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The Yuan Wan Chai 原汁原味

December 9, 2018 by Jennifer Che Leave a Comment

The Yuan Restaurant Hong Kong 原汁原味 The Yuan Wan Chai

The Yuan Wan Chai 原汁原味

The Yuan/原汁原味 is a cozy, casual Cantonese restaurant located right on Wan Chai Road. The restaurant’s Chinese name, 原汁原味 (yuán zhī yuánwèi), is a food idiom that literally translates to “natural juice, natural flavor”, and typically refers to an item’s original and authentic taste.

The Yuan aims to create such original and authentic “tastes” by bringing out the natural flavors of ingredients without using any MSG. The restaurant focuses on seafood but has many Cantonese classics on the menu.

We first noticed it in our neighborhood because, admittedly, we saw Bibendum (the Michelin man) grinning at us from a poster at the front of the restaurant. We were intrigued and soon stopped in to try it.

The Yuan Restaurant Hong Kong 原汁原味 The Yuan Wan Chai

The Yuan is quite foreigner-friendly and it’s quite clear they revamped it to cater to the Michelin-seeking crowd. There’s an English language menu with colored pictures of all the dishes. They even have a section dedicated to “Michelin recommended” dishes.

We decided to try one of the recommended dishes, the Pumpkin-Braised Chicken (pictured above). The dish consists of a whole pumpkin hollowed out and filled with chicken braised in a rich and creamy pumpkin sauce. It was simple but hearty and satisfying.
The Yuan Wan Chai
Another favorite is the classic Cantonese Steamed Chicken which comes with a generous pile of minced ginger and scallions. The chicken is extremely tender and flavorful, and the ginger and scallion sauce is addictive!
The Yuan Restaurant Hong Kong 原汁原味 The Yuan Wan Chai The Yuan Restaurant Hong Kong 原汁原味
Sichuan Glass Noodle Soup ($68 HKD) has a nice spicy mala kick and tasty glass noodles.
The Yuan Restaurant Hong Kong 原汁原味 The Yuan Wan Chai
For vegetables, the Stir Fried Chinese Broccoli with Dried Shrimp did the job, providing us with healthy greens that were cooked just right so that they still maintained a bit of crunch.
The Yuan Hong Kong
A simple stir fried Chinese Broccoli with Garlic is also delicious.
The Yuan Wan Chai
For something a bit more interesting, try the Chinese Chives with cashews, shrimp, and topped with deep fried baby fish (which have the umami of fish but the crunch of potato strings).
The Yuan Wan Chai
The nourishing Double Boiled Soup is simple yet flavorful.
The Yuan Hong Kong
Taro duck is creamy and flavorful.
The Yuan Hong Kong
One of our favorites, steamed rice with scallops and garlic!
The Yuan Wan Chai
Fried Rice with Uni and Roe was one of the more disappointing, ordinary dishes on the menu. I wouldn’t recommend this one, since the quality of the toppings didn’t stand out enough to make it worth the extra cost.

General Thoughts – The Yuan Wan Chai 原汁原味

All in all, The Yuan is a solid option for  delicious, authentic Chinese food in a casual, no-fuss environment. Some would argue that you could get some of these dishes at a local Cantonese cha chaang teng for a lot cheaper, but then you would be dealing with all-Chinese menus, staff that only speak Cantonese, and a louder and less comfortable environment. You’ll also likely encounter MSG.

We have been back several times since discovering The Yuan almost a year ago. We like it because it offers friendly service, no wait (there’s always a table available), and (reasonably) healthy and tasty food. Overall, it’s an easy, convenient, and efficient place to enjoy a meal every now and then.

The Yuan Wan Chai
G/F, 141 Wan Chai Road
Wan Chai

This is the forty-ninth (!) post in the updated #50Postsin50Days – Take 2 Challenge. Other posts in this series will be added to the bottom of the original post.

Filed Under: Asian, Cantonese, Chinese, Cuisine, Hong Kong, Michelin, Michelin Recommended, Restaurant, Review, World Travel

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Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
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