yan restaurant

unique dishes that push the boundaries of chinese cuisine. amazingly fragrant smokey flavours that are a theme to all the dishes. must order the squid entree it’s out of this world. and of course the famous coconut dessert that’s a no brainer. it doesn’t disappoint and it’s dairy free! 🥳🥳

the coconut ice cream is really nice, beef rib is not bad, the fish tastes good, but may be it’s deep fried, the fish is a bit dry for me, if it’s steamed, i think it’ll be tender and juicy. lamb and pork ribs are ok.

with asian fusion/modern asian cuisine, all the dishes look stunning with beautiful plating. the chefs put a lot of attention & care into each dish, including desserts, actually especially with their desserts! 😍

their smoked dishes are their signature dishes so we tried pork & beef ribs. both were well rendered with a wonderful smoky flavour. the beef short ribs were meltingly good. unfortunately the fried squid was not my favourite, it was hard & the sauce was overly salty. 😬

both desserts were delicious. creamy coconut ice cream paired with coconut jelly & flesh scrapped from the young coconut, it’s a coconut lover’s dream dessert. the yogurt parfait was beautifully assembled, it had an awesome balance of texture, freshness & flavour. 😋

in additional to the great food, service was friendly & efficient. portion sizes are relatively small for the price they charge for, but quality over quantity, will still recommend this place. 😌

beautifully simple restaurant in wolli creek. there was a big table outside and a few smaller tables inside with a view of the open kitchen.

we got four dishes and a dessert for four of us and it was ok for small eaters. you'll want to order more if you have bigger eaters in the group.

our lunch includes:
- smoked pork ribs - so flavoursome and smokey
- beef tenderloin with a mild spicy sauce - very tender meat with a lovely sauce which isn't spicy
- fried tofu with peanut and ginger sauce - tofu was silky inside and nicely fried. the sauce was delicate and tasty
- fried squid - the squid was so tender and not chewy at all
- lychee parfait desert - delicious and light
- the meal included complimentary cabbage salad and rice

the only reason for the rating was that there were so many things on the menu that wasn't available. we all really wanted to try the coconut dessert!

yan restaurant had delicious, fresh dishes which were all presented beautifully. the customer service was amazing and the restaurant had a nice atmosphere to it. however, the prices are quite dear considering the small serving sizes of each dish.

an amazing asian fusion restaurant hides in wolli creek. better to book online in advance, cz this place is kinda busy during dining hours. we ordered three different ribs, pork, beef and lamb. i'll say all three were delish, but the pork ribs was stunning. a little smoking flavour with sweet and thick sauce, what a match. and the coconut ice-cream was a must try. the ice-cream was a dream, creamy and full of coconut flavour. and u can also enjoy it with coconut jelly and coconut fruit. there were not many staff even during peak hour, but they were all very nice, absolutely, enjoyed my meal there.

i’ve been to yan twice now and it is definitely one of my favourite places to eat at for asian cuisine (if not my favourite). i highly recommend it as food is 10/10, smoked mains, modern twists on asian flavours and lovely presentations. they also seem to change up the menu regularly as both times i went, there were different starter dishes.
service, too, is top notch. staff converse with you, ask for feedback on food, and we were even given complimentary dishes.
prices are slightly pricier than your average asian place. but it’s worth every cent.

must order dishes:
-fried squid
-smoked beef short ribs
-smoked chicken katsu
-charred kingfish
-olive rice
-frozen honey yoghurt mouse, mango and mandarin crumble dessert

wow. just wow. absolutely amazing food came here as a group of 6 and we were accomodated outside (as the restruarant itself is quite small) ordered a bit of everything and tbh it was all delicious and exceeded expectations by far. definitely give the smoked beef and brussel sprouts a try! its a winning combo. restruarant staff and owner were very friendly and even allowed us to borrow an umbrella when the storm hit. we will be back!

