Yum Yang Chinese Restaurant

Date: 3/24/10

Address: 456 SW Mount Si Blvd, North Bend, WA 

Occasion: Take-out with S.E.A.L.

A late night dinner with S.E.A.L. in the land of far-far-away.  Well, actually, North Bend isn't that far, but it was only a few years ago that this was considered the "boonies."  We've heard of a few good recommendations surrounding the North Bend area, and being the FITs that we are, we took on the responsibility of researching these recent rumors.

Atmosphere: Casual.  Walk in for a sit down meal or call ahead and take it home.  The restaurant itself is fairly small but can still accommodate a family very easily.  There’s a small bar in the back near the cash register and kitchen, and through a peep hole, you can see through to the kitchen and hear the "action" going on.  They have a few items (arch in entry way, pieces of art, etc.) which define the character within the restaurant, and while I'm taking a guess, I’d argue that this is a family-run business.  While we were waiting for our food, we only saw one cook in the back, and if that’s the case, she had quite the workload.  The service (even for take-out) was impressive.  Our order came quickly, given we did not order ahead of time, and we were pleasantly surprised to be offered complimentary tea while we wait.  Thank goodness, an Asian restaurant that doesn't charge for tea!! That’s a lost art now-a-days!

Food:  I am a fan of any Chinese restaurant with hand-shaven noodles.  Although S.E.A.L. was a little disappointed to not find Chow Fun (wide rice noodles) on the menu, Yum Yang redeemed themselves with Squid with Spicy Salt (an all-time favorite of the Sir).  They had the typical "American" Chinese food choices, but we were overjoyed to find great options to satisfy a hungry Chinese man.  We ordered the House Special Chow Mein with Hand-Shaven Noodles (+$1.50), the Happy Family dish, white rice and Squid with Spicy Salt (SwSS).  We have been searching for a part-time replacement for the Sir's favorite dish, and have tried at many restaurants, but Yum Yang takes the cake for the best SwSS that we've found in the Seattle area! You heard it here folks!

Price: Very decent especially for the "valley."  We've noticed that the further you move away from the big cities, your prices increase, but Yum Yang was very reasonable in their prices.  Most entrees were around the $10 range.  

Overall Recommendation: I think that Yum Yang will be a family favorite for us.  It has great food, and it’s local.  Typically we would head out to Chinatown for the "good stuff" – and still will for the dim sum – but for an easy Chinese dinner, Yum Yang easily competes with any of the local Chinese restaurants.