Yeobo, Darling, by Michelin chef couple, opens Friday in Menlo Park

13.06.2025 19:00

MercuryNews.com

Taiwanese lu rou, Korean kalbi, tea-infused cocktails and scallion croissants are among the menu items awaiting at Yeobo, Darling, a new restaurant opening Friday in Menlo Park.

The restaurant is the latest concept from husband-and-wife chefs Michael and Meicheh Kim, who are no strangers to the region’s restaurant scene. They were the chefs at Palo Alto’s Michelin-starred Maum, a high-end Korean restaurant, which closed in 2020 during the pandemic and later opened Bao Bei, a Korean and Taiwanese street food concept at Los Altos’ State Street Market, now closed.

Michael and Meichih Kim are the husband and wife chef and owner team behind Yeobo, Darling, a new Korean and Taiwanese restaurant set to open in Menlo Park later this spring. (Courtesy Jim Sullivan)

At Yeobo, Darling, there will be an array of carefully crafted Korean and Taiwanese menu offerings. Look for individual bites like beef tartare tartlets ($12), small plates like a scallion croissant ($24) served with rou song butter and lu rou ($31), a Taiwanese minced pork gravy served as a lasagna featuring chrysanthemum pasta sheets, cheese and bechamel sauce.

The scallion croissant ($24) at Yeobo, Darling is made with scallions and laminated dough and served with a savory rou song butter. (Courtesy Chad Santo Tomas)

Mains include offerings like scallop with black beans and cauliflower ($39), crispy anchovy rice ($18), pork collar ($48) and kalbi ($72), or Korean barbecued beef short ribs. Some also include banchan — a wide variety of side dishes — in the Korean tradition. And for dessert, look for treats like milk soft cream with fruit ($14) or Karat Cake ($14), their signature carrot cake topped with cream cheese mousse and gold flakes.

To drink, they’ll offer a collection of 100 wines from around the world and California by the bottle, about 10 by the glass, and an array of artisanal Korean alcoholic beverages, including drinks like soju, cheongju and makgeolli. They’ll also have a menu of low-ABV tea-infused cocktails, featuring soju as the base spirit. For instance, the Yuzu Smash ($16) will include yuzu puree, mint and a housemade jasmine tea syrup. The restaurant’s interior is by LA-based design firm Preen.

Its name, yeobo, means “look here” in Korean.

The interior at Yeobo, Darling in Menlo Park was designed by Preen, an LA-based design firm. (Courtesy Chad Santo Tomas)

Details: Open 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 5-9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday at 827 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park starting June 13, yeobodarling.com. Reservations available via OpenTable.