A Warm Welcome at YEYE Noodle & Dumpling
Exploring the Unique Flavors and Atmosphere of YEYE Noodle & Dumpling
YEYE noodle & dumpling offers a warm, welcoming dining experience in east London. The decor has an industrial feel, and the food, rooted in Huaiyang cuisine, is masterfully crafted by Chef Xiao. Highlights include handmade noodles, dumplings, and unique dishes for vegans.
Next to historic Petticoat Lane Market on Wentworth Street in east London, winding your way past market stalls, you come to what looks like another industrial factory building. This one has a sign above the door that announces something else: YEYE noodle & dumpling. As you enter the first thing you see is a large kitchen – stainless steel and glass framing a team of people intent on their tasks. The factory feel continues with the decor: wide open space, flat painted walls, square wooden tables and the requisite thick square columns holding up the high ceiling. All this is the mis-en-scene for what is about to become one of the most delicious, warm, and welcoming
dining experience.
Though the host stand is some distance inside the entrance, we are greeted warmly as soon as we take two steps inside. From that distance the smiles reassure us that we are going to be well cared for in this space. We are greeted and seated and it is decided that we will taste a variety of dishes. I ask for an educational experience, as my experience with Chinese food is that of a completely Anglo-American palate.
The food here is rooted in cuisine from the Huaiyang region. And like all truly great food, the chef and cooks have made their own personal interpretation of the traditions. That’s what tradition is for. Consider yourselves lucky that Xiao, the executive chef and joyful mad scientist, has settled in London and decided to develop his art in our city. I never knew noodles could have such integrity, or that the pastry around a dumpling could be as meaningful as the filling. Xiao explained that the mix of flours for each dish has been his own invention, as he experimented to discover the ideal texture and flavour for each. When I asked him to show me the noodle making machine, he began to rise to take me to it, and then after a moment of consideration, showed me his hands. Indeed, all of the buns and doughs are handmade.
Dining at YEYE is a convivial affair, with dishes piling up on the table and everyone digging in and passing dishes around. Manager Ding and Chef Xiao made sure that although we were only 2, we had the opportunity to feel like family. There is a homemade rice liquor that’s akin to North American moonshine. As soon as they told us about it we had to try. It’s strong of course, but dangerously easy to drink, not the burning that a whiskey gives on the way down. For starters we tried marinated pork ear, a crunchy lightly flavoured affair that is Xiao’s favourite snack. Pickled cucumber proved simple cool and enlivening. That and the edamame with chili-garlic salt gave evidence of the high standards they have when it comes to selecting their ingredients. Crispy peanuts rounded out the introduction to the meal, with
earthy and nurturing taste.
Then the more hearty dishes came. Biangbiang Mock Chicken has a texture and flavour that makes it easy to be vegan. Those who don’t eat meat will not be made to feel like an afterthought here. More and more dishes for vegetarians and vegans are being added to the menu. I’ll be back for their
brunch as soon as I can.
My partner and I use the crispy squid as a measuring stick for Chinese food places. What’s special about theirs is the batter. It’s lighter than usual and the batter has its own presence that nicely meets the texture of the perfectly cooked squid. But the reason to come to YEYE was this: the noodle soup
and the dumplings. The broth for the soup is a reason to live. Slow cooked to preserve the layers of rich flavour and nutrients, surrounding a uniquely seasoned beef that tastes of star anise and centuries of love, and then the noodles! They have a texture I’ve never experienced before – tender and
chewy, with a character all their own. This is a soup that will heal you, whether you suffer from a flu or a broken heart. Finally, the grilled juicy dumplings. In the U.K. I have learned how to appreciate a good pie – the equal importance of the pastry and the filling and the endless variations on a few traditional themes. But honestly, I think all a meat pie is trying to be is these dumplings. The pastry is a perfect example of Xiao’s genius, and the way it’s cooked – grilled to perfection with nothing over or underdone – firther
evidence of the love in the kitchen.
YEYE’s is the taste of comfort and love. If London ever feels like a lonely city, go there and be embraced.
