Eating Out: YANCHIN

A lot of eateries and restaurants across the city have started adding a Pan Asian section to their menu in order to cater to this fast growing customer base who prefers having some Asian food in their dining experiences. One of the most popular eateries in this segment is Yanchin, a cosy restaurant located in the Beltola Bazaar road of the city. Within a few years of its launch, the restaurant has become highly popular and has also won the Best Evening Restaurant Award of Guwahati by Zomato.

Yanchin is the brainchild of Ankur Phukan, a former IT professional based in Delhi, and his wife, Komal Phukan, who is a teacher and a motivator by profession. Both were initially based in New Delhi and came back to Guwahati with the shared dream of starting a South Asian outlet in the hub of the Northeast. The eatery earlier functioned from a rented place in Cachal area of the city before it moved to its present location in Jayanagar Chariali, Beltola Bazaar Road.

At a time when every other restaurant is serving something or the other in the name of Asian food, Yanchin comes as a pleasant surprise. The eatery serves a limited menu which is highly fulfilling for the tastebuds.

Talking about the concept behind the restaurant, Ankur says, “Our main focus was to bring different types of noodles and dimsumto the foodies of Guwahati with their original taste and flavours. We never expected that people will be embracing us for this unique concept and accepting it so warmly.

Yanchin is our baby in the literal sense.The name of the restaurant actually came from our kids, Ayanna and Adhyanan, (both having the word “Yan” in their names and their little "China").

Komal further elaborates, “We decided to start this restaurant after many sleepless nights. Our concept was to start something new that everyone loved, and at the same time something which was unique. After doing a lot of research and market study, we came up with the thought of starting a South Asian cuisine outlet. In the beginning, we wanted to start the joint as a takeaway.However, with taking into account the heavy rush of regular customers, we decided to add a sitting area to the outlet. The space is still small and we are looking for a bigger area to cater to the ever increasing customer needs. But as of now, we are focusing more on home delivery across Guwahati.”

Talking about the menu, Ankur says, “Yanchin focuses on delivering simple south Asian cuisine with our own twist, trying to keep the originality as close as possible. However, the biggest challenge was in finding the real ingredients in this part of the region. But the lack of the original spicesled us to create some of the unique sauces used in our preparations - sauces which enhances the taste of the dishes, creating our very own Asian experience.”

The restaurant is backed by a dedicated set of chefs who do full justice to the young couple’s vision. “We have trained our chefs who all have an ample amount of job experience in this field.However, most of the recipes are self-invented and maybe this is the reason why they appeal to different taste-buds,” maintains Ankur.”

He adds, “Our famous dishes include the Devils Ramen, a one-of-a-kind dish which is very new to the market. It is a fusion between Sichuan and Asian Ramen. Other popular dishes include Shumai (with chili oil), Chili oil Wontons, Sikkim Momo, Kimchi Noodles, Lanzhou Soup noodles and Jajangmyeon, which is quite loved by many of our customers. On customer’s demand, we have started serving them with Rice combos for lunch, which is delivered in many offices across the city.”

With such a delectable spread of dishes, we are sure you must be curious about the price. And contrary to popular perception, the prices are pretty reasonable and can be said to be highly pocket-friendly. As Komal says, “We have tried to keep our prices as reasonable as possible, so that everyone can taste the uniqueness and creative cuisines prepared in Yanchin. Yanchin believes in zero food wastage policy and in case a customer wants to try more, we can customize their order accordingly.”

Most of the customers who have visited Yanchin have usually done so on the recommendation of other foodies who have been to the place. As Ankur says, “When a customer visits us on a recommendation, from different parts of the country, we feel blessed and motivated, that our efforts are being recognized. Pictures, photos, videos uploaded by our customers in social media, makes our day even more exciting. We are glad that we are able to live up to our motto, which is:“Yanchin believes in spreading love through food”.

A customer to the restaurant Tridip Talukdar opined, “"Well one of friend suggested me to go for YanChin. I tried the restaurant on his recommendation. All I can say is - Awesome food n Taste! Come and visit if you want to taste something different... I loved it!”

Another customer Sukanya Barua says, “It is a cute little new place for all the foodies out there! One of those places which makes u crave for amazing authentic food and makes you go back again! It's hygienic and has unique dishes! I have tried three dishes on my first of many visits and it is lip-smackingly good! The owners would make you love the place even more!Great job guys!!”