Chris Yao, above, and his father pride themselves in offering Shanghai dishes from his childhood at Yao Fuzi Cuisine.[/caption]Diners looking for a great place to eat have plenty to choose from on the four corners of Park Boulevard and Preston Road. For those in the mood, however, for Shanghai-style home cooking, there’s only one place.
Situated in the Berkley Square is Yao Fuzi Cuisine, a family owned and operated neighborhood restaurant serving authentic recipes from eastern China. Longtime Plano residents Chris and Alex Yao opened Yao Fuzi, which translates to “father and son,” in 2007.
The Yaos wanted to introduce Plano to a dining experience straight from the streets of Shanghai, with passed-down family recipes and traditional cooking techniques.
“It’s ‘Shangaunese’ cuisine, so we use a lot of pork dishes and dumplings, and homestyle cooking that people eat in China. You will get that same kind of taste profile,” Chris Yao said. “A lot of people can travel to China now and know what real Chinese food tastes like. When they come here, they say, ‘Yes, this is real [Chinese] home cooking.’”
In Chris’ opinion, what separates Yao Fuzi apart is its unique flavors and myriad sauces.
“Shanghai cuisine infuses a lot of different spices, a lot of slow cooking, a lot of braise, steaming, stir-fry and deep fry,” he said. “It’s a big menu. You can come here every day for a week and get something different.”
Chris Yao’s father, Alex, is the head chef and has been in the hospitality business for more than 30 years. He makes sure everything sent out of the kitchen is high quality. Diners can often find Chris, who is an industry veteran in his own right, chatting with his neighbors and making sure everyone is fully enjoying his or her experience.
“It’s a nice ambiance for people, good quality food and it is family run,” Chris said. “Everybody knows everybody here so it’s a very neighborhood kind of restaurant. People come and they know each other; we know their kids and watch them grow up.”
This neighborhood has also proven to be a successful area for other restaurants over the years, Chris said.
“People want to come here because they like the area,” he said.
The restaurant boasts a strong following with repeat customers who return for popular dishes, such as the xiaolongbao soup dumpling ($8) or his personal favorite, the slow-braised pork ($19).
“I’ve been eating it since I was a baby,” he said. “It brings back a lot of memories.”
