Yeah Yeah Chinese Cuisine
Hemady Square, Doña Hemady Street, 86 E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, Quezon City
Open from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Monday to Friday) and 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Saturday to Sunday)
(SPOT.ph) When you think “Chinese restaurant in Quezon City,” your mind most likely goes to Banawe, and rightfully so. It's become known as the Chinatown of the North (of Manila) with all the Chinese restaurants, from tiny dim sum places to fine-dining affairs, in that area. But, Quezon City is a huge city, and its various pockets house excellent Chinese restaurants of their own. At Hemady Square, for example, is Yeah Yeah, a new Chinese restaurant with dim sum that’ll put a smile on your face.
The specialty at Yeah Yeah is Hong-Kong style cooking, which means lots of dim sum. They’ve got the standards, and they’re good at them: The Crystal Hakaw (P138/four pieces) doesn’t get gummy at all, even if they spend some time in the bamboo steamer—though you do want to pop these morsels in your mouth immediately. The tender wrapper easily gives way to the fresh shrimp, and the whole dumpling has a satisfying bite. Meanwhile, the Crab Roe Sio Mai (P120/four pieces) is chock-full of umami flavor, with an earthiness reminiscent of Shiitake mushrooms.
What’s sure to catch your attention though, are the Piggy Salted Egg Yolk Pao (P130)—for one, they are absolutely adorable. You almost don’t want to eat the cute little pig-buns sitting in your bamboo steamer. The custard in the soft bao is actually on the mildly sweet side, which makes this a great pairing with tea.
If you’re craving spice, though, Yeah Yeah Has new entrées that to heat things up. Don’t expect regular squid rings in your Sizzling Squid With Ginger Onion (P580)—instead, you’ll get thick slices that are still surprisingly tender, with fresh ginger and onion to spice things up.
The Szechuan Spicy Double Cooked Pork (P330) packs heat that isn’t for the faint-hearted. But you can’t get enough of spicy food, you also get rewarded with slabs of succulent roast pork, fried after roasting to give it a crisp crust.
But the star of the show at Yeah Yeah is their Lechon Macau (P400), which is marinated overnight and roasted for up to three hours. The result is skin with a resounding crackle, and pork that’s tender and intensely savory, with a salty bite that doesn’t get too overpowering.
It’s impossible to say “Yeah Yeah” without feeling a little cheerier afterward; something the owners intended for. And, with their tasty dim sum and Chinese staples, that smile is sure to stay for a while afterward.
Photos by Marikit Singson
