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Andrew Yee is an artist, illustrator, journalist, and documentarian. He is currently one of the lead editors of the online publication, Yellowbelly.
Where do you live most of the year?
Ryde, the greatest suburb in Sydney. Most of the time, I’m at my work desk, drawing or writing.
What do you look for in a restaurant when you walk in?
One of the first things I look for is the ratio between how busy the restaurant is and compared to how many patrons are eating. I make a judgment call on whether everyone arrived at the same time or the service is slow. The ideal situation would be a packed floor with half the people eating and the other half waiting.
After doing a rough head and table count, I turn on my spidey-senses and feel out the vibe of the place. My criteria includes whether the lighting is too dim, whether anyone is looking around or generally bored, and whether there is a mural of a dead rapper (the biggest ick).
What is your final meal?
When I was nine, my family ran a cafe in Manly for a year. My mum had literally no experience in hospitality and was thrown into managing a pressure cooker of a small business. She was burnt out, overworked, and stressed. Think of Carmy from ‘The Bear’ as a small Asian woman with a bob-cut, and you’ll get the general idea. However, one of the silver linings was that she learnt to cook a whole bunch of Aussie 00s classic cafe meals. Two of her signatures were the schnitzel (both as a main and in a sandwich) and lasagna. My final meal would be both of these foods, with a milkshake in a big, cold metal cup it was shaken in (hopefully a toilet is nearby as I’m lactose intolerant haha).
3 guests for dinner, dead or alive?
I’m going to assume that I can conjure the dead when answering this question. My first would be Anthony Bourdain, as watching ‘No Reservations’ was a key influence in my wanting to write and tell stories. The dream scenario would be taking Bourdain to Eastwood and hearing him monologue in real time. The second would be Lindsay Lohan, as I had a big crush on her when I was a kid. I don’t know whether I’d tell her, but I think it would be a great elephant in the room and set the vibe of the dinner. The last would be Martin Scorsese. I’d spend the majority of the night thanking him for his contributions to cinema and working Joe Pesci quotes into the conversation —’ Goodfellas’, whatta film!
Andrew’s Taste Maker Guide
Breakfast: La Vigne Bakery
Order: Technically, Lavigne is a bakery. There are a bunch of things to pick out, but the two things you’re looking for are the kimchi croquette and sausage bread. Wash it down with a weak ice long black and you got a perfect breakfast.
Coffee: Domo 39
Order: I usually get an ice long black or soy cappucino. I want to give a shoutout to the ‘Swamp’ (which I get if I’ve had too much caffeine that day), which is a mix of matcha and chocolate. It’s earthy, rich, and most importantly, comes hot and cold.
Lunch: Cho Dumpling King
Order: I firmly believe that you can’t go wrong with Taiwanese food. My choice 9/10 times is the chicken fillet box, which includes a prawn omelette, pickled ginger, rice, a thick cut of orange, and a shaken iced tea.
Special dinner: Sang by Mabasa
Order: This restaurant ticks all the boxes. It’s casual and cosy, the staff is attentive yet gives you space, and, most importantly, all the food is delicious. While I love the bossam and the pancake, the MVP is the mugwort ice cream with salted chocolate ganache. I’m not one for hottakes, but this is legitimately the best ice cream flavour in Sydney.
Casual dinner: Happy Chef Noodle Restaurant
Order: Everyone goes to ‘Happy Chef’ for the laksa. Not me. I get the dry noodles with brisket, beef tendon and wonton. I usually pick the egg noodles and dump a bunch of chilli oil on them, which they have on the counter. It comes with a side of clear broth, which is technically a drink but to me is food. I usually bring a can of Coke Zero as the bar at Sussex St food court has a strange vibe, haha.
This is my go-to comfort food because it’s in a food court, which makes me feel like I’m in my element. These are spaces for both eating and democracy, two things I align myself with. No one is better than anyone else. A banker can sit next to a tradie across from a uni student, all enjoying a meal. Food courts are the social experiment that worked.
Special shoutouts
15 cenchi, The Big Big Aloha, Hong Kong Recipe, Poketto, Signatures (the best old school buffet in Sydney), Shortstop Coffee & Donuts, Tita, Yeodongsik, the Costco hotdog, and specifically the El jannah in Burwood.
This is the one!