Yum Yami– The Overview…
Food: Pork, Beef and Vegetarian Dumplings, Bubble Tea, Spinach Fried Rice, Chicken Burger, Porcupine Cake
The details…
Another visit to Camberwell (this time to YumYami), another montage of me walking up and down Burke Road trying to find the venue. (Please note: I parked literally outside of Camberwell Place and then proceeded to walk all around the outside and up and down the block several times before I decided to CHECK the address). If anyone wins an award for pride of place within a food court (read more about food court dining, set to be a 2019 trend), that would have to go to YumYami. Front and centre as you walk in, with seating stretching most of the length of Camberwell place,you really can’t miss their brightly lit store front. Amazingly well thought out there’s a lengthy stretch of bar seating adjacent to the counter – perfect for a quick lunch and much more spatially efficient than tables. Then off to the side is a small, more casual diner styled seating area. There’s lots of light to mid toned woods and greys keeping it airy but stylish and in keeping with its surroundings
Their menu is quick and simple Asian-Aussie fusion: soup, rice, burgers, artisan dumplings. For such a small unit, there’s a hefty kitchen and the majority of items are made on site. Time it right and you’ll catch a peak of your dumplings being freshly made on the open counter at the front! We started out with a couple of bubble teas before trying the dumplings, spinach fried rice, chicken burger and the adorable chocolate porcupine bun.
Now, I know a thing or two about bubble tea – in the sense that I’ve tried a lot of it, which definitely counts for something. You know that whole story about how it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert…. that’s me and bubble tea! I loved the smoothness of Yumyami’s tea. As well as looking amazing with the blue flower colouring it had a thirst quenching freshness. The flavours swept perfectly back through the pallet, no super sweet hit and no bitter aftertaste, just fresh through and through. One of the nicest bubble teas I’ve ever enjoyed (and I’ve had most of them). It wasn’t much of a surprise to me when I discovered Owner Julia had spent time in China learning how to make bubble tea – there was a real elegance to the drink and you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t pop by and grab one next time you’re in Camberwell.
We tried the pork, beef and veggie dumplings (no prawns for me). They’re nice, small dumplings – so easy to eat on the go if you need to. Fillings were smooth and well flavoured – I actually particularly liked the veggie ones. Perhaps it was the surprise of finding a good veggie dumpling, but I’d seriously consider ordering this over the pork ones and I’m usually pretty hard to sway from a good pork dumpling! (Although I don’t know who I’m kidding, they’re so affordable I’d just get all three flavours). They had a good range of sauces too and we enjoyed vinegar, soy sauce and chilli sauce with our dumplings. It really did feel like a micro-dumpling restaurant and so much more than your typical food court eatery.
The chicken burger was wrapped in a chunky soft steamed bun! The melt in the mouth bun gives way to a satisfying crunch of the crispy chicken. With some greens mixed in there it’s like those girls with the messy up-do’s in the hair – it looks like it took two seconds to create but actually hours of work went into making it look effortlessly simple – they also taste oh so good! It’s substantial enough to fill you up, while being easy enough to eat in a few minutes- that’s like convenience eating goals right there’s
If you’re wanting something even more substantial, definitely give their rice dishes a try! I was amazed how moist and soft the chicken and spinach rice was! They’d snuck loads of veggies in there too so I felt really healthy – and it even held up well when I reheated the leftovers for dinner. It was filling, it was interesting to eat and it felt different. It’s not a combo of ingredients I could have put together myself at home. Yum Yami aren’t going for that too lazy to make you’re lunch market, they’re actually creating delicious affordable food that you’d choose to enjoy for lunch every day! My advice: let them do the hard work so you don’t have to.
Everything else…
Website: https://www.instagram.com/yumyamicamberwell/
Address: The Well, 793 Burke Road, Camberwell
Opening Times:
Mon 9am to 7pm
Tue 9am to 7pm
Wed 9am to 7pm
Thu 9am to 7pm
Fri 9am to 7pm
Sat 9am to 7pm
Sun 9am to 7pm
Parking: Avoid trying to park on busy Burke Road. Head around the back of Camberwell place, near to Coles and you’ll find a car park there. While it does get reasonably busy, we found a spot easily on a Saturday afternoon.
Getting here on PT: Take the 72 tram and alight at Camberwell Shopping Centre. You could also probably walk from Camberwell Train Station too.
Disclaimer: We dined as guests of Yum Yami, Camberwell. Reviews are honest and based on our own personal experiences. We cannot guarantee things at a restaurant won’t change including, but not limited to, menu items and opening hours, so please confirm any details with the venue before visiting.