WOW, JUST WOW...The Best Chinese food in Melbourne. This was our first visit to Ruyi and it was just down right fantastic. We had a reservation and arrived on time. We received a warm welcome, by I think the owner. As we sat and looked around the place was lovely and classy. We sat pretty close to the bar and were able to watch the bartender make magic. I had Szechuan Mule and it was so pretty I didn't want to drink it. It was soooo good. It was made with a Szechuan infused vodka. We ordered a mixture of appetizers and they were perfect. Honestly we wanted to order everything. We settled on the Peking Duck Cones, the Wonton in Chili Oil, and the Szechuan-spiced Eggplant Batons. - Peking Duck Cones (pancakes)(2 pieces) were some of the best we have had. They seemed lighter, duck had a great flavor with less fat than most, and a perfect crisp to the duck skin. Loved the little dots of hoison placed on the plate. - Chili Wonton (6 pieces) consisting of pork and shiitake mushrooms, arrived in a bowl soaking in a Sichuan Garlic Chili vinaigrette sauce. Again, some of the best we have had. Much better than previous ones we have had in Melbourne. - Szechuan-Spiced Eggplant Batons - arrived beautifully presented. And like none we have ever had. They were actually big slices of eggplant that had been fried and tossed with shallots and a coconut peanut powder. Interesting and delicious. All of the food was wonderful. Everything had their own modern touch added which only enhanced each taste. Service was great. Recommend you make a reservation well in advance. We had to adjust our schedule and eat at an early time to get into this wonderful little restaurant. Highly recommend and will definitely return when we return to Melbourne. read more

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When you think Chinese you normally think 70's interior, bad lighting, fish tanks, Lazy Susans & chairs that you once had in high school, but when you walk into Ruyi you are confronted with soft colours, clean lines, wood and smiling staff. Already I was happy to be here. We were shown to my table with my partner and right away you know you are on to a good thing when you have a wine list in front of you, we were offered water as we sat. I love to know what I am eating before I choose my wine so our lovely waiter went off and grab us some menus. As the waiter explained how the menu is designed for sharing; she asked if anyone on the table had allergies. Now I am a foodtard (have allergies) so having a venue that understands that this is a common thing is refreshing. The menu look so good it was very hard to choose what to eat... Dumplings, soft shell crab, scallops, whole snapper, wagyu - so much to choose from. We started with dumplings; crab & pork dumplings, vegetarian dumplings & the wonton dumplings in chilli sauce. They were perfect. A thin skin which you could see the filling through. The dumplings are made fresh to order. You can see the chef making them behind the bar. They have a well balanced wine list which has European wines, Australian & New Zealand. There is plenty by the glass is you want as well. Next we had soft shell crab, peking duck cone & scallops and again amazing the flavors were well balanced, good texture booked beautiful. For mains we had the whole snapper two ways which is a piece of art amazing it's a MUST have!! But don't forget the truffled +9 wagyu oyster blade served with mushrooms & asparagus. Mmm my mouth is watering thing about it.. But it didn't stop there even though I could not fit in dessert I just could say no to banana fritters, my partner had the chocolate spring rolls with coconut ice cream. Lets just say he didn't give me any!! I am looking forward t my next visit they informed me that they have an express menu too... read more

