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PERTH | Located in Yagan Square, Shy John Brewery & Yum Cha is, as the name suggests, a spot that focuses on yum cha, and house brewed beers. The space is unmissable as you approach from Northbridge, with the 500 capacity, two storey venue activating much of the north part of Yagan Square’s food and drink section. The downstairs section is quite small, but the light-filled upstairs, with opens up to the outside, is a different story, and where you want to be.
Shy John is named after Australia’s first Chinese settler, John Pong Shying, who settled in Sydney after arriving in Australia in 1818. Owner Ian Chin (Ramen Boy, Noodle Forum, Hiss and Smoke) has a passion for dim sum and beer, so relished the opportunity to bring the two together. The lunch, dinner, dim sum and bar snacks menus focus on Cantonese dishes, and offer a lot of variety. The signature prawn dumplings use squid ink in the wrappers which makes them black, and then they’re painted with gold and filled with prawns to create something that looks and tastes great. The truffle and scallop dumpings are also delicious.
For something of the non-dumpling variety, try the tea smoked chicken, spatchcocked and served with preserved bean curd. The plate is covered with a dome on your table and filled with Chinese black tea leaf smoke via a tube. It’s left to sit for a few minutes and then voila, the dome is lifted and the smoke dissipates – it’s quite the visual statement and results in the tender, crispy skinned chicken having a beautifully subtle smoke flavour.
For those looking for something more interesting still, there are several options that stand out. The roasted bone marrow with lemongrass, activated charcoal man tao, and yuzu jam, is luxuriously silky and delicious, while the ox tongue with truffle cream sauce is packed full of flavour. The wagyu sirloin tartare with Sichuan peppers, crispy Chinese cruller (doughnuts), pickled garlic, and ginger, is also fantastic. The only dish we ordered that didn’t hit the mark was the signature Peking duck pockets – served pre sauced, they’re quite sweet, and the pockets have too heavy a texture compared to the more traditional thin pancake wrappers.
As for the beer, it was originally planned that the beer would be brewed on site however structural reasons prevented this from being possible – the beers are currently being brewed for Shy John at a contract brewery, while they look for their own site. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the beers here – there’s a decent variety on offer, and all of the beers are more than acceptable. The Forbidden Potion is particularly good – the 4.6% ABV Black & Tan has really nice malt and caramel notes. The Great Wall, a 5.0% ABV Wheat Beer also hits the right notes. For those who aren’t into beer, a decent wine, spirits and cocktail list is also available.
I approached Shy John with a certain level of scepticism and curiosity, and walked away very impressed. The food is tasty, with many traditional and experimental items on the menu, including offal, and the beer is all very approachable and tasty. Combined with a vibrant, family friendly atmosphere and fantastic service, Shy John is a welcome addition to this new part of Perth.
Shy John Brewery & Yum Cha
Horseshoe Lane
Yagan Square
Perth
Western Australia 6000
Australia
Telephone: (08) 9226 0617
E-mail: [email protected]
Website
Open
Sun – Thu: 11:00am to 10:00pm
Fri – Sat: 11:00am to 12:00am