can’t be found at any other eatery in the city. The gold standard is, believe it or not, the Portuguese Egg Custard Tart which you must order 20 minutes ahead of time because they’re made from scratch and are served piping hot. The Grapefruit and Dried Tangerine Peel Ice Cream is house made and delightfully citrusy and creamy. YAO has several noteworthy “signature ice cream” flavors including Mango and Mascarpone Cheese. The Apple Sorbet is a crowd pleaser and a perfect, light choice to end a summer meal.
MAKING INSPIRATIONS HAPPEN ON A PLATE
Leung is super-inventive in the kitchen and treasures feedback from his guests for deciding on new menu additions! We had to ask Chef Leung what his menu favorites are and he remarked, “To be honest, all menu items have been tested by our customers, and each item is my favorite. If you have to ask, I’ll say I’m very proud of three items on the menu: Mapo Tofu with Lobster, Oven Roasted Short Rib and Assorted Organic Mushrooms in a Hot Stone Pot. These are the favorites chosen by our customers. My personal favorite is always my next innovative dish.”
Chef Leung reveals that he will be keeping things simple for the menu this summer: “The highlight of this summer is farm to table. I will use local seasonal organic vegetables and present them in a modern Cantonese way.”
It’s an overused phrase but YAO’s got something for everyone—even kids (when your family tastes any of the dumpling or noodle dishes, they will be asking to come here every night of the week, LOL!). Reservations are recommended but not mandatory and dress code is “neat casual.” There’s a special bonus that you don’t encounter much these days—YAO offers three hours of parking for $25! They partner with 201 Pearl Street, a parking garage right next door. Make sure to bring your ticket with you to the restaurant and get it stamped at the end of your meal.
For more information, please visit yaonyc.com