Awabi continues Chinese theme in Halkett Place

Tuesday 06 April 2021

A new pan-Asian restaurant is promising to bring Halkett Place a brand new mix of flavours spanning the continents.

Awabi, the brainchild of brother and sister duo Stephen and Hayley Yu, continues the decades-long lineage of Asian restaurants at 63 Halkett Place and aims to bring tastes never experienced in Jersey before.

Pictured: Awabi is located at where the old Diamond Restaurant used to be on Halkett Place.

Looking at the history behind the restaurant, the idea of lineage plays a big part not only in terms of the location, but in terms of its people - for Stephen and Hayley, this is a passion rooted in family, having grown up spending hours in their father's business, St Clement's Rice Bowl.

"We’ve grown up in the restaurant industry, when we were young we always spent our weekends playing there," Stephen said.

“Our life always revolved around food and even the Chinese language… so it was a natural thing to us in terms of what we wanted to do; we’d always dreamed of running a business and it was always going to be a restaurant.”

After both Stephen and Hayley returned from travelling and living in Asia, they realised the perfect opportunity was upon them when they had the chance to acquire the building of the old Diamond Restaurant on Halkett Place. 

“It’s obviously had long history of being a pillar of the Chinese community, and we just wanted to bring something fresh to the Chinese food scene,” Stephen explained.

Hayley added that they wanted to represent flavours that hadn’t had as much exposure on the island, such as Korean and Japanese delicacies.

Pictured: Brother and sister duo Stephen and Hayley Yu set up Awabi with the aim of bringing new flavours to Jersey.

This blend of culture is reflected in the name of the restaurant; the Awabi, also known over here as the Ormer, is a shellfish commonly found in Jersey, but considered a delicacy in Asia, reserved for occasions like weddings and banquets.

Creating this bridge between East and West through food forms the heart of Awabi for Stephen, “using local ingredients [with] French or British cooking techniques, and reinterpreting Asian flavours in a way that’s really unique with Jersey.”

The restaurant offers a variety of cross-continental flavours, including food ranging from Vietnamese, regional Chinese, Korean and Szechuanese.

Indeed, menu choices mentioned by the pair ranged from dumplings with a Szechuanese peppercorn, a “numbing, tingling spice” unlike anything else in the West, to Indonesian Prawns, to more vegan-oriented style minimalist shiitake mushroom dishes. 

One dish in particular that Stephen said “everyone seems to be obsessing over” was a Yuk-Sung based beef dish, with a spicy Korean sauce.

Pictured: Awabi's dine-in bar means those coming in for a snack and a drink are just as welcome as those coming for a full meal.

Looking at the development of the restaurant too, it seems that its process from acquisition to completion has been as much of a journey as their travels across the East, with the pair having to design the interior from the ground up.

Hayley said how when they “first looked at the building, [it] was completely derelict – there wasn’t even any floors in there, it was just barefaced brick on the inside.” 

Fortunately, Hayley and her husband are both architects, and their firm Atelier Noad Yu has designed the entire layout, which includes a dine-in bar area, as well as the more private seating at the back, ensuring that both those coming for a few drinks and a snack, or those coming for a full meal, are accommodated.

Throughout this development process too, the pair say they’ve received plenty of support from local businesses, with nearby shop Pebble Boutique supplying them with furniture, and fellow Chinese restaurants sending them congratulatory flowers and well-wishes.

 

 

 

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And even though their initial plans to open last year faced some setbacks due to covid, Awabi at last had its soft opening two weeks ago, before opening fully for business last week.

Speaking about the reception so far, Stephen said they “couldn’t have hoped for a better start,” adding that the response to the range of flavours was a particular highlight. 

“It’s really reinforced the idea that people in Jersey are adventurous, and they really want novelty,” he said. “You could see how much fun everyone was having in the restaurant.”

This engaged reaction feels imperative to the way they want the restaurant to be seen - an experience as well as an eatery. 

“You’re really engaging with your food and sharing with your friends rather than you having your own little bowl and you’re eating that to yourself,” Stephen said. 

“A lot of the dishes require that interaction with mixing sauces in, or chopping up runny egg yolks or making wraps, so it’s kind of finger food as well, but really fun to share with your friends, looks great on Instagram, and you’ll come away feeling like you’ve learnt something about Asian food.”

In the spirit of this adventure and exploration, he added: “You might find your new favourite flavour.”