James Beard Award Semifinalist Alex Au-Yeung Celebrates Fifth Anniversary with Free Roti and Daily Giveaways While Enhancing Guest Experience with Cocktails, Brunch, Private Dining and Second Location in The Woodlands
Phat Eatery, a Katy Asian Town staple and Malaysian street food favorite, is celebrating its fifth anniversary and Chef and Owner Alex Au-Yeung has much to rejoice. The past year, in particular, has been an exciting one for Au-Yeung and his team, from expanding the restaurant’s original location to breaking ground on a second one, from creating an ambitious beverage program to launching a brunch menu, and from always warmly welcoming old friends to gaining new guests along the way, and he couldn’t be more grateful. As a thank you for the community’s continued support, Au-Yeung is offering a complimentary roti canai—one of the restaurant’s original and most popular dishes—to every dine-in table from Tuesday, June 27, through Sunday, July 2. One lucky diner will win a $100 gift card in a daily drawing on those same days.
“The restaurant industry can be challenging – you have to take care of your guests, you have to take care of the numbers and most importantly, you have to take care of your people,” says Au-Yeung. “Without our team, Phat Eatery would not be where we are today,” he adds. “Our guests have also been instrumental in our success. Their unwavering support, loyalty and trust have been a constant source of inspiration and motivation for us.” Reflecting on the past five years, Au-Yeung acknowledges that his little restaurant in the suburb has achieved far more than his wildest expectations.
Recent updates and improvements Au-Yeung and his team have accomplished during the past year include the following:
Bigger Footprint, Private Dining Room, Second Location
After expanding Phat Eatery to meet increased consumer demand in 2020, Au-Yeung briefly closed the restaurant again in 2022 to enlarge its footprint once more. Phat Eatery now boasts a private dining room and overflow seating for 30 additional diners and more kitchen space for his team. To accommodate his growing fan base, Au-Yeung announced his plans for a second location in The Woodlands later this year. Located at Grogan’s Mill (2290 Buckthorne Place), this roomy second restaurant will seat 200 with three convertible private dining spaces and additional menu offerings, including Cantonese-style barbecue.
Craft Cocktails and Mocktails Join the Party
Securing a liquor license and employing local bar talent Linda Salinas, Phat Eatery launched a beautiful array of craft cocktails that showcase Southeast Asian flavors and ingredients. More recently, the restaurant rolled out new spirit-free drinks created by Salinas, featuring the same unique flavors for the non-imbibing crowd. Selections include:
- Lychee Margarita– Espolòn tequila, Grand Marnier, lychee, basil, lime.
- Pacific Seas Highball– Suntory Toki whisky, kaffir lime leaf, dehydrated pineapple, sparkling water.
- Malaysian Sling– Cruzan Coconut Rum, pineapple, turmeric, carrot, lime, coconut water.
- Phat Old Fashioned– Wild Turkey 101, Courvoisier, shiso leaf, cinnamon.
- Vices– Bacardi white rum, strawberry essence, coconut, pineapple, lime.
- Pink Drink– Tito’s Vodka, Thai lime leaf, Aperol, lime.
- Island Gin & Tonic– Hendricks Gin, Fever Tree Indian Tonic, basil, Thai lime leaf, pink peppercorn.
- Coconut Espresso Martini – Coconut, Tito’s Vodka, German cold brew, simple syrup.
- Pink Rabbit –A Lunar New Year special by Martin He turned permanent offering that blends gin and ginger-infused nigiri sake with dragon and passion fruit juices and Fever Tree soda.
- Sunny Side– Citrus juices finished with creamy yogurt. Non-alcoholic.
- CoCo Paradise– Pineapple, passion fruit, coconut, and strawberry juices. Non-alcoholic.
- Whipped Ube Spritz – Ube, lime, soda and egg foam. Non-alcoholic.
Weekend Brunch Menu Additions Now Available All Day
The launch of new weekend brunch items gained popularity so quickly that Au-Yeung now offers these once-weekend-only items every day of the week!
- Malaysian Classic Lobster Mee– A decadent menu special turned mainstay, the riff on a popular noodle soup swaps prawns for a 6-ounce lobster tail, house lobster broth, tea-smoked egg, snow pea tips, and a tangle of both egg and rice noodles.
- Pan-Fried Pork & Chives Dumplings– A housemade dim sum classic, complete with crispy, lacy skirts. These handcrafted dumplings are all made in-house and are a MUST TRY upon your next visit!
- Pan-Fried Vegetable Dumplings– Egg, wood ear mushroom, spinach, tofu, green bean noodle, bamboo, oyster mushroom.
Looking Ahead
Beyond launching a beverage program and brunch menu additions, Au-Yeung and his team regularly debut creative seasonal specials like Beef Rendang Wellington, Basil Salt-and-Pepper Wings and the wildly popular Malaysian curry crawfish and snow crab legs, a Malay riff on Houston’s famous Viet-Cajun crawfish. Honored to be a part of the Houston community, he’s also a frequent participant at chef events and contests and in supporting and collaborating on limited-time specials with fellow chefs and restaurants, including this past spring with Kolache Shoppe and Burger Bodega.
“Looking forward, we remain committed to having fun, being innovative and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. At the same time, we believe in staying true to our values and continuing to deliver exceptional products and services to our loyal regulars and new guests,” says Au-Yeung.
Phat Eatery is open daily for lunch and dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m. Brunch items are available weekends, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Order online for delivery and takeaway at phateatery.com. Reservations can be made on Resy.
For more information, visit phateatery.com or follow @phateatery on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.