Ruyi Modern Chinese - Whole Snapper two ways - Asian Fusion Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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Wandering down to Chinatown with a dumplings craving, I hit the brakes on passing Ruyi because I had heard it had a good wine list. Not something you see often at Chinese establishments. But boy, was it so much more. We were greeted by the owner, Sheng, who welcomed us with a story of his vision for fresh, non-greasy, quality Chinese food delivered in a beautiful space. We were instantly hooked. Every dish on the menu is seasonal and Sheng proudly tells us that they know where every ingredient comes from, with nothing pre-made or packaged. The wine list isn't just good, they know how to pair every dish with the perfect wine to make the most of the flavours. I have mentioned the owner a few times in this review already, because his love and passion for this restaurant pours out of him with every breathe. From the ceramics to the meals plated on them, a piece of him is invested in all of it. It was like being welcomed into his home - if he lives in the kind of home that could be featured in Vogue Living that is (the restaurant has!) Everything we had was delicious. We sampled the chilli wonton dumplings (that vinaigrette - amazing!), peking duck cones and delicate little lettuce cups to start. I was salivating all over my plate when he described the 9+ grade marbled beef that they have on the menu...really wish I had the appetite for both that and the fish. But we were drinking white and were too intrigued by the snapped cooked two ways to pass it up. For the curious, these two ways are part sweet and sour, part salt and pepper. I loved the sweet and sour fish with pineapple - such a great take on a traditional dish that would have otherwise left me feeling heavy. They then take away the salt and pepper fish to cut into manageable chunks to enjoy. They didn't end up being that manageable and was a bit too boney, but I had devoured so much of the sweet stuff that I didn't mind. No doubt the menu will be entirely different next time as they change to Autumn, but I still want a go at that steak. We had such a wonderful night that before we knew it, all the staff had been sent home and we were still listening intently to Sheng and his vision for the place until early hours of the morning. Your sticky beef and black bean this is not. If you want to pay less than $10 for a large plate of chewy dumplings then look elsewhere... I will keep your seat warm over at Ruyi. read more

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Found this gem on yelp after a flight from Alice Springs and a delayed transfer to our hotel. We were starving and so upset from the transfer situation at the airport but Ruyi totally turned our night around We ordered the tofu (made in house) it was SO good. So smooth and fresh you could just taste the quality. The numbing beef was delicious, so many flavours a little spicy and completely different from what i was expecting The barramundi fish was excellent, it comes sitting in the sauce but it wasn't too salty loved the enoki mushrooms. We had this amazing apple crumble dessert Aside from the food being excellent, service was even better. I never had to ask for more water and the staff came to check on us and to ask how our food was read more

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We arrived at 10:00 PM on a Friday right after a comedy show so we wanted some quick dumplings and duck cones before going home. There were only 2 tables at this time and I do wonder how this is possible because they were so good and the wait staff were so friendly. We started by ordering drinks and I was quite surprised to find my blue, citrusy passion fruit, Ruyi cocktail presented in flames! I like fire. Enough said. Now the bar was set high for food but it was met with no problems. The xiao long bao was made from fresh crab and pork and they were perfect! If I could have eaten more, I would have ordered another steamer. It's very rare to order crab in bao without them being fishy but they were fresh. The duck cones were wrapped in thin pancakes and the perfect amount of wrapper to Peking duck. All in all, it was a great evening and I'm looking forward to returning to try more dishes. read more

Ruyi Modern Chinese - Ruyi cocktail is citrusy passion fruit on fire! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

I arrived on time to my 5:30 reservation, terribly early I know but I had a big night planned and had booked in for the earliest table available. I arrived at 5:30 and discovered that Ruyi was indeed not opened yet and it wasn't until 6 that someone let me in - half an hour late to their own opening hours. They say first impressions count and Ruyi does not make a good one. To make the whole first impressions thing worse, there were dead flies sitting on their menu that's displayed in the window, causing me to have my doubts about this place. So I'm seated half an hour late but the friendly staff put me at ease, getting water for the table and so forth. I inquired about the menu prices because online it lists the 2015 menu while the 2016 menu is displayed and served in the restaurant. I don't mean to be picky, but there is more than a 10% rise in price between the two menus and seeing as it's still 2015 I was expecting to be charged the cheaper price than the other. The food comes, I'd ordered the duck and asked for it to be medium well done and it come out well done but had good flavour. All in all it was mainly pleasant but not an experience id be wanting to relive with dead flies about the corners and shoddy customer service. read more

Ruyi Modern Chinese - Dead bugs in the window on the menu board. Hygiene doesn't seem to matter - Asian Fusion Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Unique Chinese restaurant tucked away about a block in back of Rydges hotel in CBD. It bills itself as modern Chinese, an accurate description, it is not your typical Chinese restaurant, but more of a foodie destination.,We shared a few small plates, which were delicious, including tingling Prawns (4), eggplant fries, noodle salad. Decor is contemporary, service is attentive. Relaxing ambiance, not a good choice for kids. They offer a full bar and nice wine selection, the Sauvignon Blanc by the glass was very good. We also shared the apple crumble dessert with ice cream. read more

