Yagi Noodles' Chef Basil Yu: From pop-up to James Beard finalist

Chef Basil Yu of Yagi Noodles in Newport is still processing his recent James Beard Award semifinalist nomination.

“It’s still kind of a shock,” Yu told What’sUpNewp at a New York City event on Thursday night featuring four of Rhode Island’s James Beard Award semifinalists. “The list was something that I have looked up to since I started my cooking career.”

Yu, who has been in Newport for about 14 years, opened Yagi Noodles as a pop-up before establishing it as a permanent restaurant. The eatery specializes in what Yu calls “craft, American-style ramen,” drawing influences from Japanese and Chinese cuisine.

The chef takes pride in Yagi Noodles’ commitment to making their own ramen noodles.

“Most ramen shops are buying their noodles from a handful of manufacturers,” Yu explains. “We are buying our flour locally from a farmer up in Maine, up in upstate New York, milling fresh to us in western mass, and then we’re making noodles there.”

For the James Beard dinner in New York City, Yu and his team prepared several dishes including a green crab laksa, a Singaporean-style curry made with an invasive species of crab found in Rhode Island waters.

“These crabs, they’re eating all the shellfish,” Yu says. “We’re trying to give it a little bit of value to it and realize that we can eat this.”

The dish also featured a unique miso made from ramen noodle trim.

Looking ahead, Yagi Noodles recently obtained a liquor license and plans to expand its bar offerings, focusing on unique and interesting sakes. The restaurant will also play a significant role in the upcoming Newport Food and Wine Festival, hosting a sake dinner and participating in various events throughout the weekend.