{"id":3593,"date":"2011-08-06T23:36:43","date_gmt":"2011-08-06T21:36:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/08\/yi-pin-%e2%80%93-top-class\/"},"modified":"2011-08-06T23:36:43","modified_gmt":"2011-08-06T21:36:43","slug":"yi-pin-%e2%80%93-top-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/yi-pin-%e2%80%93-top-class\/","title":{"rendered":"Yi Pin \u2013 Top Class"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Longhair and I wandered along to the media bash for the opening of Yi Pin on Thursday 4 August \u2013 apparently a favourable day on the Chinese Calendar for opening a business.<\/p>\n

Willy Fan, ex restaurant<\/a> manager for both Kyoto and Lai Kung along with Joe Lin, ex head chef at Lai Kung, are the proud owners of the new Chinese and Japanese restaurant<\/a> Yi Pin, which, according to Willy Fan, means \u201cTop Class\u201d.<\/p>\n

We were greeted at the door and invited to choose our poison \u2013 a tot of Japanese Whisky in an earthern ware tot glass or a glass of champagne \u2013 in the interests of putting our bodies on the line for you we opted to punish ourselves with both. The whisky was not a fiery mish mash of raw spirit but relatively pleasant with some high (ethanol type) top notes. It is certainly not gonna win any competitions but is good enough for a tilt at the real thing. And the champagne \u2013 well wine with large bubbles will never be champagne but what do media hacks know anyway?<\/p>\n

I have to thank Willy and Joe for assisting me to once again go zooming to top of the Longhair\u2019s \u201che really does love me list\u201d \u2013 as she is a Sushi fiend. Such a fiend ia the Longhair that I had to learn how to make sushi in order to keep control over a rapidly dwindling wallet.<\/p>\n

The sushi on offer was enough to satisfy the Longhair and of a high quality \u2013 my only gripe was that I don\u2019t like to taste the rice wine vinegar in the rice so would have appreciated a better balance between the vinegar and sugar. Ja, ja, ja I know I can be quite pedantic when it comes to preparing rice and am prone to wash and wash and wash it until satisfied.<\/p>\n

Willy fan, a Taiwanese national, learnt the culinary mastery of making Sushi in Taiwan, where he worked in a family restaurant<\/a>, and he is regarded as the sushi master of Port Elizabeth. Willy\u2019s Chinese born partner, Joe Lin, learnt the delicate art of Chinese cuisine at a 5-star hotel just outside of Hong Kong.<\/p>\n

Fan is extremely excited about opening his own restaurant<\/a>. It has been his dream, ever since he started working at The Boardwalk<\/a> just over 10 years ago, to one day have his own restaurant<\/a> there. His aim is for Yi Pin to be one of the top 50 restaurant<\/a>. in the Eastern Cape by this time next year.<\/p>\n

Fan\u2019s favourite dish is the tender and juicy Beef Fillet Teppanyaki which he makes using top grade beef fillet, fried with a special sauce and served with fresh vegetables.<\/p>\n

We had the opportunity to taste Fan\u2019s Beef Fillet which was melt in your mouth soft with a \u2018just right\u2019 sauce served on bamboo shoots \u2013 quite a treat at R218.00.<\/p>\n

Lin prefers the Deep Fried Sesame Prawns with a special sauce. Crispy on the outside, but juicy on the inside, the flavours of this aromatic dish combine to create a taste sensation.<\/p>\n

The chinese dishes are many with some great looking duck dishes \u2013 try the prawn pancake which is sweetish amd mysterious.<\/p>\n

All the traditional sushi favourites are featured and platters range from R88.00 to R238.00.<\/p>\n

All in all a most pleasant evening at Yi Pin as the Longhair and I partied with old Mates, Leon, Kevin, Theunis and some other blokes from some other Weekend Paper that still has to apologise for using my images \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n

Contact the Yi Pin <\/a>Restaurant<\/a> here.<\/p>\n

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Yi Pin’s Willy Fan with his sweet and sour chicken dish.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n