Photo by Neidy Gutierrez / SOC Images.
When Shiyang Li and his fellow co-owners were drawing up plans for Yuan, Li said he pictured one specific location: his childhood playground.
Complementing greenery, carved and arched woodwork and touches of earth hues can all be found in Chinese parks, and its sentiment is nearly reflective in the Downtown Jersey City restaurant. As Li continued recalling his childhood memories to Slice of Culture, the modern Chinese eatery suddenly became an ode to the home they grew up in, which they are leaving a door open for all to experience.
“Yuan is the Chinese name for the 小花园 [Xiǎo huāyuán]. [Xiǎo huāyuán] means a little garden or little playground,” Li told Slice of Culture.
“I was thinking of my childhood playground [of] myself, my family [and] my friends from childhood. We all had fun in the playground and pretty much everyone had the same playground back [then]. We want to create a place to let people come in and [enjoy] the food, enjoy the time and spend the time with their family, their friends and to create a very memorable place for them.”
Childhood Flavors & Memories
Yuan, located at 537 Washington Boulevard, had its soft opening this past summer in August. It fills in big shoes left by Raaz, a staple Indian restaurant that served locals for 17 years; a place which has also contributed to the inspiration behind Yuan.
But there are many elements that make up Yuan: their homage to Raaz, its predecessor; the authentic Sichuan (or traditionally spelled Szechuan) and Chongqing dishes; the 200-year-old handmade wood pieces that once belonged to people who lived during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), now hung on the restaurant’s walls; and Jersey City, which is where Li and his co-owners met.
Li has been living in Jersey City since 2016. He went to college in Indiana and when he pursued his master’s degree, he found himself in Hudson County.
“[My co-owners and I] have mutual friends,” Li added. “We’re rooted here [in Jersey City]. We have a community [here], friends here [and] we hang out.”
One thing that Li and his friends noticed when they came to Jersey City between 2015 and 2016 was that there weren’t many Chinese restaurants—let alone Asian restaurants in Jersey City—and the Asian population wasn’t like how it is now.
But now, in a sense, it’s different; a good different.
“We want to welcome all customers from all races,” he said. “I think that we are trying to [keep] the tradition, but also localize for whoever [is] coming… We choose the ingredients from [other] local [places].”
Shiyang Li told Slice of Culture.
Li and his team, who joined the restaurant industry in 2018, also owns Peppercorn Station 青花椒 in New York at 66 W 39th Street and Jersey City at 120 Morgan Street as well as Meet Fresh at 525 Washington Boulevard in Jersey City.
Jersey City’s Own Xiǎo huāyuán
Back at the “little garden,” their menu is vast, and with the scan of a provided QR code, the possibilities expand.
Yuan offers lunch and an all-day menu, which are served family-style.
The lunch menu is “simple”; they choose some signature food that can be made quickly and effectively for the rush. But for the all-day menu, customers can indulge in appetizers like noodles, dumplings or soup dumplings. Entrees include classics like kung pao chicken and fried rice, but also main courses like beef stew with tomato, stir-fried diced beef with truffle and Chong Qing-style boiled fish.
If Li had to recommend any, he suggested the beef stew with tomato because of his love for the beef and tomatoes, which are organic.
“If you can see my Uber ordering list,” Li laughed. “That’s pretty much the dish I want for every order.”
Other featured items include:
- Steamed dumplings with shrimp
- Salty egg yolk tofu and shrimp
- Chicken in numbing chili oil, which can get spicy
- Steamed whole fish in foil, a dish that the chef used to serve in China for years
“[Yuan] wants to create an intense flavor to attract the customer because you cannot make this flavor at home,” the co-owner added. “But not only the intense flavor, we want to create [flavors] you can eat every day without [it] being boring.”
Li said they want to continue getting customer feedback to keep growing and improving their business. And, at the end of the day, the goal is to always provide quality food and give the best experience to those who walk through the door.
