YiQi

Change continues at great pace in Chinatown - it feels as though something new arrives with every passing week. Some will bemoan the loss of old family institutions, replaced by more youthful, modern restaurants, but those feelings aside, YiQi brings some undeniably delicious cooking to Lisle Street.

Inside YiQi features slick design that is fairly paint-by-numbers but still nicely executed. Angular chairs with rattan backs and squishy emerald banquettes provide ample sitting room, and some neat, carved wood panelling sits between the dining areas, giving you a modicum of privacy. The tables are a good size, which becomes important once dishes start flowing out of the kitchen.

Portion sizes are on the hefty side, so much so that if you’re here as a group you can easily fill up your table space. That’s especially true given the size of the menu - YiQi doesn’t shy away from its pan-Asian tagline and the menu covers a vast swathe of Asia, from China to Malaysian, Indonesia and Korea.

So, what to order? The cordyceps chicken soup is a bit of a signature and absolutely worth kicking off with, with delicate vegetables, cordyceps mushroom and a lovely chicken broth that has a moreish gelatinous quality. There’s a mountain of clams in sticky Kam Heong sauce, crispy Malaysian-style lemongrass chicken, and a chunk of skate bathed in spicy yuzu sauce, which we take turns to scrape from the bones. Despite the feast, there’s so much more on the menu still to be tried - pad Thai, mee goreng, and stir fried crab. We’d challenge anyone to visit YiQi and not find something delicious on the menu.

An excellent drinks menu also includes everything from milk teas to red bean coconut milk and a refreshing sour plum soft drink. On this evidence, YiQi’s youthfulness and energy is a more than welcome addition to Chinatown.

Concept creator Kevin Cheong and chef Stanley Lum Wah Cheok come together over this unique, Pan-Asian experience, right in the beating heart of Chinatown. Complete with atmospheric lighting, richly-toned emerald green walls and traditional rattan panelling, the restaurant offers both an authentic and luxurious experience. It's a vibe that nods to extravagant evenings spent at high-end restaurants in 1990s Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur.

Dining here is experiential from start to finish, as upon arrival guests can browse the produce of the day on display, with ice beds laden with fresh fish, baskets piled with vegetables and a selection of meats cooked sous vide. Pull up a chair, and it's time to leaf through the lengthy menu, which is broken up into sections like soups, snacks of signature, charcoal chicken wings or street food style oyster omelette, and mains.

While Pan-Asian is the concept here, YiQi’s menu has a few clear influences. After working in kitchens all over the world, Malaysian born Chef Lum Wah Cheok decidedly brings his experience to the table - with dishes calling back to his roots in South East Asia. For example, the satay lamb chops, served with ‘bamboo tube rice’ or pork trotters with butterfly noodles are a must, but as seafood is a specialty here, so is the Pasar Malam prawn fritters or the skate fish, which will truly test your spice tolerance.

For dessert, the Wagyu mousse is their standout dish. While this is not actually Wagyu beef, this sweet mousse is marbled to look exactly like it. In addition to being a picture-worthy treat, it's also light and delicious, reminiscent of a sorbet.

From the tamarind mojito for the more adventurous guests to YiQi’s own Japanese style beer, the drinks menu has everything you would want from an East Asian restaurant.