Enjoy Upscale, Eclectic Asian Food at Yangming in Bryn Mawr

Yangming is an upscale, never-duplicated, well-known and loved establishment, offering an eclectic bounty of Chinese and Asian fusion cuisine. The cocktail offerings are creative, the wine list award-winning and the desserts a blend of either decadent or light. Indulge in the sweetest of treats or restrain with a fresh berry-based, naturally sugared more healthfhttp://yangmingrestaurant.com/reviews/ul choice. Lychee nuts are an unique option.

Owner Michael Wei’s restaurant was awarded 2017’s Best of the Best Hall of Fame Annual Dining Award by County Lines Magazine. Congratulations, to Mr. Wei, an exquisitely talented chef and to the always-friendly servers and staff.

The majority of my Chinese restaurant experiences typically involve hasty fetches from interchangeable-looking houses of MSG (as I refer to them), replete with faded and oddly blue-hued entrée photos hanging from a wall-top perimeter. The menus rarely change, nor does my go-to (albeit unadventurous) choice of chicken and broccoli. At times, I take courage to a new level, requesting the dish prepared slightly spicy. It’s a sad state of affairs to rarely deviate from the known.

By nature and generally speaking, I’m eager to try new foods despite my ostensibly contrary earlier comments, so when my editor sent me to dine at Yangming, I was primed to counter ho-hum status quo. Happily, dinner at Yangming provided an exercise in culinary pleasure at every turn. Instead of toting home stapled brown bags sporting greasy bottoms, I dined in style at a first-rate establishment. Those generic take-away joints should not even be mentioned in the same sentence as Yangming. And because Yangming take-out is available, I’m hard pressed to visit the others. Far from dissing them (as they do serve a purpose as evidenced by their popularity and Starbucks-like visibility), I’m merely singing at the top of my lungs Yangming’s praises. But let’s talk food and drink! To wit:

My two appetizers were absolute winners: tender lamb satay marinated lightly and not drowning in a sauce-river as to obscure the delicacy of the lamb. The pork dumpli ngs are both a house favorite and my own. Those beautiful, tasty big-bopper poppers with a ratio of slightly chewy, thin dough to meaty interior never fails to impress.

My server suggested an entrée and bent to whisper what sounded like some “secret menu” choice familiar to regular clientele, to those in the know. Whatever took place in the kitchen under the cloak of secrecy made me want to keep it hush-hush. It’s a ploy to get y’all foodies to make your reservations and discover any delectable off-menu variants, although I hope this review alone encourages your visit.

How can I list in one visit the attributes running the gamut from greeting to departure along with in-between delight to belly and spirits? My drink choices were a less hardy appetizer-pairing Pinot Grigio, then a heavier Chardonnay with my more substantive entrée. Said server was attentive while not overly so, always friendly and eager to offer suggestions. He clearly sensed my indecision, my I’ll-have-one-of-each dilema. Can I help that, whether small bites, entrees, desserts or specialty drinks, all happened to intrigue equally? That’s good news because it warrants repeat returns.

While I’m not a fan of fortune cookies’ taste, I do participate in the tradition because one “doesn’t mess with tradition.” And Yangming’s cookies are both plain as well as chocolate-coated. Don’t think for a moment the message in a crispy-crunchy was actually dessert. Yangming’s dessert menu is extensive and as creative as is everything else. Check out below the photo of one sweet ending.

Ready to depart with “thick middle” and “crisp belly,” I complimented the manager, asking him to pass on along my compliments to owner and chef. Mr. Wei’s Yangming has won me over with a veritable soup-to-Lychee nuts deliciously enjoyable dining experience.

Enter: you’ll be glad you did, as will your belly.

Now that’s a fun entrance. Fantastic color and design. What lies within?

There’s nothing like a cozy booth in which to dine in private, cushioned comfort.

Time to peruse and choose from what’s behind this menu’s rays.

Bar (barely) none but soon they come. I wanted to beat the crowd; the chairs soon filled to capacity.

Ingredient blends in all specialty cocktails make for a choice challenge.

A picture is worth a thousand slurps.

Service with a smile–and what a smile it is.

Eclectic variety of appetizers forced me to make it double.

Melt-in-mouth char-grilled satay lamb with equally tasty marinade.

Steamed pork dumplings are bountiful mouth-poppers with perfect ratio of chewy dough to meaty interior.

A snapshot of some tantalizing choices. Yangming does variety well.

While I ordered two appetizers because of indecisiveness, I was not about repeat with entrée, despite the tantalizing array of choices.

Everything about my entrée was just right: the slightest crunch to snow peas, the succulent, tender shrimp and sauce blend and a smattering of nutty-shaved topping.

Don’t be deceived by the absence of clientele. By the time I finished my early-bird meal, the room would become the furthest thing from ghost-town appearing.

Looking out from my cozy, semi-circular booth, I’m happy to see business booming.

Away I went – to the decadent. No indecision here: this evening “indulge” became my middle name.

A thing of beauty that certainly didn’t last forever. Down the hatch!

Note the salient word “should.” I prefer the more promising “will” but won’t allow perfection to be the enemy of this cookie’s message’s good.