It’s safe to say that Menlo Park’s Yeobo, Darling has been one of the most highly anticipated restaurant openings of the summer.
It’s not just the chef-owners Michael and Meichih Kim, who previously led Michelin-starred Maum in Palo Alto, or the unstoppable Hallyu—Korean wave—that’s brought us the Mission's Jilli, Hayes Valley’s Jang, the Tenderloin’s Joodang, and Daly City’s Jagalchi complex just within the last year.
No, there’s something more organic happening here, a kind of “fusion” that’s come a long way since the ‘90s.
Yeobo, Darling is the expression of both the chef-owner couple and the Bay Area’s multicultural vibrancy: Korean influences from Michael Kim’s Korean heritage, Taiwanese influences from Meichih Kim’s Taiwanese background, and American influences (think “lasagna” and the signature carrot cake) from lifetimes spent in the United States.
More importantly, the food is great—complex enough for flavor aficionados, approachable enough for those who’ve never taken a deep dive into Korean or Taiwanese traditions.
Scallion croissant at Yeobo, Darling(Chad Santo Tomas)
There’s been a lot of talk about the menu’s scallion croissant, a gorgeously laminated, pull-apart loaf filled with scallions and served with rou song butter made by the restaurant’s partners, The Baker Next Door in Redwood City.
The pillowy, flaky bread, the chefs’ reimagining of scallion pancakes, is indeed delicious. But if you ask me, it’s the diver scallops—meaty and perfectly seared, dressed with a tangy fermented black bean sauce, and tippy-toeing through a puddle of cauliflower purée—that deserve a cult following.
The scallops are in good company with the other main dishes: juicy, glazed Duroc pork collar and hunks of marinated beef short rib kalbi (both served with banchan)—but I’m getting ahead of myself, or at least ahead of the menu.
Small plates come first, bites like Wagyu beef tartare tartlets with smoked soy, and potato jeon (pancakes) with Hokkaido sea urchin and prosciutto. Grilled miyagi oysters with a dusting of fresh breadcrumbs and a layer of mapa sauce, and the lightly fried, soft-shell-on salt and pepper coonstripe shrimp with black garlic aioli are both little bombshells of savory umaminess.
I pair them with the honeyed sunshine of a Natural Oasis cocktail made with soju, lemongrass, oolong tea, and lemon balm—one of the low-ABV and non-alcoholic options developed by the folks at Taipei’s cherished Bar Mood. The spirit is one of a selection of sool here, Korean-made rice wines that also include cheongju and makgeolli.
Lu rou fan lasagna at Yeobo, Darling(Chad Santo Tomas)
Then, there are the family-style dishes, including the aforementioned lasagna, a mashup of braised pork lu rou fan and Italian American comfort food made with chrysanthemum-spinach pasta and béchamel. The amberjack mulhwe—slices of sashimi wrapped around crispy cabbage and kelp and drizzled with a sweet-and-sour broth, a dish that triggers deep memories of my own Eastern European/American heritage—is one of my favorites of the night.
Much more subtle is the morel mushroom soup, fat foraged fungi stuffed with shrimp “sausage” in a light, egg drop-style broth studded with thin gamtae seaweed and kernels of fresh corn. It takes a few bites to reveal a slight smokiness that feels like a comforting hug on a rainy day. The crispy anchovy rice has all the savoriness of the silvery swimmers with none of the pungent fishiness.
Despite specialized ingredients of the highest pedigree and the rapt attention of the staff, the meal doesn’t feel like fine dining—at least, not in the stuffy, overly-designed way of some high-level restaurants. Yeobo, Darling is, in fact, a pretty laid back place overall: smallish, cozy, and minimalist in its décor (a look created by L.A.’s Preen), with a petite, four-seat bar at the back.
The minimalist interior at Yeobo, Darling(Chad Santo Tomas)
The carrot (karat) cake is the mark I choose to punctuate the end of my dinner. Stuffed with shredded carrot and tonka bean, layered with feather-light cream cheese mousse, and speckled with gold flakes, the treat—symbolizing connection and joy that sprang to life via Instagram during the pandemic—has all the hallmarks of a traditional carrot cake without the cloying sweetness and rock-heavy aftermath.
The whole meal goes by pretty quickly. I’m in and out in just an hour and a half which, for all the buzz the Kims are generating, is not a bad thing. As the dining room empties out, the foyer refills with a tide of others who’ve heard the hype.
Yeobo, Darling is, without question, a great meal—but is it really worth all the attention with which it's been showered? Yes. Yes, it is.
// Yeobo, Darling is open Tuesday through Thursday from 5pm to 9pm and Friday to Saturday from 5pm to 9:30pm; 827 Santa Cruz Ave. (Menlo Park), yeobodarling.com
