We finally had the opportunity to try out the 'Yummy Tummy Asian Bistro' located at 161-16 Northern Boulevard and wanted to write up a quick review of the new Singaporean / Taiwanese outpost.  The restaurant bills itself as 'Asian Comfort Food' on its storefront and our experience aptly agrees with this description.  Yummy Tummy offers an interesting new experience for someone who is familiar with Asian cuisine in the form of traditional Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese and Korean but has yet to venture beyond those mainstays.  

The restaurant itself sports a minimalist decor with bright and clean interiors with lots of light woods and brass finishes.  Overall an inviting and cozy boutique restaurant experience that caters to the casual diner.  Walls are decorated with simple pictures and the atmosphere is especially inviting in  juxtaposition to a strip of surrounding eateries that advertise solely in the predominant Korean language.

The signature dish at Yummy Tummy is the Hainanese Chicken which is  a boneless chicken served with green and red chile sauces.   The chicken is offered at a quarter chicken for $9, half for $18.00, or whole for $36.  We found the chicken to be tender and fresh and quite an enjoyable entree to the restaurants larger offerings.  Other dishes we tried were the black peppercorn soft shell crabs which were $26 in which we added scallops to the dish for an additional $6 and a Curry with Beef Belly priced at $16.  Overall, all the dishes lived up to the billing of comfort food with strong flavors that are richly spiced in new uniquely expressed fusion combinations.

First-time restaurateur Richard Chan, who moved here from Singapore 35 years ago is a welcome addition to the Flushing neighborhood and we look forward to trying out the rest of his menu.  Although the main menu is reasonably priced, lunch specials are offered Monday through Friday and probably offer a better opportunity for the budget conscious diner to experience the wide ranging menu.

4 1/2 STARS OUT OF 5