LOCATIONOn Chatswood’s busy Help Street; a five-minute walk from Chatswood station, bus stops and Westfield.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAIn the mood for crab fresh from the tank or perhaps just a fly-in-fly-out yum cha lunch? You’ve come to the right place. In a suburb that isn’t short on Asian eateries, Fook Yuen has worked up quite a reputation. Aesthetically it is a restaurant that slides somewhere between functionality and class. The dining room is large and filled with the token round tables, complete with lazy Susans – a necessity for banquet feasting. These are accompanied by large windows which allow light or street lamps to stream in and highlight the yum cha hustle and bustle by day and more sedate dining by night. Another token of this type of restaurant, generous fish tanks filled with potential meals, welcome diners while demonstrating the freshness of the menu.
What you order from the menu depends what time of day you come and how hungry you are. At lunch times – particularly over the weekend – Fook Yuen becomes a hub of activity as carts filled with steaming dumplings, pancakes, rolls and other Chinese delicacies are pushed around from table to table in yum cha mayhem. With lunch over, the restaurant catches its breath and sees an almost complete transformation for dinner. By night it becomes the hot spot for fresh (albeit pricey) seafood. So if you’re in the mood for lobster, abalone, crab or just about any other fruit of the sea, Fook Yuen will be sure to satisfy your appetite. Don’t feel disparaged if you’re not a seafood lover, this restaurant also boasts a near-exhaustive menu of alternatives – from Peking duck to various chicken, beef, pork, noodle, rice, soup and vegetarian dishes. This is paired with an affordable wine list as well as a selection of spirits, beer and even cocktails.
Agnes Gajewska