MELBOURNE | Yan is an Asian-inspired smokehouse that owner Narada Kudinar opened in 2017. I had a booking to visit in 2021, but COVID border closures put an end to that, and the next thing you know, almost four years has passed. In 2023, Yan opened a second location in South Yarra, the news of which somehow completely passed me by, until head chef Joel Gangho Lee contacted me, asking if I’d like to pop in for a visit.
Joel knows this kitchen well. He was a chef here when the space was home to contemporary Turkish restaurant, Yagiz. During that time, Joel expanded his knowledge of smoking and cooking with fire. Combined with his South Korean heritage and experience cooking fine dining French food, he was well placed for the switch to Yan.
Dishes are primarily influenced by Chinese flavours, but you’ll find ingredients and nods to other parts of Asia too. On the menu, each dish is accompanied by a guide to which wood has been used in the smoking of the dish or a particular component of it, along with the method of smoking.
You have the choice between a la carte, the signature tasting menu that Yan’s been known for since opening in Sydney, and a Melbourne-specific menu designed by Joel, and Yan executive chef, Ewa Goralewski. Being my first Yan experience, I opted for the signature tasting menu.
Eating at Yan is a unique way of learning about smoked food. It’s not your typical smokehouse, and it’s not in your face. Braised wintermelon with smoked almond cream, and Sichuan oil, shows just how well smoke can work with delicate flavours and vegetables, and is a highlight. Also well worth trying is the confit duck cigar with smoked pepper.
If you want a raw dish, go for the delicately smoked wagyu beef yukke with nashi pear, cured yolk, anchovy, and nori crisp. For larger plates, beef short ribs with sauteed kale, and sansho pepper, have an intense smokiness to them, while tonkatsu with house BBQ sauce, and pepper mayo, is more subdued, with the smokiness coming from the sauces.
Finishing off with dessert, it’s a hard toss up between the cinnamon doughnut with condensed milk custard, and the mountainous, airy coconut ice cream with coconut jelly, and shaved coconut, served in a young coconut. The latter is designed for sharing, so save room.
To drink, it’s an extensive wine and spirit list, and mostly local beers. The cocktail list is the highlight of the drinks list, featuring house creations that follow the same smoked theme as the food. My favourite is the ‘Pear Quimby’. It’s a blend of Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, pear brandy, bitters, bay leaf, and cinnamon smoke.
Yan
22 Toorak Road
South Yarra
Victoria 3141
Australia
Telephone: (03) 9821 4758
E-mail: [email protected]
Website
Open
Mon – Thu: 5:30pm to 9:30pm
Sun – Sat: 12:00pm to 2:30pm, 5:00pm to 10:00pm