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Crystal Jade serves pan-Asian cuisine with emphasis on Chinese and Malaysian favorites

There aren't many places in Omaha to get Malaysian cuisine, and even fewer restaurants serving it alongside Korean, Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese specialties. Steve Yau and his wife, Shirley Sieng, opened Crystal Jade in October 2008 to fill that niche. The restaurant lies in a completely unassuming space under the shadow of the Omaha building near 72nd and Cedar (across from College of St. Mary's) that clearly formerly housed a Village Inn. Even the restaurant's interior reminds diners of its previous dweller. Though passing it by would be a mis-take considering its cheap eats, full plates and diverse menu. Read More...

SSince 1997, one of the better Asian restaurants in the metro has been Jade Palace in Bellevue. Chef/owner Steve Yau and his wife, Shirley Sieng, have offered a basic Chinese menu there with Malaysian touches – Steve is from Malaysia, but both sides of the family have strong Chinese connections – his parents spoke the Chinese dialect of Taiwan. The menu there always had Malaysian and Korean items, too.

The family has opened a second location, Crystal Jade, a block off 72nd Street near Mercy Road – on the west side of 72nd, on the same little curving street that harbors the Drover. Crystal Jade is in a converted and spiffed up former Village Inn, with the master chef himself on the premises.

Unique about the new place is that it has a palate of Asian choices but also some basic American fare. If you (or your children) don’t care for Asian, you can get terrific barbecued ribs here or a juicy, delicious half-pound hamburger, or one of several pastas (chicken, shrimp, salmon alfredo) – or even spaghetti and meatballs.

If you are dining Asian, you have a cornucopia to choose from: five dozen Chinese dishes, including 16 house specials, plus four Malaysian curries, Rendang (a meat dish – chicken, pork or beef - slow cooked in spicy coconut milk, then slowly fried as the liquid disappears), or the same meats (or fish) in a “Lemak” preparation: the word means “fragrant” and applies to many rice/meat dishes in Malaysia – in my case, a thick slab of salmon covered with the lemony yellow “lemak” sauce in a preparation that resembled a curry, the tint coming in part from turmeric and the thick sauce hiding warm pineapple chunks and bamboo shoots ($10.95). To go wider afield, there are two Indian dishes (both chicken), a Korean noodle soup and a Vietnamese beef noodle soup. We sampled an American potato soup – creamy and mild, and enjoyed the house hot and sour soup, elegant with bits of mushroom and pork – with a little heat in the finish – silky and orange-gold in appearance. Read More...

Since 1997, one of the better Asian restaurants in the metro has been Jade Palace in Bellevue. Chef/owner Steve Yau and his wife, Shirley Sieng, have offered a basic Chinese menu there with Malaysian touches – Steve is from Malaysia, but both sides of the family have strong Chinese connections – his parents spoke the Chinese dialect of Taiwan. The menu always had Malaysian and Korean items, too. This year the family has opened a second location, Crystal Jade, a block off 72nd Street near Mercy Road – on the west side of 72nd – on the same little curving street that harbors the Drover. The problem is that longtime customers know where the Drover is, but newcomers can’t locate Crystal Jade (also on Cedar Street) because Steve can’t get anyone to let him put up a sign on 72nd to alert folks to his new spot – a converted and spiffed up former Village Inn. Let the word go forth – this is a good restaurant, with the master chef himself on the premises. Read More...

Oh, Crystal Jade, you had me at hot tea.

The jasmine aroma, the steaming liquid, the perfectly hot metal pot — they comforted instantly on a cold day.

The wonton soup worked its magic: fresh slices of scallion floating in a glistening broth, one fat dumpling (more seasoned pork than noodle, with the occasional crunch of ginger), and a few strips of Chinese-barbecued pork.

By the time I got to the lemak chicken, I was ready to propose.

And a menu with as many flavorful surprises (Malaysian, Indian, Vietnamese, Korean and American) as Chinese-American standards only reinforced the deal: Here's a new Asian eatery worthy of love. Read More...

Malaysian, Chinese and Indian curry dishes on the same menu make for a lot of variety. Steve Yau still isn't satisfied, though. He also serves spaghetti, Caesar salad, sandwiches, barbecued ribs and potato soup at the Crystal Jade restaurant.

Yau, who has a Malaysian and Chinese heritage, opened the Asian-American restaurant Oct. 23 in a building that used to house a Village Inn on 72nd Street, near the College of St. Mary. He also owns Jade Palace in Bellevue, where he offers a more conventional menu of Chinese and Malaysian items. Read More...

At first glance, there is little to distinguish the Jade Palace from many other family-run Chinese restaurants that call the metro area home. The restaurant is small, with a nice dinning area and comfortable booths. Its walls are hung with Asian art, and a loudspeaker plays muted eastern music. The menu is primarily staples - egg roll, fried won ton, sweet and sour pork and various dishes representative of Mandarin, Hunan or Szechuan cuisine. But the menu also has a small section of Malaysian cuisine, and that's how the Jade Palace separates and distinguishes itself. The Malaysian dishes are from family recipes of owners Steve and Shirley Yau and differ from the Chinese dishes, according to a menu blurb, "by the careful use of spices from the East to enhance the flavor of each dish." The menu offers a choice of chicken, pork, beef or shrimp, or a combination, with a selection of curries - yellow, red, green, Masaman and Penang curries - and lemak, which Yau said is not precisely a curry but similar. The curries all feature coconut milk, with lemon grass, bamboo shoots, pineapple, green peppers and onions in varying degrees. See Jade Palace: Page 2

Jade Palace: Cuisine stands out

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We opened the meal with fried dumplings and fried prawns. Read More...

Bellevue's Jade Palace continues to be one of the better Chinese restaurants in the metro area, whipping up sauces that are distinctive in customary dishes but also offering half a dozen Malaysian specials that reflect owner Steve Yau's Malaysian background. He and his wife, Shirley, originally employed chef David Chern from Taiwan, but Yau always oversaw the delicious sauces, and Chern has now moved on.

Jade Palace is an attractive place with high ceilings, booths, ceiling fans and a sense of being a cut above most neighborhood Chinese eateries. Read More...

Steve and Shirley Yau have opened Jade Palace (not to be confused with Jade Garden, another good Chinese restaurant) near Bellevue University. The clean, spacious restaurant, with its high-ceiling beamed interior, booths and ceiling fans, is a pleasant place to showcase Chinese fare with a Malaysian touch.

Yau is Malaysian. Chef David Chern is from Taiwan. Chern worked at the China Garden in New York City and at a four-star restaurant in Aspen, Colo. He once cooked for President Jimmy Carter.

The Jade Palace menu is extensive, with 99 items. Read More...