Never accuse chef Alex Au-Yeung of resting on his laurels. The chef-owner of Katy's acclaimed Phat Eatery has made some big changes at its sister restaurant Yelo.
Originally opened last year as a venue for banh mi and other Vietnamese street food like vermicelli bowls and spring rolls, Au-Yeung has broadened the concept to include a more diverse mix of options that nod to his favorite bites from Southeast Asia and the dishes he learned to cook working in Cantonese kitchens in Hong Kong and America.
It's a fun mix of flavor from the chef, who recently earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination in the Best Chef: Texas category and is a finalist to win Chef of the Year in the 2022 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.
“From Yelo’s inception, we wanted to offer food we enjoy eating every day and without the boundary of being authentic or not,” Au-Yeung said in a statement. “In every country, there are big variations between north and south, east and west. Where you grew up, in a city or village, your family's cultural background, there are many differences in food traditions. No need to worry if that's the way you ate when you were a child in Hong Kong or Houston or how your grandmother cooked it. Just enjoy.”
Yelo's most popular banh mi (grilled chicken or pork, cold cut combo, crispy tofu, and beef rendang) will remain on the menu, but they'll be joined by a wide range of new dishes. For example, Au-Yeung will serve Phat Eatery's signature beef rendang and Malaysian chicken curry in San Francisco-style bread bowls. Dumplings, already available as part of Phat Eatery's dim sum offerings, will come filled with pork and Chinese chives, chicken, or vegetables, while a crispy Nutella-filled option will end meals on a sweet note.
Perhaps most intriguing is Au-Yeung's introduction of hand-pulled noodles. Stretched to between 5 and 6-feet-long, they'll be served in a 12-hour broth with beef shank, tomato, and chili oil.
For dessert, Yelo will serve Chinese doughnuts (youtiao). They'll be available with toppings such as Ube & Cheese Milk Foam and The KBP (kaya butter [Malaysian coconut jam], pandan ice cream, rainbow sprinkles, toasted coconut, and curry powder). Pair with drinks such as iced coffee, milk tea, lemon tea, and juices.
