The former Roma Bakery on Washtenaw near Golfside is now Yee Siang Dumplings. A cozy cafe with upholstered chairs and wooden tables, it serves the food of northeastern China.
“I will give you more details, ma’am,” volunteers Aaron Zhou, the manager. “I understand that details are very important in the report.” Zhou’s English vocabulary is still limited, but his diction is precise, and his desire to communicate is palpable. The owner’s daughter, Ivy Tie, pulls up a chair, and they explain how Yee Siang, which means “delicious,” came about.
Unlike so many Chinese restaurants with massive menus claiming to specialize in Hunan or Szechuan or Cantonese cuisine, owner Weiguo (way gwah) Tie decided to keep it simple and cook what he and his wife, Hua Bai, know best: food from his native Liaoning province. Not much represented in our immigrant community, it’s way up there next to North Korea.
Weiguo Tie has been in the U.S. since 1996 (Ivy and her mother are more recent immigrants), working in other people’s kitchens, most often as a sushi chef. He has a keen eye for American culture and noticed that there’s nothing certain Westerners like better than discovering a new ethnic cuisine. “I think he is an expert in American society,” Aaron says. “He has many business experiences in America.”
Yee Siang is still in a very soft opening, with only part of a planned short menu available. They’ll bring out the rest of it when the students come back in the fall and maybe add some other northeastern specialties as well. As of early August, they were serving about a half dozen flavors of dumplings and marinated roast duck, hacked-up bones and all, the way the Chinese do.
The interview is interrupted several times by what seems to be some beside-the-point bickering between the owner’s daughter and the owner’s employee.
“I learn English at Calvary Bible Study Church,” says Aaron.
“It’s Calvary Bible Church–there’s no ‘study’ in there,” Ivy corrects him.
“I go to that church more than you. I think I know.”
And a few minutes later: “She has a northeastern China accent.”
“I speak very standard Mandarin.”
“Not really.”
Yes, they’re married, which explains a lot. “He likes to talk,” says Ivy. This time, Aaron doesn’t argue.
Yee Siang Dumplings, 4837 Washtenaw, 879-1459. Tues-Thurs. & Sun. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Closed Mon.
