Tubthumping noodles and dumplings that you just’ll battle to seek out anyplace else.
There’s this scene in Kill Invoice Vol 2 the place the eponymous Invoice, memorably performed by David Carradine, goes off on a slight tangent by mentioning how Superman is totally different from different superheroes. Particularly, how the costumed character is the true particular person and the civilian id, Clark Kent, is the synthetic assemble, slightly than the opposite manner round as with most different superheroes.
Comics aficionados will argue endlessly over the effective particulars of all that, however the thrust of Invoice’s critique (roughly) is that the bumbling, hapless ‘Clark Kent’ id is what Superman thinks different folks will readily settle for.
In a considerably comparable trend, the Chinese language meals from the UK’s excessive avenue takeaways is an alter ego, a facade. It’s an alternate, closely simplified type of what Chinese language folks really eat, reshaped into one thing that sleep-deprived mother and father, skint college students and lairy provincial drunks will readily settle for and pay for. One-dimensional, undemanding, usually deep-fried and/or overly candy – that is the meals that Chinese language takeaway house owners suppose we wish. And, as a rule in excessive streets throughout the nation, they’re proper.
They’ll’t be blamed for that as they’re simply attempting to make a residing. What’s objectionable is that so many punters unthinkingly and unquestioningly lap that stuff as much as the exclusion of the rest. In preferring that deep-fried candy and bitter caricature, over the continent-sized assortment of culinary traditions that make up what Chinese language folks really select to cook dinner for themselves, persons are making a sure selection. They’re selecting to keep away from one of many best methods of partaking with one other tradition, one other worldview. In spite of everything, few issues are simpler in life than chewing and digestion. They’re selecting to have interaction with one other delicacies strictly on their very own phrases, slightly than on the phrases of the individuals who really make it.
Ye Ye Dumpling and Noodle is a small Chinese language restaurant tucked away on a slender facet avenue within the Metropolis. It brazenly admits to adapting its quick menu to British tastes, however there was nonetheless sufficient Sinophilic spirit evident in its dishes to tug in table-after-table stuffed with Chinese language audio system hungry for what Ye Ye has to supply.
Noodle soups at Ye Ye Dumpling and Noodle
Their signature beef noodle soup, for instance, just isn’t fairly like both the Lanzhou- or Taiwanese-style beef noodle soups that I’m acquainted with. The skinny and cloudy broth was solely mildly beefy at finest. However the reasonably thick, gently springy and round-sided udon-/laghman-/latiaozi-style noodles greater than made up for this, whereas offering carby backing vocals for the true star of the present – the meat. Every chunk (of brisket and/or presumably rump) was generously plump and squidgy – a couple of had been rimmed with connective tissue for much more succulent richness.
A dry model was just about similar, however with the plain omission of the soup. A puddle of moderately-spicy, oil-based sauce took its place – a welcome look that was all too temporary.
I’m irrationally sceptical about ribs in noodle soups, for no matter purpose, however I’ll should reevaluate my objections in gentle of Ye Ye’s braised pork ribs noodle soup. The soup was harking back to tonkotsu in its fatty meatiness and umami. Though it wasn’t fairly as full-flavoured and multifaceted because the finest tonkotsu, it was nonetheless eminently slurpable. Tender swineflesh pulled away simply from the bone, whereas the just-cooked leaves of napa cabbage supplied a clean-tasting counterpart to all that meaty richness. The noodles had been simply as udon-licious as earlier than.
Noodle soup with braised pork balls was much like the ribs variant, however even higher due solely to the hulking presence of the titular swine spheres. Every boulder consisted of easily floor but loosely packed meat that was succulently fatty with an nearly fermented bean-like umami that was immensely addictive.
For pescatarians, there’s the only real seafood choice. Plump, springy mussels and prawns had been cooked just-so with a light-weight saltiness that was evocative of the ocean, bobbing about in a cloudily moreish soup.
There’s additionally a vegan variant, with all animal protein changed by wrinkly cloud ear fungus and seitan posing as hen. The dimpled floor of the seitan, posing as hen pores and skin, lay atop a easy strong mass that was extra like steamed pork roll than hen. Whereas nice sufficient, it’s finally inferior (dietary decisions allowing) to the seafood choice.
