YiQi

YiQi is one of the fresher faces on Lisle Street, a Chinatown restaurant that ranges across Southeast Asia rather than sticking to a single national menu. Opened in 2024 on the former Hong Kong Buffet site, it pulls together Thai, Malaysian and Singaporean cooking, and quickly won a following and a place in the Michelin Guide.

As a genuinely pan-regional Southeast Asian restaurant in Chinatown, its appeal is the breadth: laksa and curries sit alongside stir-fries, rice and noodle dishes drawn from across the region, cooked with a lighter, brighter touch than the street's Cantonese stalwarts. It is a good choice when a group cannot agree on one cuisine.

What to expect from this Southeast Asian restaurant in Chinatown

Expect a menu that crosses borders: Malaysian and Singaporean noodle and rice dishes, Thai curries and stir-fries, and plenty of aromatic, chilli-warmed cooking. It is casual and quick, well suited to a Chinatown lunch or an easy dinner, and offers a change of pace from the roast-meat-and-dim-sum norm nearby.

The cooking and the setting

A relative newcomer among long-established neighbours, YiQi has carved out a niche with its multi-country menu on a quieter Chinatown street. It sits near supermarket-and-restaurant landmark Imperial China, with more of the area's tables in our Soho restaurants listings.

How a visit works

YiQi serves lunch and dinner on Lisle Street, taking walk-ins and bookings. It is listed on the official Chinatown directory, and reviewed by The Arbuturian.