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This is the 2nd time I came to Ruyi and this time it was for my birthday. I want to leave a review for them because they really made me feel I was the most special person around on my birthday. Our table was initially booked for 8 people but then more and more people were invited and wanted to join in. When i notified Ruyi about the changes they accommodated us by not book the tables out to other people. This was on last Friday dinner and they kept their promise and allocated a whole nice section of the restaurant all for us. On arrival the place was packed and the vibe was pumping. There was a long queue at the front people waiting for tables but our tables were kept empty and with whole birthday decoration on it. It was tasteful and beautiful presented, most important, all my friends were impressed. :-) When I sat down it seems like all the staff knows me and all came to greet me by name and say happy birthday to me. On that instance I felt really warm around me and I was in love of this place. There is something special about Ruyi is that it really knows how to make you feel you are special. The service is intimate, warm and welcoming. It makes one feel like I come to eat at an old friends home. Now comes the food, the modern Chinese food were clean, fresh and very very delicious. You can easily tell every detail is polished and ingredients were well considered and selected. My favourites? Fried tofu, tingling prawn, tangy wagyu and of course their Peking duck. Also not to miss is their Toothfish on their special menu, it's $49 and in my opinion, def. worth the money. The food is unique, unlike anywhere I have been to in Melbourne and certainly very different to traditional offering in china town. It's a really gracious beautiful venue with professional hospitality skills. The ambience is both casual fine dining which makes to enjoy for all occasions. But mind you if you after fast and cheap fast food mentality Ruyi is not for you. I have heard so many people around me talk about Ruyi and the experience I had explain to me why. I surely will recommend to other people and return soon! read more

Ruyi Modern Chinese - Too much fun!!! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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Amazing relatively new gem on Liverpool street. A vast move away from the usual Chinese restaurant style of plastic table clothes and lucky if u can find a wine list. Ruyi has one of most extensive wine lists I've seen in an Asian restaurant ever before all of which matches with each dish on the menu. That brings me to the menu! An amazing selection of traditional Chinese flavors again avoiding the usual greasy staples and opting more for fresh produce locally sourced. The service is attentive and you feel welcomed into the restaurant like a member of the family. The decor of the restaurant has been written up in vogue living and is due for a great write up in epicurean anytime soon. Do yourself a favor and drop into Ruyi when next your down that end of town. read more

Excellent tofu , amazing duck soup and best Peking duck rolls , wagyo beef incredible and the prawns delicious ! Nice wine selection and lovely ambient setting read more

Ruyi Modern Chinese - Awesome menu - Asian Fusion Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

I have been tossing between 3-4 stars for Ruyi and have reserved my review until after my second visit. My first visit to Ruyi happened after I bought an online deal for a set meal. I came in with 4 adults and 2 children and I had intended to purchase separate meals for the children. My negative experience started immediately after arrival. With sparkling wine on offer for the 4 adults, staff started to pour our drinks from a bottle already opened ( which is not a problem at all) HOWEVER, this means that there wasn't enough wine to fill all four glasses with the last glass being filled about a quarter of the way only.... Staff didn't come back to top the glass up, whilst we waited we decided to order other wine so we didn't bother chasing up the "deal wine" Upon ordering I became more annoyed because staff (may be owner/ manager?) told us that the deal is only specified for 4 people and that just this time she would "let us" have it even though we have more than 4 ppl in the group. and then proceeded to say that this was clearly specified in the deal. I haven't even told her that we are planning to order the kids meals a la carte, as the "set menu" did not suit them. The tone of service changed as soon as we ordered extra (++)wine and we spent more on meals for the children than we did on our deal purchase ( kids are big eater but would rather eat 3 serves of dumpling each rather than the set menu) Whilst the meal was lovely and everything tasted amazing I was left with a bit of a bitter taste by their initial treatment to us as "deal diners". My second visit was a much smaller affair with just the two of us. This time around we were able to enjoy the food without being made to feel like a second class diner. service was attentive and friendly. my overall impression is that whilst Ruyi is a beautiful restaurant with delicious menu ( we couldn't get past the duck, eggplant strips, dumplings and 2 way snapper, but not too excited about any of the dessert ), I wonder about their treatment towards budget oriented diners. granted the treatment was only received by one female staff in the restaurant, but it certainly leave a bad impression on the establishment. read more

