Yao Kee

I was at Goldsmiths for three years and I went to Yao Kee every week. Best Chinese in London. I don’t usually write reviews for anything but this place deserves it. Mine’a a Singapore noodles with extra chilli!

Yaoza! Delish Chinese for student prices. Now that’s what I’m talking about.
It might not look like much but it’s *at least* as good as some of the other Chinese in the area and you’ll save some coin.
Nice specials on the wall give you dinner for £4.50, and are pretty diverse in terms of your choice of meats and veg. The fried spring rolls are yummy, and I’ve made a dinner of just these over rice.
Everything I’ve had, including bites of friends’ orders, has been tasty. It doesn’t feel overly oily or sticky. It’s that light, flavorful Chinese I like best.
My only criticism is that I once ordered ma bo tofu and there were some pieces of meat in it. I’m not vegetarian (anymore) so this wasn’t a problem for me. In fact, I love meat and tofu together. But if you’re vegetarian, just make sure to let the cook/​owner know or get something that has no chance of meat content!

Yao Kee offers friendly service, prices at about 0.50−1 pound under competitors in the area, and a cook/​owner who is highly skilled with the wok.
His fried rice features toasted rice grains, each one separated from the other, and not a big, greasy, clump. This is the mark of good wok technique.
Similarly, his sweet and sour pork uses smallish, bite-​sized pieces of meat, correctly seasoned and sauced, and deep-​fried with a crispy shell of rice flour while remaining tender on the inside. Again, it shows that the cook paid attention to getting the oil hot enough in the wok to deep fry effectively.
All in all, highly recommended for takeout style Chinese food, and comparable to anything you’ll get anywhere else in London.

Yao Kee had seen me through many long, late shifts at the Student Union bar in my day.
The food is exceptionally good for a place as dated looking as it is. No airs, no graces. Service is quick, efficient and polite. Cheap price with a great range. They always have great specials to tempt your tastebuds and on the mega plus side, great vegetarian choices (go tofu and mushroom curry).
There is a little table inside if you chose to munch away at your noodles over lunch, but really it is a take away.
There is however one major flaw to Yao Kee. While it is arguably one of the best Chinese take away’s in the area in terms of yummy fresh food, it doesn’t do delivery. This is a big no no. There are too many OK take-away’s in the area for a place like this to win.
Yes, it will always have a loyal following of Goldsmiths Students and staff, or any locals living in and around the area. Especially those who travel by bus, who will inevitably whiff the delightful fragrances of Yao Kee once alighting from the stop opposite.
Overall, smashing little place, need to get a kid on a bike and team up with Just-​eat or something.

My god, have I died and gone to heaven?
Not quite, but the food tastes damn good. This is going to be a difficult review to write, cause I’ll just be thinking about how much I want to eat Yao Kee RIGHT NOW!
Yao Kee means Yao’s place, and whenever you go in, Yao will be behind the counter taking your order and making your food. He’s very friendly, and if you go often enough, he’ll remember what you usually order. Awesome!
My friend got a tofu dish special, while I got a shrimp chow mein. So good! Even the leftovers I had the next day were amazing. The one downside is how cramped the place is, but if you can snag a table you’re good to go!

This chinese food store looks simple, with a big red star on the fron. They also do good deals on meals for student so I have been a couple of times. I have to add that one of my friends did have a bit of an upset tummy after one such trip… but they are good, especially if you are craving chinese during the day for whatever reason.
The deals are generally for a fiver, you choose something like sweet and sour chicken and then rice or noodles. I would recommend the veggie chow mein as it is ‘safe’ and quite yummy. A good place for the occaisional chinese treat. It is also specifically a take away.