Opening a New Asian Restaurant in WW
It took Danny Ho of West Windsor 19 months to open the new 82-seat Asian restaurant called BYOB at 41 Princeton-Hightstown Road. Inside the modest exterior is a stylish dining room designed by Ho’s wife, Maggie Meng. The menu is filled with eclectic Asian choices, encompassing cuisines from throughout China and Japan, from Ma La Lamb and Lemongrass Chicken to King’s Seafood in Bird’s Nest, Shrimp Yaki Udon, and sushi and sashimi, traditional noodle, teriyaki, and tempura dishes. Pad Thai, the only Thai dish prepared at BYOB, has been added to the menu.
Ho is a native of Taiwan who immigrated to Los Angeles when he was 12 and has worked in the restaurant business for 28 years. Beginning as a busboy, he has also worked as a bartender and banquet manager.
He learned about the Princeton area through his aunt and uncle, both graduates of Princeton University, then left his family in California and moved to the East coast. He and a partner then purchased the Golden Orchid on Nassau Street, which did not meet his business expectations. For eight years, he has been managing sushi bars for McCaffrey’s supermarkets, through an outside company.
As a West Windsor resident, he had shopped at the Asian Market, the previous resident of the present BYOB space. When the owner couldn’t keep up with business after the large Asian market opened in Plainsboro, Ho decided that it was time for him to open a new restaurant there.
“I wanted something different for my community — different ways and different foods,” says Ho. “People already eat Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, and Thai food, and I provide more selections than most.” Ho stresses that the most important thing to his customers is quality, and he works close to 17 hours a day to prove that BYOB offers quality foods.
Sushi chef Tom Tao, initially trained by Ho and who has gained additional training in New York City restaurants, presides over the sleek deep red and black sushi bar. Two large murals, one on each side of the dining room, are made of color outlines and lettering burned into wood. One depicts a general and an emperor locked in battle over a game of Go, and the other is a landscape of ducks swimming among water lilies. The murals are 25 years old and were commissioned by Ho’s in-laws, who now live with Ho and his family, to hang in a restaurant they owned in China. “They are very unique and no artist will ever do this again,” says Ho. “The first week we were open, a customer offered $20,”000 for them, and I had to tell him that they were not for sale.”
The Hos have a son, Jonathan, 9, a third grade student at Hawk School; and daughter, Dedi, 5, who will enter kindergarten in September. She has been studying piano for six months. The children spend every summer in China with a great aunt.
To reach BYOB, call 609-799-9198 or fax 609-799-9197. Delivery is available, and, yes, diners are welcome to bring their own bottles of wine or beer.
