Yugen Dining restaurant review 2022: South Yarra’s glitzy eatery is worth the hype
It’s been years in the making, cost a mint and threw a glamorous launch party — so is the cooking at this modern Asian outfit more than a flash in the pan? FULL REVIEW
Food
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Party season’s back, baby.
Dust off the dancing shoes and get ready to boogie.
If there’s a restaurant in town embodying the ‘I’ve got money to burn and want to look good doing it’ vibe — it’s Yugen.
That’s pronounced ‘yoo-gan’, and it’s the latest venue to open in rich-lister Larry Kestleman’s squillion dollar South Yarra complex, Capitol Grand.
Bust out the Louis V and turn up your TikTok game, as this is where you’ll wanna be seen this summer.
For an underground dining den (fun fact: it was Q Bar in its heyday), this place is massive. We slink down four flights of stairs, past the bonsai display and soon-to-open omakase room on the mezzanine level, into a secret world which seemingly takes its design cues from ancient Greece and glam nightclubs.
A towering stone bar backlit with booze, blingy chandelier and jet-black stone floors all look the part.
The space is big, yet immediately comforting, which is tricky to achieve. There’s opulence, clubby-cool energy and a welcome buzz with a Q Bar DJ on the decks (Yes, there is a DJ).
Melbourne already has a few ‘it’ places like this, but not all nail the holy trifecta of what makes a restaurant truly special.
It’s not only what happens in and outside of the kitchen, but how you feel after leaving.
Not all places have all three, some embarrassingly can’t get the cooking bit right.
That’s not a problem at Yugen, especially with Stephen Nairn calling the shots.
He’s worked with the best in the biz at New York’s swanky Eleven Madison Park, Matilda and Vue de monde, and for four years he’s overseen Capitol Grand’s other moving parts, Yugen Tea House and Omnia Bistro.
Unlike its showy siblings, Yugen’s cuisine wasn’t going to be as tightly wound.
Nairn and Co decided modern Asian would best suit the space, so he installed a team of chefs who could make it happen.
One of them was self-described ‘sushi florist’ Alex Yu (ex-Sydney’s Sokyo).
Not only will Yu own that omakase space when it opens in late November, but he and a team of chefs have collaborated on that Japanese and Chinese inspired menu.
It’s a lot to unpack: sashimi, snacks, skewers, rice and noodly treats, larger plates of seafood and other meaty morsels, plus sweets if you have (and I know you have) saved room for.
But what’s instantly obvious about Yugen’s food is the incredible level of skill behind it.
Nairn knows when to go full throttle with flavour and when to keep things in first gear.
Some dishes are a suckerpunch to your tastebuds, others are more reserved, but all let the quality of produce do the talking.
You can see it in those prawn toast doughnuts ($26); a hybrid of two Chinese restaurant faves. Those molar-shaped creations are all sesame-studded, squishy prawn meat up top and crisp dough drunk on zippy yuzu below.
It’s genius, and downright delicious.
Ditto to the modern take on Japanese egg custard chawanmushi ($28), all warm and silky with slips of smoked eel and topped with a golden breadcrumb — I’d go back for seconds or thirds.
That intercostal wagyu ($42) fangs it into flavour town with its cauldron of melty beef chunks coated in a cumin crunch beaming with masterstock depth beneath a fragrant herby canopy. There’s (quite literally) so many layers to this dish – which are delicious alone and phenomenal together.
I should have stood and applauded at this point.
Yugen has many moments like this — from food, drinks and dessert, there’s a lot to love.
Sure, service could have been snappier, but it’s early days and Melbourne's shiny new play thing.
So did Yugen clean up on the restaurant stakes trifecta?
I’ll get the champagne.
Yugen
Capitol Grand, 605 Chapel St, South Yarra
Ph: 8080 8080
Open: Wed-Sun, 6pm till late
Must try dish: Spiced Crusted Beef Intercostal
Try this if you like: Nobu
Cost: Snacks ($11-$36) Mains ($36-$110) Dessert ($22-$25)
Rating: 8/10
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