Named after the Chinese word for ‘tooth,’ the goal at Yaya’s is to serve perfectly al dente, toothsome pasta – with that springy chew you’d anticipate from an Italian restaurant – but incorporating Chinese flavor profiles, all curated by Chef Dan Li (previously of Bird), Andrew Moo (Le Daily, Candor) and Mike Liu (Lucky Mart).
READ MORE: Lick Your Plate Clean at Yaya's Pasta Bar
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Yaya also has a connotation with family – meaning ‘grandma’ in Greek and ‘grandpa’ in Shanghainese – further linking the name to the goal of making homey dishes that act as comfort food with a bout of surprise.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Aligning with that same ethos, the recently released cocktail menu is about honest drinks made with superior ingredients – classics with a side of Yaya’s creativity.
Expect to find locally-produced spirits, house-pickled components, and a hefty dose of fresh herbs to match the rustically excessive plating philosophy of the food menu.
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Case in point, the Yayatini (RMB78) is an exemplary Citadelle gin-based dry martini stirred with bay leaf vermouth and lemon bitters, garnished with a choose-your-own-brine-adventure – a “skewer salad” of sorts – piercing a giganti Spanish pitted green olive, housemade Sichuan-style pickled bell peppers and pearled onions.
The generous accoutrement bridges the gap between a dry and dirty martini, while also acting as a mid-libation snack.
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Aperol Spritz are so 2022. Say hello to the Yaya’s Spritz (RMB78), featuring Select – an aperitif hailing from Venice that sits at the midpoint of a Campari and Aperol Venn diagram on ABV and sweetness, allowing the amaro’s spice notes to pop more distinctly.
Muddled with watermelon, mint and a splash of bubbles, this seasonal sipper screams nothing but summer.
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The most Italian of cocktails receives a local facelift, with Shanghai-based spirit Peddler’s gin used in the Yaya’s Negroni (RMB78), stirred with Campari and rosso vermouth…
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... while the Basil Smash (RMB88) boasts an extra jolt of herbaceous from kaffir lime.
Onto the main event – the unpretentious, what-you-see-is-what-you-get approachable luxury that is the food menu.
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That’s not to say there aren’t hours of work that goes on behind the scenes – believe us, there is – but don’t bank on any microgreens meticulously placed with kitchen tweezers.
Instead, it’s bold and unrestrained in the most scrumptious of ways.
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Take a summer gazpacho – thickened by homemade bread – and blend it with a healthy hit of horseradish, and you get the piquant Gazpacho ai Frutti di Mare (RMB88), a mouthful that leaves a lingering tingle.
Bouncy shrimp and baby squid are dusted in horseradish snow, grated lemon skin and freshly torn basil.
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Lime-cured Scallop Crudo (RMB98) is adorned with a forest of mixed herbs, lime segments that release acidity and a welcome tartness, plus a drizzle of yuzu ginger dressing – the buttery scallop flesh heightened by a liberal lashing of high-quality Italian olive oil.
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Taking inspiration from Xinjiang's Hui ethnicity dish of jiaomaji (椒麻鸡) or green peppercorn chicken, the Sichuan Roasted Eggplant Dip (RMB48) features simmered eggplant (the excess vegetable’s water and cooking drippings is then reduced down into an umami-rich soy sauce) united with green peppercorn oil and diced green peppers – the customary trimmings for said Sichuanese dish.
For a baba ganoush double eggplant entendre – and also going back to Xinjiang’s Middle Eastern roots – a dollop of sour cream and a heavy-handed fling of chives coat the top.
For scooping, grab one of the Shanxi-sourced shizimou (石子馍) crackers – also known as pebble bread, as the batter is poured over smooth stones to create a crispy, corrugated effect.
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Zaolu (糟卤) – the brine leftover from aged distilled grains used for making huangjiu (黄酒), Chinese yellow wine – is the focal point of the Marinated Asparagus (RMB48).
After ruminating in said brine, the butter-roasted asparagus are flanked by a zaolu butter emulsion sauce, and then coated in zaolu pickled mustard seed, pangritta – a poor man’s parm made with seasoned breadcrumbs – and fresh chervil.
Chorizo (RMB88), Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
The ultimate clash of cultures exists in the Tagliatelle & Chili Mussels (RMB88), a Chinese wok-hei kissed base of aromatics (garlic, chili and ginger – the foundation of a Chinese seafood stock), unorthodoxically hit with white wine and cream to round out the dish’s body in an Italian manner.
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New Zealand blue mussels and homemade tagliatelle are tossed in the sacrilegious amalgamation of two noodle-obsessed cultures, the dairy’s viscosity tempered by fiery chili oil and chiffonade herbs.
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Slow-cooked, hand-shredded Inner Mongolian lamb – prized for its punchy gaminess – is simmered in a customary Italian sofrito-based ragu, but with the Italian spices replaced by Xinjiang herbs – cumin, coriander and fennel – as the Pappardelle & Lamb Ragu (RMB88).
Rope-like whorls of hand-made pappardelle are thrown into the mix, finished with a spoonful of sour cream and an anything-but-subtle sprinkling of dill sprigs.
Why so much dill? “We just f*cking love dill,” says Moo, slurping a slippery strand.
Fair enough. As do we.
Tagliatelle Bolognese (RMB88), Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
An institution of a dish in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, raviolo al’ uovo is conventionally made with rounded ravioli.
In true unfettered Yaya fashion, the Raviolo al Uovo (RMB118) here is just one plate-size, hand-made “big boy” raviolo, stuffed with a trio of cheeses – ricotta, mascarpone and Parmiggiano Reggiano.
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A runny egg yolk lurks beneath the noodle cap, revealing its oozing self upon piercing. Slathered in a sage butter sauce, a final shaving of white truffle moliterno cheese affords the bite a nuanced salinity that salt or soy alone can’t provide.
Spoja Lorda (RMB88), Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
A Yaya’s signature – embodying the team’s knowledge of regional Chinese flavors coupled with a deep dive in Italian pasta making – is the Mapo Tofu Lasagna (RMB98).
Ruffly pleats of handmade lasagna pasta sheets are interspersed with layers of mapo pork ragu and a velvety bechamel blended with silken tofu – for that signature soy aroma without the graininess.
Finished with a gooey mozzarella crust and copious amounts of scallions – an integral garnish for mapo tofu – the love-filled layers are steeped in a puddle of chili oil.
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For the herbivores, this showstopper is also available with simmered shitake and button mushrooms, reduced down to a ground beef ragu-like texture.
While these flavor combinations may clash with the philosophies of esteemed pasta-tarians, we embrace this tasty bastardization of two beloved cuisines with open arms.
At the end of the day, it’s still a girthy hunk of lasagna, but one that flounders between two gastronomical world capitals, Chengdu and Rome.
Glazed Spare Ribs (RMB218), Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
At this point, you’ve already had your fill of playful pairings, so dessert is characteristic Italian.
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Think Tiramisu (RMB49) stacked high, the ladyfinger cookies soaked in Amaro Montengro and espresso, draped in mascarpone cream and finished with a siphoned espresso foam and 70% cacao shavings – a deep sugary punch like a horse kick to the head...
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... or delicately trembly vanilla bean Panna Cotta (RMB48), crowned with a green apple lime zest granita and butter crisps…
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... and a textbook salted caramel Affogato (RMB48).
Yaya's, Unit E, 329 Tongren Lu, by Nanyang Lu, 铜仁路329号1层E区, 近南阳路.
[Cover image by Sophie Steiner/That's]
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