If you typically lean on the bland side of foods, then don’t go to Yeeshan Asian Eatery, because the food here takes your taste buds to the extreme with the heavy use of spices and aromatics.
The prime example is the Sichuan dried chili chicken ($26). You could tell by the mound of red chili peppers and Sichuan peppers on top that this dish was going to have heat. As I progressed through the deliciously fried and tender chicken pieces, I noticed my tongue was increasingly gaining an icy hot numbness that I’ve never experienced before. I did tack on a bowl of rice ($2)–oddly, rice is not included with entrees here–to help take some of the edge off.
Meanwhile, the heat for the volcano pork ribs ($32) dish came from the dusting of red chili flakes on top and the accompanying Thai-style cilantro green chili sauce. The ribs themselves were so tender and delicious that I could have eaten a few plates of them.
Peking duck ($88) is a specialty here, but you need to pre-order it. I ended up with the London duck ($38). Although the description said a crisp finish, the skin was not that crispy. Still, the brined duck was flavorful, and it came with hoisin sauce and scallions for some bite.
From the seafood section, I picked the lobster mapo tofu ($38). I’m a big fan of mapo tofu (with pork), so I was interested to try the lobster version. Unfortunately, I felt the lobster was mostly for show, with a few pieces from a tail but definitely not enough to be satisfactory. At least there was a bit of ground beef and a moderate amount of heat to the dish.
I had slightly better luck with the braised seafood pumpkin soup ($18). The lobster and shrimp were overcooked, but the broth was outstanding. Imagine a squash soup with seafood flavoring–it was comforting, to say the least.
One dish that caught me off guard was the Gemini crab fried rice ($26), which was extremely bland, a double surprise since every dish at this restaurant is bursting with flavor. The fried rice lacked salt, pepper, MSG, spices … you name it. Plus, there wasn’t much crab meat.
Sushi is also on the menu, and most of them are the standard rolls found elsewhere. The rolls include spicy salmon ($18), Philadelphia ($18) and evil seafood nori ($23), with shrimp, crab stick and avocado.
Yeeshan Asian Eatery is open for dinner Wednesday through Monday and lunch on weekends.
