“While you’re eating, I want you to remember the price of the food.”

I wasn’t being admonished to finish my food because some people are dying of hunger in Africa, I was being made aware that the delicious dimsum that I nibbled, that distinctive piece of chicken that I consumed, or that heavenly congee that I savored didn’t cost more than 200 pesos. Would you believe if I tell you that these delectable Chinese offerings can actually be found in a fastfood chain? I can hardly believe it myself but people, I’m serious. I found a rookie restaurant of late that has food so good, it would give any fastfood giants a run for their money. Ladies and gents, let us give way to Yumchee, the newest player in the country’s fastfood scene.

By its catchy name itself, you already know that it falls under the fastfood category. Yumchee is a play of words of delicious, “yum” and Chinese, “chee.” It just opened late this year and already, the people behind it are thinking of expanding by building more branches around the city. For now though, you can head to their first branch at the BGC Stopover.

And I already did so I can give you a walkthrough. You know I love you like that! Anyway, the place itself is pleasant, save for the huge poster of a girl in pigtails plastered on the wall, the furniture are kept in neutral colors.

Now let’s get to our favorite part, the food.

Dimsum

(PHP85 – $1.80)

There are many to choose from, each dish is only worth 85 bucks. Pretty cheap I must say. Let’s start with one of my all-time favorite snacks, BBQ Pork Bun or in layman’s term, siopao. Admittedly, I still prefer the siopao of the more famous Chinese foodchain, but that’s it. The rest of the food here, in my honest opinion, tastes better.

Fried Wanton is cooked to a crisp but not burned, if you know what I mean. The wrapper has a nice golden color, didn’t break like a fortune cookie.

The Pork Shrimp Siomai is packed and flavorful in such a little piece. Chance is high that I’d be stuffed in no time if I eat this with rice.

In the steamed siomai department though, the Shrimp Dumpling wins my approval. With sauce or not, it’s good!

But the star of all dimsum is the Beancurd Shrimp Roll. It’s rolled in a wrapper that has a caramelized texture to it. Inside reveals shrimp stuffing that is so yummy it gives justice to the name of the place.

Noodle Soup

(PHP159 – $3.37)

What is Chinese food without noodles so I tried those too. For only 159 pesos, you can already satiate a person. I tried Beef Brisket and Wanton, of the two I preferred the Wanton because of the chicken flavor. It’s just a preference; I’ve always favored chicken over beef.

Main Dishes

(PHP199 – $4.22)

If you’re a rice person, fret not, there are many to choose from. There’s the Beef Brisket Rice, Black Pepper Beef, Sweet and Sour Pork, Chicken Chop, and Chinese Adobo.

God it’s been a long time since I’ve had Orange Chicken, I have a friend who cooks a mean one. Yumchee’s version though is not far behind. In fact, it’s my most favorite out of all the rice dishes that I tried at Yumchee. The zesty flavor of orange complements the tender chicken meat. I highly recommend that you order it.

Congee

(PHP159 – $3.37)

Another best thing in the menu is their Congee, prompted good memories from my childhood because it’s as delicious and creamy as that famous lugaw that an old Filipino-Chinese man used to cook and sell in our neighborhood.

Drinks

(Medium PHP68 – $1.44/Large PHP78 – $1.65)

I wanted hot coffee, but it wasn’t available at that time so I had Iced Coffee. It was invigorating and not excessively sweet, just the way I liked it. They also have milktea, but I’ve yet to try it.

Snacks

(PHP78 – $1.65)

Yumchee has snacks too and my favorite would be their Shaved Ice. You can pick two toppings from any of the following: grass jelly, black pearl, mango, strawberry, kiwi, peach and lychee. It’s only 78 pesos, not bad right? I was able to taste the one with strawberries and peach and the one that has kiwi and mango. I liked the kiwi and mango mix better.

After this visit I could only think of one thing, recommend it to friends and to you my readers. No food this cheap should be this good but Yumchee was able to do that. It’s always a pleasant experience to discover a place that offers good food without making you poor. In conclusion, Yumchee is making a bold attempt to change the standard in the fastfood scene and I am certainly not complaining.