Why was this place so quiet on a Thursday night? Staff were so lovely and welcoming (especially after the service at Siglo...) and they are clearly passionate about what they do. The chilli won tons were were amazing and it's obvious why they're one of their signature dishes. The Szchuan egglant strips were sweet, sticky and amazing but I thought the wagyu beef was ever so slightly overcooked - but that really is being picky as it was still tasty with great flavours. I wanted to steal their cute serving plates as well but you know, I'm classy so I didn't (this time...) Menu changes seasonally which is enough reason for me to keep going back! read more

I had a very pleasant evening dining at Ruyi Modern Chinese. The initial service was a bit slow and the environment a little cold but once the food started to come & the wine flow I soon warmed up. There are tapas options or larger dishes available. We selected four items from the tapas list & a main course. I could easily have ordered all the tapas dishes as they all sounded yummy. Our favourite tapas dishes were the Tingling Prawns and the Eggplant Chips which certainly had a bit of a chilli kick to them. The main course was a barramundi dish, with which we had plain rice & a side of vegetables. The sauce was a little thin & lacking in flavour for my liking but overall I enjoyed it. Feeling quite full for dessert I opted for coconut ice cream, which seemed to be confused with sorbet as the texture was quite icy rather than creamy. I hope to head back to Ruyi again & sample more of the dishes on the tapas menu. read more

You should eat here. It's hard to overstate how good you feel upon walking into the restaurant. Modern decor and lovely staff who just care. You can tell that every detail here has been thought about. The service is incredibly attentive, without being too attentive. The food we ate was so fresh and so clean. Flavors spoke for themselves. For the price, Ruyi is punching *well* above its weight. read more

All I can say is WOW! I live in San Francisco and we have great food, but this was by far the BEST Chinese food I've ever had! Make sure to order the fried rice- light, fluffy and deliciously seasoned! Chicken wings were amazing, and the pork dumplings were soooo good- spicy, delicious flavors and lightly pan fried. I really wanted to try one of the desserts but I was so full I had to pass. Service was friendly, welcoming and very professional. Ambience is very nice! A real gem of a restaurant! read more

Visiting some friends in Melbourne and we decided to stop in this restaurant for some drinks and food, when i witness the most unprofessional manager (Asian) reprimanding her employee in front of all guest to see. As someone who works in the Hospitality industry, this was appalling to see. It completely ruined my evening. That lady shouldn't be working picking up roadkill along the side of the highway, let alone supervising employees. Food was ok and drinks were ok. I couldn't get over that scene. will never stop in this place again. read more

I'm not usually a fan of Chinese restaurants. Grease and MSG are not my friends. But Ruyi is no ordinary Chinese restaurant. The fitout by Hecker Guthrie is gorgeous complemented beautifully by stunning tableware and delicious food. This place has a real "made in Japan" feel about it, if it weren't for the menu I'd swear it was a Japanese venue. If you ARE a fan of this genre, you'll be thrilled to see old favourites like Peking Duck and wontons but there's not a hint of grease or MSG in sight.... just mouthwatering gourmet delights! Highly recommend Ruyi, I can't wait to go back. read more

This place is nearly as good as it gets. It's tucked away in a lane way and it has a strikingly clean and modern interior, almost Scandinavian. You're greeted by the owner and you get immediately that this isn't your 'sweet and sour chicken with egg roll' place. There was 5 of us, so we did exclusively small plates which allowed for sharing. The house specialty was ordered twice. The drinks menu was pretty impressive, offering many wines, a page of cocktails and a handful of beers. The service was quite good. It seems to be important to the staff that you enjoy the food and if you want to learn a little, all the better. read more

