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Saigon fried rice served in a pineapple boat. |
One of the things we like about J.H. Yee’s Asian Bistro at the San Juan Holiday Inn in Isla Verde is the wonderful variety on its menu. That, with great service, a comfortable and attractive dining room with an open kitchen, and pots and pots of hot tea, make a meal there memorable.
Here’s how it happens: Since we love Chinese food, for years my husband and I, wherever we go, look for a Chinese restaurant. Once there, we most often opt to order our old favorites, things like cold sesame peanut noodles, won ton soup or crispy veggie spring rolls for appetizers.
Although all those old standbys were available during our first experience at J.H. Yee’s, we were tempted by the looks of the dishes we saw going by on their way to other tables. So we started becoming adventurous and tried new things.
Now I am smitten by the chef’s special lettuce wraps—chicken ground with Shiitake mushrooms, water chestnuts and oyster sauce served with crispy lettuce leaves and rice noodles for extra crunch. So different! Such fun to eat! And my husband is now as apt to order Neptune seaweed salad for an appetizer as he once was to automatically ask for won ton soup. The temptation lies in the fact that the salad is made of wok-seared shrimp and scallops marinated with Chinese herbs, then served with Wakame seaweed. “Delicate and delicious,” he says.
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Chef Danny fashions flowers out of scallions. |
It’s even harder for us to decide on an entrée—there are so many we are attracted to. For instance, the Saigon fried rice is one of my favorites: it’s a fresh pineapple boat filled with fried rice tossed with shrimp, BBQ pork, chicken, veggies and bits of pineapple.
But my favorite, favorite foods are the orange-flavored dishes. We’ve had—at one time or another—orange chicken, orange shrimp, orange beef and orange scallops. That orange sauce is so delicious…and it has its own story.
For many years, the owner’s wife has bought local Puerto Rican oranges (delicious!) and then hand-peels, slices and sun-dries the skins at her home in Fajardo. Now it’s one of the restaurant’s specialties.
As if trying to decide which orange dish to choose isn’t difficult enough, there are also the duck options to tempt you. Hong Kong duck is cooked at the restaurant in its own barbecue oven. It’s marvelously crisp on the outside and moist within. The Peking duck is sliced and served with scallions, cucumbers, thin pancakes (think tortillas) and a plum sauce. The server will prepare the pancakes tableside.
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Barbecued Peking duck is sliced and prepared tableside. |
Everything at J.H. Yee’s Asian Bistro is served family-style, so you can order for the table, and everyone gets to take what they want. You also can opt to sit outdoors on the terrace that overlooks the hotel’s garden. There are lots of options at Yee’s.
J.H. Yee’s Asian Bistro
San Juan Holiday Inn
8020 Tartak Street Isla Verde
(787) 253-0210
Be sure to visit their other location
in the San Patricio Plaza, Guaynabo.
AAA members save
15% on food and
nonalcoholic beverages.
This has long been a favorite of many guests. Its hot and spicy flavor can be enjoyed fresh from your own kitchen. Tip: Do the slicing in advance, and when you’re ready to make the soup, it will take only minutes to prepare.
For many events, we also prepare this soup as “Hot & Sour Seafood Soup.” Simply substitute the pork or chicken for your favorite fresh seafood items such as shrimp, scallops and a nice firm white filet of fish in season. If available, use a seafood or fish stock instead of the chicken stock to enhance the seafood.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4-6 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes
2 ounces “wood ear” mushrooms, if desired, can be found in Asian markets.
4 ounces pork or chicken
8-ounce package fresh firm tofu
1/2 cup sliced canned bamboo shoots, drained
2-1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Salt
Ground white pepper
Dash of hot sauce such as Tabasco (optional)
1 tablespoon cornstarch paste (slurry)
1. Squeeze the soaked mushrooms dry with a clean kitchen towel, then discard the hard stems (this can be done easily with a pair of kitchen scissors). Thinly slice the Chinese mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, pork or chicken, tofu and bamboo shoots.
2. Bring chicken stock to a rolling boil in a wok and add the shredded ingredients. Bring back to a boil and simmer for about one minute.
3. Add the rice wine or sherry, soy sauce and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and white pepper (increasing the white pepper will make the soup more spicy, as will adding the dash of hot sauce). Bring back to a boil, then add the cornstarch paste until thickened and serve.
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