Yoi! Serves Indonesian Comfort Classics with a Modern Twist
A'Beckett Street has become a mecca for casual and contemporary spins on Asian street foods, from the Malaysian franchise Jojo’s Little Kitchen to Pelicana Korean fried chicken to Wonderbao to HWKR food centre, which houses a rotating selection of stallholders under one roof. Yoi! is one of the newest concepts to grace the street, and it’s arguably one of the most unique.
Yoi! is a modern Indonesian restaurant started by Ibu Lie Tjoa and her two sons. She formerly owned Nelayan with her ex-husband but after the divorce, “he got the restaurant and she got the kids,” she half-joked.
Compared to Nelayan, which sticks to mostly classic Indonesian fare, Yoi! Is much more playful and catered towards an Instagram generation.
In fact, a whole section of the menu is devoted to Indomie, the instant noodles that have gained internet fame thanks to nostalgia and aesthetic branding. One of their hottest flavours of the moment is salted egg, a traditional ingredient that’s recently surged in popularity.
It makes an appearance several times across Yoi!’s menu. See the vegetarian salted egg noodles which come topped with a fried egg (trust us, it’s not overkill), salted egg fried chicken and salted egg fries.
But eggs aside, there are plenty of more conventional dishes on offer at Yoi! if that’s what you’re after. Think nasi goreng, beef rendang, chicken satay and several types of Indonesian fried chicken – one of which is slathered in a shocking amount of chilli.
As for desserts, there are just two options on the menu but the mix-and-matchable filling options make the offerings seem more vast. Option one is roti bakar, which translates literally to “toast” in Malay and option two is martabak, which has the texture of a large crumpet. Both come stuffed with your choice of Nutella, chocolate sprinkles, Oreos, peanuts or cheese.
Don’t knock the latter ’til you try it. The cheesy desserts at Yoi! are so beloved that one of the owner’s sons has considered opening a dessert only-cafe. Personally, I hope he does, but you can make that call for yourself by visiting Yoi! any day for lunch or dinner.