This is one restaurant we were looking forward to dine. But the hype and excitement died soon after we arrived... Here's why. They took a long while to take our orders, kept pushing to try their wine as well, which wasn't a great range as they claimed. Food service was okay, although they decided not to give their suggestions on the food after we snubbed their mediocre wine list. The main problems are their servings, beware their so called large portions are really just appetizer size. You could literally count the pieces of beef. Their Peking Duck is a total joke. No crispy skin, no sauce. Simon's Peking Duck is way way better by 50 ducks points. They have this small piece of pull pork bun, that cost $9 for such a small piece... Their fish, is market priced which is fine but it wasn't fresh at all. I could tell it was kept frozen from the taste. Which only explained why it arrived so bloody late, when we were almost done with dinner. Not recommended. The lead waiter tried very hard to play it down by saying it's usually takes very long. But they should have told us, give guest an idea that your previous fish will arrive desserts times. They have absolute no sense in that. Last but not least, their food is too sweet. If I wanted to eat this much of sugar I would have just had candies for dinner. The feedback given was meh... We were told it's a personal preference... Don't waste your time, even more so don't risk entertaining someone here before you try. Liverpool Street has another great restaurant, a Vietnamese fushion across and that beats this eatery ten folds. By the lack lustre service, over sweetened food and over priced food considering the size, I would not recommend this place. Their portion of food is suitable for ants, and don't expect any fast service if you did not pick one of their lousy wines. Ruyi, it's concept and it's philosophy is only a sale pitch that couldn't live up to its name and hype. I've been to better kebab shops... read more

Oh My God , I love this tofu !! The tofu is very special ! I never have this before, that is totally different from the Asian supermarket! The surface is a little bit crispy, the sauce is nice and texture of the tofu is irreplaceable !!!! read more

Ruyi Modern Chinese - Awesome Xu shuan egg plant - Asian Fusion Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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Really liked it. The decor is chic and modern. The staff are lovely. We thought the food was outstanding. Wine list was fine too. Did a brisk trade on the Friday night we were there. Not cheap but the quality was really there. I'm keen to return. read more

Great food but I think we came on a night when they were shorthanded and it showed. Food was very inventive and we weren't in any rush. They were definitely missing a bartender though. read more

Chinese but not as you know it. Almost everything about Ruyi whispers Japanese, from the beautiful stone tableware, the modern, the minimalist yet welcoming blonde fit out to the sweet, friendly and polite staff. Even the food is presented in a restrained, thoughtful and Japanese-esque way. You can choose from small chinese "tapas to share" - all $12 and under, the well priced banquets or the a la carte menu. We opted for the tapas - vegetarian dumplings, the chicken curry, duck bao bao (a fancy chinese duck sandwich), shao long bau (pork dumplings) and the addictively tasty eggplant chips which our wise waitress recommended. You will leave Ruyi pleasantly full, with money in your pocket and memories of the perfect marriage of China and Japan. read more

OMG, 5 stars isn't enough! This is NOT your usual Chinese restaurant. A group of 6 of us went here for New Years Eve dinner. We were in town as part of a tour, ans so we used YELP to help find a place. I cannot believe how lucky we got with this selection. Along with a very interesting menu, they had an 8 course tasting menu and all 6 of us tried that. In addition, there was an extra optional wine tasting, with wines paired to each course. 4 of our group took that option, too. Each food item was better than the last, quantities were generous and the wines were excellent. read more

Ordered Foodora for their food which unfortunately was missing item in the delivery. Contacted the store and they asked me to contact Foodora for refund. Contacted Foodora and requested for a redeliver instead since it was a group dinner and the food is just not enough. A few minutes later Foodora called back saying the restaurant refused the order. Restaurant made a mistake and refused to take responsibility. Needless to say I won't be stepping anywhere near this restaurant anymore in the future. read more

Lovely place! Excellent service and tasty food ! Love the soft shell crab and the sauce is the best!

Clean and fresh, Ruyi is not what you expect when you think of Chinese food. No greasy meals or typical Chinese décor, Ruyi has a neat and welcoming vibe and fresh, seasonal dishes to go with it. Would absolutely recommend to anyone looking for great food and a unique experience! read more

Great food, friendly staff, awesome decor. Even the simple dishes like the broccoli with garlic was delicious. Definitely recommend it.