To make any headway through the tome-like menu at Yu Kitchen, the upscale Chinese restaurant in the Chadstone Shopping Centre, requires multiple visits. You might visit one day for the impeccable yum cha, returning another day for an a la carte banquet featuring Peking duck and barbecue pork. With so many dishes on offer, it’s a wonder that they can all be executed to as high a standard as Yu Kitchen manages, but such is the prowess of the restaurateurs behind it. The high-profile kitchen team includes two-star Michelin chef Chen Kentaro (son of Iron Chef Chen Kenichi) and the Ruyi Group’s James Ho, of famed Malaysian restaurant Ruyi & Lyn.
There’s plenty of classic Chinese fare such as Chef Chen’s signature mapo tofu, an exemplary rendition of the Szechuan staple. But there are also modern fusion dishes, like freshly shucked Tasmanian oysters with passionfruit and a boozy granita made with premium Chinese liquor Moutai. Many dishes feature high-end ingredients such as abalone and truffle, and careful attention has been paid to sourcing free-range meats and local seafood. The food is luxurious, refined and superbly presented – Chinese fine dining at it’s finest.