Yao's — Restaurant in Oviedo

Came to Yao's for the Bite 30 event they were participating in. I love restaurants that participate in Orlando events, and I will support them the best I can. I had pretty low expectations of this place, because Oviedo is a magnet for subpar chains, but no, I was thoroughly, pleasantly surprised.

Ambiance inside is absolutely beautiful. A nice bar, a peek into the kitchen, and just a really elegant dining room. The booths were very cozy. I was very comfy in my visit.

Service was pretty good. Our server was nice enough. Kind of absent at key moments where we needed refill. And the food really took forever. But hey, it can't be easy to run a restaurant efficiently. It didn't affect my visit.

As for the food, there were the three courses, of course.

Apps

Shanghai Sticky Ribs (St. Louis pork ribs, sweet chili soy, fried garlic, fried shallots). Insanely good. Not to spoil things, but these were the best bite of the night for me. So sticky, and with the fried garlic and shallots on top adding a crunch and a garlicky, oniony smack of flavor, dear Lord. I could live off these.

D's Dumplings (seasonal filling). These were also great. One side of the dumpling was soft like it was steamed, and the other side was pan fried to perfection. So many good textures. I'm not sure what the filling was, but the dipping sauce was good. I love a good, sharable app like this.

Mains

Three Pigs Fried Rice (char siu pork, chinese sausage, bacon, egg, local corn, scallions). Very good. Usually, it's hard to differentiate the different porks in dishes like this, but no, everything was there and obvious. A huge portion. These mains are very sharable, family style. All the pork fats made this very unctuous. Lovely.

General Yao's Chicken (tempura). This chicken was tempura fried, leaving a lovely, delicate, ultra crunchy coating. And the General Yao sauce, whatever that is, was really delicious. Just a hint of a kick to it. Delicious. And served with white rice, like all dishes in the world should be.

Desserts

Black Sesame Soft Serve (toasted black sesame, brown sugar crumble). Very unique! I love the little earthy tone that sesame adds to desserts. Makes it very cravable, not too sweet. The sweetness from the crumble on top makes it a great dessert.

Matcha Panna Cotta (orange granita, lime, mints). This was a like palate cleanser type thing. Muted matcha panna cotta, a lovely flavor, with a bright zing from the orange granita, a hint of lime zest. A refreshing way to end a heavy meal.

Overall, Yao's isn't just a good-for-Oviedo restaurant. It's a good restaurant. Some really unique flavors and textures. I am really excited for when I...

Situated in Oviedo, is Yao's restaurant. An incredibly thoughtful modern Chinese kitchen by Chef George Yiu.

From the captivating design of the restaurant to the little touches in the food. It comes down to the details and they've held tellingly tight to those standards.

Greeted by a warm welcome, we attended their grand opening. We couldn't help but to indulge. Dining with friends, we spent our time remarking on the flavors, steady hand and precision that it takes to run a restaurant to this caliber.

We enjoyed their wok fried green beans(a seriously addictive game changer), Shanghai sticky ribs, charred edamame, dumplings, honey orange chicken, 3 pigs fried rice and their black sesame soft serve. They were masterfully executed. Where I assumed they could have, they didn't lean into the typical sugarcentric flavor bombs you'd find in other American Pan Asian restaurants. Even their desserts weren't overtly sweet. And we were grateful for it.

One of my friends has started to eat pork over the past year or so. And I never know how he may respond to savoring it. Nonetheless, he is always willing to try. The 3 pigs rice was the first pork dish he's ever liked. Made with char siu, Chinese sausage, and bacon, charred to perfection with a secret spice, he devoured it. So much in fact that he almost ate the whole thing, we definitely should have ordered 2.

The dumplings were lovely. Over the years I've had them in so many ways. I'm sure you likely have as well. However, that sear, fresh dough, oooOooo plus the fold; made these unquestionably the best dumplings I've ever had.

The Shanghai sticky ribs were ordered twice.  A recipe made of outlier labor. Hours can be recounted in the number of times and ways Chef Yiu must have tinkered to get them to perfection. They were well worth it.

It's too early to consider, but I would love a Yao's ice cream shop in the future. Their black sesame soft serve was spot on. Yao's hits the notes perfectly with finesse and it's surprisingly on the light side. It was a great way to end.

The hype was real. I've been looking forward to attending Yao's for months. And it has exceeded my expectations. The ambiance, details, and little touches were all evident. Completely meditative and pronounced from start to finish.

The food, space, bar and service were exceptional. The accolades are already rolling in and they're handling it smoothly. This was the first time I've ever seen a Chef and staff smile throughout service during their grand opening. Yao's, is the reflective work of a collective chasing their dream to fruition. And they're just...

I am so disappointed by my experience at Yao's tonight. I rarely write negative reviews, but I hope this criticism will help them improve so others aren't treated the way my party was. I had heard about them from Dave Martin on Fox 35, and was so excited to try them! My husband, toddler, best friend, and I drove from Longwood (about 40 mins) tonight, only to be severely mistreated. Upon arrival, we were barely acknowledged by the staff. Once we were acknowledged and told them our party # and need for a high chair, we weren't greeted. We were brusquely told it would be 15-20 mins - but half the restaurant was empty! Multiple servers were bussing tables, but there were plenty of open places to sit that were clean. We were offered zero explanation for the hold up, but waited anyways. After 5 minutes, we asked if we could sit at a bussed table to wait, since our toddler was struggling being still while held. The same waitress rolled her eyes and said, "It'll still be 15-20 though". Several staff members saw us waiting for about 15 minutes by the entrance but ignored us. Though it smelled good, we were feeling like WE were inconveniencing the staff just by being customers. It was a bad vibe. Zero hospitality, warmth, friendliness, professionalism, etc. Finally, the same waitress led us to the same table we had already asked to sit at. I reminded her we needed a high chair (she set out a knife for our toddler. Seriously?) Keep in mind, we had asked for a high chair earlier, and she actually rolled her eyes and said, "Does he have to have one? I don't want it in the way." The restaurant was not crowded. I asked if we could have a different table out of the way so we could accommodate a high chair. She sighed and gave me a look of loathing and walked away wordlessly. At that point, we left. I have no tolerance for rudeness, especially directed at my son. I hope the owner reads this and trains his staff to be more communicative and humane. I know it isn't a reflection on the food, which we didn't get to try, but I will never go back to Yao's nor will I recommend it to anyone. Kindness is key. If your staff can't be kind, they shouldn't be dealing with customers. Do better! Yao might as well stand for "You Are Offensive", since everything we did seemed to set this...