Fast, filling, and delicious — Yumchee is a homegrown food concept proving that budget friendly restaurants can dish out tasty food to leave your tummy and wallet satisfied.
When asked about their cuisine of choice for their new fast-casual establishment, co-owner Kenneth Kho shares that their family (and his father the most) loves Chinese food. His father passed away about a year ago, and so Yumchee, the brainchild of Kho's brother Richard, serves as their tribue to him. "We thought of Chinese fast food — but we wanted it different; the food we wanted to serve, there was none here that were served in the fast food way." Entering the new restaurant feels a little like stepping inside a fast food joint, but also different — they elevate it with details, such as better plateware and chopsticks, a sleeker ambiance, and none of the typical 'essentials' of local Chinese eateries (you know, those utensil-loaded glassware filled with hot water as table centerpieces, and that clingy Chinese food smell on your clothing). While a tiny detail, the small carve out on one corner of their chairs is such a clever and space-saving form of bag hook. Outside the restaurant, a take-out counter will soon be operational, and Kho mentions that they intend to offer delivery soon.
Yumchee streamlines their Chinese food into breakfast items (congee and dimsum), noodle soups, set meals, specialty drinks, and sweet snacks — everything on their menu can fit a budget of P200 to P250, even less if you pick certain food and drink combos. "We wanted quality Chinese food at affordable prices for everyone, here you can create your own set meal where you can choose your mains and your sides, and you can even create a good set meal with a drink for P250," says Kho. The restaurant's Chinese customers love their Chinese Adobo and the Chicken Chop, while most of the locals eat the best-selling Salt Pepper Spareribs and Orange Chicken. Kenneth's personal favorite is their congee, which is traditionally paired with fried breadstick (youtiao), a staple breakfast combo.
Hankering for an affordable Chinese feast? Here are some of their popular and recommended items that you can enjoy at Yumchee in Bonifacio Stopover, BGC.
Assorted Congee with Fried Breadstick (P159)
Congee always spells out feel-good comfort; Yumchee's is smooth and a little sticky, properly thick and not runny. They offer it in variants like Pork Meatball and Fish Fillet, and a must-try is the Pork with Century + Salted Egg, the salted egg adding a salty twist with that nice chalky texture. Mixed Seafood Congee is also available (add P30).
Fried Breadstick is served on the side, the way Chinese enjoy their congee, or you can order a bigger solo serving ala carte. You have the option to snack on freshly made Fried Breadstick (P58) plain, with Sugar, or with Cinnamon, or add P20 for a chocolate dip or caramel dip — pair this with coffee and it's like a Chinese version of churros for your afternoon snack.
Assorted Dim Sum (P85 each)
The perennial favorites siomai and hakaw are offered at Yumchee, and best-selling among their dimsum are unsurprisingly their Pork Shrimp Siomai and Shrimp Dumpling (hakaw).
My personal favorite is the Beancurd Shrimp Roll, with a wrapping delicate and crisp that holds together firm pieces of shrimp. Spinach Dumpling, Fried Wanton, Cua Pao, and BBQ Pork Buns are also available.
Assorted Noodle Soups (P159 each)
Yumchee is straightforward with their noodle soup: a filling bowl of light broth with homemade noodles, with your choice of toppings. Four variants to choose from — Beef Brisket, Wanton, Chicken Meatball, and Beef Brisket + Wanton (add P30). Their beef brisket combines tendon, giving you meaty and fatty textures with every bite.
Set Meals (Pick a Main Dish and a Side for P199)
The most value for money for me is their customizable Set Meals, with eight mains to choose from to pair with any of their four sides. At a set price of P199, you can mix and match and come up with different kinds of combinations each time you visit. Sides include Steamed Rice and Soup, Vegetable Fried Rice and Soup, Fried Noodles and Soup, and a plate of Seasonal Vegetables for those skipping rice.
Out of the eight Main Dishes, top sellers are the Orange Chicken, Salt Pepper Spareribs, and Chicken Chop — all three are delicious, with the Orange Chicken a good order if you like a sweet glaze, and the Salt Pepper Spareribs for those craving something spicy as it comes topped with chopped chili and best dipped in their spicy vinegar. The Chicken Chop is a personal favorite, the hawker food staple in Taiwan gets served here in Yumchee with gravy and definitely your must-try if you love fried chicken.
Other Main Dishes include Sweet Sour Pork, Chinese Adobo (a soy sauce based chopped pork dish), and Fish Fillet with Tofu. Add P20 more and you can order Beef Brisket or Black Pepper Beef as set meal — their black pepper beef is something you shouldn't miss, as it was surprisingly so tender and unabashedly seasoned with black pepper. The flavors are strong, but not spicy with heat, and each bite of the beef is just begging for more spoonfuls of rice.
Shaved Ice and Specialty Drinks below P100
If you're heading to Yumchee for their Set Meals, Congee, or Noodle Soups, you can save money by adding P50 to get a medium-sized Specialty Drink of your choice. For a quick coffee or tea break, this restaurant is also serving affordable beverages, all of which are brewed in-house. Assorted Iced Teas and Iced Milk Teas are available, as well as Iced White Coffee — sold at P68/Medium and P78/Large.
Save space for dessert — their Shaved Ice (P78) is refreshing and light, their bowl of milky ice finely shaved and melt in your mouth. It melts quick, so eat it as soon as it is served. Your shaved ice comes topped with two ingredients of your choice, and you can choose among Grass Jelly, Black Pearl, Mango, Strawberry, Peach, Kiwi, and Lychee as toppings. Try the kiwi-lychee combination, as the bright and summery flavors, tart and sweet, blends so well with the shaved ice up until it melts into a milky pool of soup on your bowl that you will empty your bowl clean.
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Visit Yumchee at the ground floor of Bonifacio Stopover located at 31st Street corner Rizal Drive, BGC. The restaurant is open daily from 8am to 10:30pm. Like Yumchee on Facebook ("Yumchee") and follow on Instagram (@yumcheefastfood).
Additional photos by Mica Ferrer.
