"This is it," said Chau, former owner of Won Kee, A-1 Steakhouse and a namesake restaurant in Waikiki. "Of all the restaurants that I've owned, this one has the best location."

Occupying the site vacated by Dunkin' Donuts and Catch of the Day across from the Hawaii Convention Center, XO quietly opened its doors three weeks ago. The 88-seat restaurant's interior is bright and airy. Its contemporary lines are complemented by soft red-colored walls and high-back chairs. Soft jazz plays in the background, an audible difference from other Chinese establishments.

"All our old customers from Won Kee have already found us," smiled Raymond's ex-wife Yuka Chau, who helps run the front room. "They tell me they've really missed Raymond's original black bean sauce."

Emerging from the kitchen, a wafting trail of aroma followed Raymond as he approached the table with his signature crab in black bean sauce.

Pointing to bits of scrambled egg that garnished the shellfish, Chau described this as one of the elements that separates his sauce from the others. Another, he added, is the use of ground pork to lend more complexity to the dish.

"Put the sauce over the rice," Yuka instructed. "This is the best way to appreciate all the flavors."

While Raymond's black bean sauce is already legendary, his new XO concoction is certain to reach the same lofty status.

"People are already copying it," Yuka asserted. "Before we opened, nobody had XO on the menu. But now I'm seeing XO this and XO that."

Without trying to sound like he was bragging, Raymond pointed out that just like people failed to re-create his black bean sauce, they won't be able to mimic his XO.

"It's not a new sauce in Chinese cuisine," Raymond said humbly. "But I've added my own personal touches to it."

Slightly spicy, the XO sauce contains hints of chile, dried shrimp, scallop, garlic and ginger, all roasted, grounded and formed into a savory paste. The result is an explosion of flavors that takes the taste buds on a rollercoaster ride.

The sauce can be used to enhance an assortment of dishes, from pan-fried fish ($12 for a one-pound whole fish or $18 for a two-pound catch) to fresh crab or lobster ($28).

Yuka Chau runs the front of the restaurant, greeting and seating guests.

A mound of house-special seafood fried noodles ($9) was a tasty case in point. Piled high, the noodles were buried underneath a cornucopia of seafood, including scallops, shrimp, bits of fish and calamari.

Prepared Chinese-style — steamed and topped with parsley and hot shoyu and ginger — a fresh fillet of opakapaka for $10 is also a bargain.

But perhaps the best deal is the Mongolian lamb ribs, a full seven to eight rack of ribs cost only $13. Roasted and slathered with a homemade barbecue sauce, the meat is tender and tastes more like baby back ribs.

"And we even have oxtail soup ($9.50), which is prepared the old-fashioned way," Raymond said. "But you've got to make sure that the 'Oxtail Soup' light is on, otherwise I've run out."