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After 15 years as the executive chef of Birk’s in Santa Clara, Maurice Dissels has opened a restaurant of his own devoted to his Guyanese heritage. Oyo, which he unveiled last month on Main Street in Pleasanton, is a love letter to Dissel’s grandmother, who fed him his first taste of spicy Cajun chili sauce when he was still eating out of a high chair.
Look for boldly flavored, shareable plates of jerk chicken, goat curry and paella, and some delightful lesser-known dishes, like a tamarind-laced chickpea stew called Street Food Doubles. Dissels, who runs the restaurant with his son, Sam, serves lunch and dinner alongside cocktails, handcrafted spritzers, and wines from California and South America. Here’s the experience we had last weekend:
THE VIBE: There’s a definite buzzy energy to the dining room, which was packed on our Saturday night visit with couples and families. Across the bar, a massive mural of Dissel’s grandmother Oyo covers one of the walls in the dining room, which is done up in red, green and yellow color scheme — down to the salt and pepper shakers — to reflect Guyana’s flag. Staff was attentive and enthusiastic, providing knowledge about the various regional dishes and specialties.
THE FOOD: The focused menu, which is the same for lunch and dinner, is made up of Guyanese cuisine with Caribbean, South American, West African and East Asian influences. It’s broken up into Soups, Salads and Tapas ($8-$16), Seafood and House Specialty entrees ($19-$26), Sides ($6-$7) and Dessert ($9-$10).
Jerk chicken fan? Dissels’ Jerk Half Chicken ($19) delivers: It’s juicy and heartily-seasoned with blackened skin and a zingy lime aioli for balance (the free Oyo pickles are tasty palate cleansers, too). Jamaican-style Oxtail Stew ($20) is a flavorful yet heavier dish, as the fatty, fall-off-the-bone meat is also simmered with butter beans and could use a fresh element.
Oyo’s Pepper Pot ($24) strikes that balance, as the braised short ribs come with an herb salad and cast iron skillet bread to lap up that super sauce. Prefer lighter fare? Go for one of three seafood options, like the creative Calypso Ceviche ($15), made with conch, swordfish and octopus with citrus and spicy Caribbean scotch bonnet pepper.
Vegetarian options are limited to a Tropical Salad ($11) with jack fruit, a Pureed Pumpkin Soup ($8), Pholourie, a popular split pea fritter ($9); and the Trinidadian-style Street Food Doubles ($11). That chickpea stew, which comes with chutneys and is served over warm, flatbread known as bara, is so comforting and heavenly we could eat it every day.
DON’T MISS: Strawberry Watermelon Frosé ($14) made with rosé and soju, and a spirit-forward Red Wine Sangria ($12).
PERFECT FOR: A glimpse into Guyana; date night; girl’s night; jerk chicken cravings; paella and malbec pairings.
DETAILS: Open for lunch (11:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) and dinner (5 :15 to 9:30 p.m.) Tuesday-Sunday at 680 Main St., Pleasanton; www.oyopleasanton.com
