Two new Menlo Park restaurants are transforming sleepy Santa Cruz Avenue into a chic culinary destination. Clark’s Oyster Bar and Yeobo, Darling have joined nearby Camper to further rarefy the air on the peninsula.
After closing Maum and Bǎo Bèi, Meichih and Michael Kim opened Yeobo, Darling in June. At the end of our meal, Michael made an appearance in the dining room to explain that “yeobo” is a Korean term for darling. Meichih overheard Michael’s parents using it with each other to express affection. When the couple was deciding what to name their latest concept, the word seemed appropriate for a restaurant run by a pair of married chefs.
The menu reflects both of their heritages, as individuals and as partners. Meichih’s roots are Taiwanese and Michael’s are Korean, and they’re also Asian American, which accounts for lasagna, somyun and chicken wings showing up on the same menu.
Yeobo, Darling’s dining room is smartly sectioned off with occasional draperies. They add privacy, instill a decorative sense of drama, and tamp down the acoustics. The monochromatic color scheme soothes and nudges diners toward a more intimate and relaxed pre-digital world.
Yeobo, Darling specializes in shared plates that increase in size as your eyes move down the long list of items on the menu. We started with a scallion croissant ($24) that was made in partnership with Redwood City’s The Baker Next Door. The Kims smartly decided to leave the laminated dough to an expert.
A clever play on a scallion pancake, the “croissant” actually arrives at the table in the shape of a small loaf of bread. The layers form elegant swirls that twist and turn all the way across the loaf as if it had been designed with a stencil. When torn into, the interior was flaky and flecked with scallions. It’s served with a bright yellow-white side of whipped Irish butter that’s been dusted with the salty crunch of pork floss.
A plate of chicken wings ($20) changed my mind about the dish. Generally speaking, they’re a lot of fuss and bother to get one or two good bites. Yeobo’s, though, are all the right things—crisp and tender exactly where they ought to be. For a minute I did imagine that a dipping sauce, something light with soy, chili and vinegar, might be complementary. But that could have easily dampened the spice mix coating the skin. The plate also included some seared Jimmy Nardello peppers that were sweet and succulent.
Similar to the reinvention of a scallion pancake as a croissant, the chefs are intent on remaking familiar dishes without straying too far from the originals. The results are elegant and imaginative. The Kims’ soondubu ($19) isn’t unrecognizable as a tofu soup served at many Korean restaurants. What’s different is the kitchen’s attention to details. The scarlet broth was spicy but balanced. Our taste buds didn’t burn after sipping it. Each morsel of seafood—whether octopus, clams, or a plump mussel—was also cooked with a great deal of care.
Another soup-like dish was texturally dim sum adjacent. Our server explained that the primary ingredients, shiitake mushrooms, would come stuffed with a shrimp mousse. But I didn’t gather that they would be served in a broth. Visually, the thickened broth, with its drifting seaweed ribbons, conjured up a sweet and sour soup. But it tasted milder in comparison.
Our main course was my favorite, Hokkaido scallops in a marvelous black bean sauce ($42). The plate was also punctuated with dollops of a white cauliflower purée—a commendable way to represent a vegetable I hold mostly in contempt. Each scallop was seared to secure a crisp top while the center remained tender. We cleaned the plate and decided to end the meal.
Until we perused the dessert menu. At Bǎo Bèi, Meichih made a widely celebrated karat cake® (note the trademark symbol) that she’s brought to Yeobo. But we tried the two gluten-free desserts and were just as richly rewarded. I was told that Anthony Le was the talented pastry chef behind them.
Before dinner, I’d seen pictures of the soft serve milk ice cream and stone fruit ($14) that made me long for it. The dish was packed with fresh slices of plums and perhaps pluots too. I simply loved the combination of tart fruit against the rich ice cream. A dark chocolate mousse ($16) was much richer, but crunchy walnuts and a foamy layer of banana cream made the whole thing heavenly.
Yeobo, Darling, open Tues.–Thu. 5–9pm, Fri.–Sat. 5–9:30pm. 827 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park. 650.665.7799. yeobodarling.com.
