PROFILED BY DEGROOTS MEDIAYou’ve got to be doing something right to score a hat in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide, but upon entering Ying’s Seafood Restaurant in Crows Nest one Sunday for yum cha, it’s not immediately obvious what that thing is. The decor is nothing to write home about; spacious with lots of light, Ying’s displays an interesting blue and yellow colour scheme but the overall effect is rather plain. The yum cha is good, but the trollies are few and far between, and although the service is generally excellent, one assumes it can’t all be down to that.
That answer reveals itself on a return visit one evening. The clue is in the name and the proof is swimming in the tanks that flank the entrance. Behind the glass are the biggest crabs I’ve ever seen, gigantic lobsters and sprightly fish enjoying their last laps before the become dinner. Take your pick and the chefs will cook it up however you please – deep-fried with salt and pepper, steamed with ginger and soy, or something with a bit more bite. Non-seafoodies are also well catered for with a traditional Cantonese menu that, according to Ying, “has everything”. Wash it all down with a glass of wine from the ample list, or BYO.
Shelley Hepworth