(4.5 stars)
with the rapid expansion upwards in many sydney suburbs has come many new places to dine at the bases of these residential towers. in amongst the chains, who decide on location based upon predicted population growth, you’ll find some independent beauties by young restaurateurs, like yan restaurant. yan is nestled deep in the soulless high-rise canyons of wolli creek. from the outside it’s a fairly spartan glass box with a long open kitchen and a warm glow emitting from rectangular rice paper lanterns. it’s furnished with comfortable scandinavian-style chairs and dark timber tables, though just shy of their second birthday their varnish is already a little the worse for wear. the only decoration are jade green tiles with an interlocking chinese-inspired pattern, which run along the lengthy stainless steel counter. against this fairly spartan backdrop and alienatingly empty streetscape, your attention is directed on the people who inhabit the space. in the kitchen it’s co-owner and chef raymond lim, and on the floor it's co-owner narada kudinar, who moves through the tight 30-seater space with the confidence of a rock star.   drawn from a succinct ten bottle wine list, kudinar delivers our...

yan has been a hidden gem for about a year now, but its inclusion in the 2019 good food guide and its immediate elevation into one-hat status shows it truly belongs among the sydney elite.
the food is modern asian and their specialty is smoked meats, and they deliver in spades on that count, from the signature smoked chicken katsu to the pork ribs to the charred brussel sprouts. on top of that, their sole rice dish is a unique olive rice which mixes olives, spring onions, sesame seeds, and rice; its combination lends a salty and moreish complement to any of the restaurant's other excellent dishes.
yan is by far the best restaurant in gentrifying wolli creek and one of the best modern asian restaurants in any part of sydney.

this newly-1hatted modern asian restaurant is a winner. come here for some innovative flavours and memorable dishes that not only look good, but taste phenomenal.

try the delicious olive rice and smoked pork ribs and don't forget the coconut dessert.

with a sister store, montague in woolloomooloo, the owners have a really good sense of what the customers want.

as a newly hatted place, you may need to book ahead, but it's worth it.

a must when i'm in sydney!

ordered the lamb ribs with spicy pepper eggplant for lunch, which comes with a rice and cabbage salad. the lamb ribs are chargrilled with a smoky flavour and very flavourful, while the eggplant adds texture and acts as a delicious foil to the more salty, gamey flavour of the lamb. would love to come again. only downside is ventilation is horrible - i came out of the restaurant smelling like my new favourite dish after less than half an hour.

really loved this restaurant. make sure you make a booking.

we tried the cucumber with sesame dressing - this was quite a large portion and the dressing was of the goma style. the pork ribs were a highlight, deliciously tender and a little sweet. we also tried the kingfish crudo which is a cold dish. the fish was fresh and flavors were nice but we couldn't taste the fermented soy bean.

between the two of us, we had one main, one side dish and one starter dish. this was the perfect amount for us. very much looking forward to returning and trying other dishes.

there’s no way if yan restaurant is not rated 5/5, food, service, ambience everything is great! highly recommend on chicken katsu and fried bao, anyone who’s not allergic or dislike the ingredients must order these two!!!

yan restaurant specializes in smoked meats with a cantonese take on things. these guys have taken cantonese food to the next level. flavours is light and such care is taken to produce an amazing menu👌

loving the smoked king prawns with seafood dipping sauce - it's slowly cooked and the prawn heads are to die for.
*charred rare kingfish w/ cantonese soy sauce - great spin to the classic fish dish and that char on the top 💣
*cucumber w/ sesame dressing - dreaming of this right now
*sauteed broccollini
*smoked cumin lamb ribs - very tender and flavour is very delicate
*smoked beef short ribs - very flavoursome
*smoked chicken katsu - chicken is smoked then crumbed 🤤
*olive rice - so loving this too
*lime meringue, lychee icecream and ice grapes - love the lime in the meringue
*chinese doughnut - so soft and filled with red bean and green tea cream cheese.

ok, so as you can see i'm loving it all 😍

taste - great smoked flavours with a cantonese twist
presentation - 5/5
cleanliness - 4.5/5
service - 5/5
wait for food - 5/5
parking - street parking