My First Taste of Sichuan at Yang Hero IT Park

I was doing some random historical study. One of the many things I recalled from Asian history class was the Chinese Communist Party in Sichuan. It's an interesting piece of historical detail that Mao Zedong (and other Chinese communists) were avid lovers of spicy food. Yang Hero had its first branch in Gaisano Tabunok. It opened a branch in IT Park last May 25, 2023.

The menus had Chinese translations. The establishment has made me realize the importance of learning Mandarin. True, I could order their food without speaking Mandarin. However, I still feel that the increasing number of Chinese businesses left and right would mean, "You may need to learn some Mandarin now to connect with more people in the world."

For a bit of background, here's what I gathered from Sun Star Cebu:

Evanmarie Mendoza, social media specialist at Yang Hero, said: “The Chinese barbecue is also a must-try for foodies as it differs from the regular ones that we typically have here in the Philippines. Marinated with a special sauce, this dish is cooked in a special way where the flavors are truly unique. But that’s not all, our head chef from Sichuan is also exploring adding more menu items to showcase more of the authentic Sichuan cuisine that is worth trying out soon.”

She also explained the meaning behind the restaurant’s name, “Yang Hero,” and expounded on the brand’s journey: “The word ‘Yang’ is the last name of one of the business owners. They started the business in the hopes of bringing Sichuan cuisine and culture to the Filipinos, especially with the help of Mr. Yang’s friends who are from Sichuan.”

According to Mendoza, the language barrier was one of the biggest challenges the owners of Yang Hero had to face: “They were quite worried at first about how the Cebuano market would perceive this new concept. Despite that it was a bold move to position themselves beside established restaurants, the owners were still hopeful with the high volume of traffic that IT Park offers.”

But the owners would eventually cross this language and culture barrier by asking their Filipino friends to help tailor the dish to better suit the Filipino taste buds: “There were times when they would let their Filipino friends sample the dishes to make sure they would suit the Filipino taste because they really are passionate about sharing their culture and cuisine with the Filipinos in a way that doesn’t come off as something intimidating.”

My first experience was this smoked bacon rice bowl. Some people I talked with were afraid that it'd become too spicy. They had a special Sichuan sauce. I also tried their Wang Lao Ji tea (Wong Lau Kat in Cantonese) which is a special blended herbal tea. I wanted to try Malatang which would be around PHP 300.00 (round-off price) but it's rather huge. I read how Mao enjoyed Sichuan braised pork. I could just assume that Mao probably also enjoyed this dish. I dubbed it the Chairman Mao Rice Bowl. I wanted to try eating like Mao himself. I was expecting to try Sichuan-style humba which they didn't serve. The last time I went, the place didn't accept credit cards. Fortunately, I was able to withdraw cash after the COVID-19 pandemic. There are other stuff I want to try at Yang Hero such as the barbecue, beef brisket, and their soup. It's all because the smoked bacon rice bowl gave me a good impression

I'd recommend trying this restaurant when you can. This is just the beginning of my journey. I might review some of their food items when I get to.