Dumplings at Ye Ye Dumpling and Noodle
If the meat noodle soup is one-half of Ye Ye’s eponymous flagship dishes, then the ‘juicy pork dumplings’ are most actually the opposite. Solely obtainable in restricted portions every day (which can or might not be a intelligent advertising and marketing wheeze), these pan-simmered beauties strongly resemble Shengjian mantou that are unusual in London so far as I can inform.
Thicker and doughtier than a gammon viewers member on Query Time, the navel-like knots had been particularly hearty. The filling was mouthcoating in its succulent meatiness, dotted with delicate hints of ginger. These hints had been usually too faint although, so these dumplings may’ve achieved with one thing sharp and punchy to chop by all of the relentless lustiness – maybe some good ol’ chilli oil or a extra beneficiant provide of Chinkiang vinegar.
The opposite dumplings obtainable from Ye Ye had been steamed/boiled with skins of a extra garden-variety stage of thickness. In all respects, they weren’t as excellent because the juicy pork headliners.
‘Biang biang’ pork dumplings got here full of a fairly dense and coarse meat filling. Whereas the pork was dabbed with an oil-based sauce that flowed with modest ranges of numbing spice, the ‘biang biang’ title was nonetheless tenuous at finest with the mildest of resemblances to that noodle dish.
A variant full of chives and prawns had extra of the previous than the latter. However given how satisfying that particular vegetal crispness was, these dumplings had been none the more serious off for it.
The earthiness of chopped but taut mushrooms mixed with the plump meatiness of surprisingly pleasing hen to supply a dumpling filling that was second solely to the juicy pork.
Though greater than the opposite steamed/boiled dumplings, the vegetarian variant was cursed by its low cost, bitty and unsatisfying filling of carrots, celery and cabbage.
Aspect dishes from Ye Ye Dumpling and Noodle
Agency and bouncy pig ears got here in a vinegary discount which made for a tangy, toothsome deal with.
The timid and the superficial could also be postpone by dishes such because the pig ears and the ‘salted water duck’, however they’d be lacking out. The dimpled skins of the sliced duck had been certainly salty, however by no means to an overwhelming diploma. The duck had an occasional earthiness which meshed nicely with the sunshine style of ginger, parsley and spring onions, in addition to with the duck’s tender fleshiness which was sometimes rimmed with delectable fats.
Stewed tofu had an surprising texture, akin to layers of hearty bread. However the entire shebang wanted to be stewed in one thing extra characterful than average-quality soy sauce.
Minced pork sandwiched between sheaves of lotus root got here in a deep-fried coating that, whereas a contact too oily, was nonetheless remarkably fluffy. The crunchiness of the lotus root itself verged on hardness although, denting my enjoyment of this facet dish.
Though steamed seitan posing as hen was no extra convincing as an ersatz meat when served as a facet dish, slightly than atop noodles, it was fulfilling sufficient in its personal proper. The dimpled ‘pores and skin’ and easy, flippantly chewy mass was a good-enough conveyor for the delicate numbing spice of the sauce.
For an precise style of hen, there’s the deep-fried hen wings. Though the meat beneath was a tad too greasy, the crispness of the batter and the hints of peppercorn had been greater than sufficient to make this a effective facet dish.
Though maybe not supposed as such, I ended up scoffing the candy potato balls as a dessert attributable to their, nicely, sweetness. What was most interesting although was the feel of those balls – crisp then flippantly chewy and tuggable, they had been nearly like mochi.
The Verdict
Whereas Ye Ye wasn’t fairly superheroic, it was nonetheless removed from being meek, mild-mannered or submissively subservient to an ignorant clientele. I do want Ye Ye had the braveness to prune the weaker dishes from its menu. Nonetheless, that doesn’t detract from the potent enjoyability available from Ye Ye’s beef noodles and its clever pork dishes. For those who needed to introduce somebody to the world of Chinese language meals past that of a excessive avenue takeaway, then Ye Ye – together with a great dim sum restaurant – can be a effective place to start out.
What to order: Beef noodles (with or with out soup); Pork rib noodle soup; Pork balls noodle soup; Juicy pork dumplings; Seafood noodle soup
What to skip: Stewed tofu; vegetable dumplings
Title: Ye Ye Noodle and Dumplings
Department tried: 14 Artillery Passage, London E1 7LJ
Telephone: 0207 247 9747
Internet: https://yeyelondon.co.uk
Opening Hours: seven days per week, noon-20.30.
Reservations? not taken.
Common price for one particular person together with mushy drinks: £35 approx.
Ranking: ★★★★☆
