Yang's Place — Restaurant in Melbourne

I visited after seeing some positive reviews about their Peking duck. Unfortunately, the experience was let down by the service. We were greeted by a middle-aged Asian lady who appeared to be having a rough day—no smiles, and we were immediately told we had to leave by 6:30pm. Yes, she used the word “leave.” There was no water provided at the table, and when we tried to place our order, she looked visibly unhappy before reluctantly taking it and rushing through the process.

Shortly after, a family of Indian descent arrived and were greeted warmly, with smiles and friendly service. They were also given water without having to ask! We initially thought perhaps they were regulars. But when another group of East Asian customers arrived, they were met with the same coldness we experienced—again being told they had to leave by a specific time.

As for the food, the Peking duck was decent and comparable to the average offerings in Melbourne. The sweet and sour pork was soggy, and the pickled vegetable with vermicelli had an unexpected splash of vinegar, which is atypical for northeastern Chinese cuisine.

If the restaurant is struggling to offer consistent service across different customer groups, I would encourage them to reflect on how they accommodate guests. If there are preferences or limitations in who they serve, it might be better to be transparent...

My friends and I enjoyed a delicious Sunday night dinner at Yang's. We ordered four unique dishes:

Beijing Duck (half) with duck soup: The soup was rich and flavorful, but the duck skin could have been crispier. Stir-fried baby cabbage: This dish offered a well-balanced combination of spicy and numbing flavours. Stewed meatballs with starchy noodles & Chinese cabbage: The meatballs were soft and savoury, but the cabbage could have been fresher. Northern-style crispy pork: This was my first time trying this dish, and it was delightful! The crispy pork is coated in a sweet sauce, reminiscent of honey chicken. Those who enjoy sweet and savoury flavours will likely love it. One positive aspect of the meal was that I didn't feel overly thirsty afterwards, suggesting that MSG was used minimally.

While the restaurant was surprisingly busy on a Sunday night, the single server did an excellent job keeping up with service. However, the ventilation could be improved, which would create a more pleasant dining experience...

Four of us chose the place for lunch before going to a nearby theatre. Unfortunately for the owners, there was noisy work being done on the railway opposite. The front window had been broken. The front door did not shut as people came and went, letting in a cold breeze, and we had to get up and close it a few times. Communicating with the waitress was difficult due to the noise, language problems, and distance from our table at the front to where she stood at the back. The meal itself was tasty. Each meal came with a free spring roll. There were vegetarian options. They ran out of bananas after the second serve of fritters. But I was able to have fried icecream. The icecream had an inner sponge layer, which I hadn't come across before. A nice addition. They split the bill. I paid under $25 for the main, dessert, and...