Chairman & Yip - Barton, Australian Capital Territory

Joy H.

I was already impressed by this team before we arrived. Knowing the weather was going to include torrential rain, they thoughtfully emailed advising they'd open their doors earlier & gave parking directions. Very impressive.
On arrival we were greeted warmly & every team member we met was welcoming, proffessional & helpful.
The food! Oh my goodness! We were there for the Valentines Day set menu & everything on that menu was divine. If I'd been choosing from the menu, there were only 3 dishes I would've chosen. However, the wonder of a set menu is trying dishes you may not otherwise have tried! I am SO grateful to have had the opportunity to try some new flavours & would now happily have them again. Every morsel was delicious but if I was pressed for a favourite it would be the swordfish...very closely followed by the aubergine. We are briefly visiting from Interstate to see the Pompeii exhibition & I'm already looking forward to whenever we next visit Canberberra as we'll definitely book a meal in Chairman & Yip again.

Jason L.

This place is another level for Chinese Cuisine. The food was delivered to our table fast and with an explanation of what we were about to delight ourselves. All dishes we had were delicious and proportioned. We had the whole dish and was it delicious and succulent. The food and service were exceptional. We would highly recommend coming here and will be back to try the other dishes.

Dinh P. N.

Story time! Recently I saw a @callanboys post talking about The Chairman Restaurant in Hong Kong. It's one of the most difficult reservations to make in HK given its previous No. 1 restaurant in Asia status and endless other merits. They do Cantonese classics, but with a focus on innovation, creativity and presentation. Possibly the most famed dish on their menu is the 'steamed fresh flowery crab with aged shaoxing wine, fragrant chicken oil and flat rice noodles'.
Who knew that the Chairman Restaurant had Australian ties? When I was in Canberra last weekend, I met a chef who told me 'Chairman & Yip' in Canberra was a sister restaurant. The 'Yip' in the name was actually Danny Yip, who was the original restaurant partner before he headed back to Hong Kong for other ventures and opened the Chairman Restaurant years later. This Canberra sister, although less decorated, has also lived a long and fulfilling life. They have their own version of that crab dish using mud crab and pippies too! Far out! I was told the shaoxing wine wasn't as aged because of the Aussie palette. I find the sauce doesn't have crazy character on it's own, but it damn sure intensifies the sweet, delicious taste of the crab meat when eaten together.
They do things a little differently too. Less large share plates, and more individual dishes with wines to match. Again, to suit the Australian clientele. And despite straying away from traditional Cantonese comfort cooking, the dishes here maintain comfort in their own way. We start on a egg white winter melon blended soup, with spanner crab and salted egg yolk oil, and a fried glutinous rice dumpling (you might recognise the 'ham sui gok' dim sum) but with a curry puff inspired filling, a nod to HK's South Asian community. Then shallot oil noodles, but using Japanese soba and with royal red prawns which were so sweet and soft. Our eyes lit up when the steamed crab and aged barramundi arrived upon the table. Let's just say we left completely buzzed, and mate, how good is wine with Cantonese food?
Thank you to the Chairman & Yip team for the great conversation. Made our Canberra trip very special 🙂
📍Chairman & Yip, Canberra

Choong L.

Canberra, Barton
Cosy atmosphere. Fried Beancurd and mushroom was very good. Steak not too bad either. Duck pancake could have had a lift with some fresh accompaniment.

Tubu3

Excellent service with detailed introduction for each dish.
Not really recommend the scallops with quite plain and average taste. Doesn’t mean that’s bad but just not outstanding because you can find same taste somewhere else. Other dishes are interesting and surprising. Overall it’s a delightful experience.

Nathan A.

Was staying close by and had read some really
amazing reviews for Chairman and Yip so headed in to try for myself.

Absolutely first class all the way, the way fine dining should be done. The food was outstanding and the wines were paired perfectly. The service was top notch and every aspect of this experience was very much worth every penny spent.

I couldn’t rate this high enough and there is a reason they have been around for 25+ years.

If you’re in Canberra, it’s should definitely be on your food bucket list. Do yourself a favour.

R E.

We went here with friends and didn't expect much. However, we were blown away by the food, the coziness of the venue, and the service. Zack, in particular, provided amazing service. His extensive knowledge about the menu made our experience even more memorable. Highly recommended, and we'll definitely visit again soon.

Alan Y.

Chairman and Yip is a charming, cozy and intimate venue located in the hotel precinct of Barton. The food is Chinese with a modern flare… very tasty and inventive. They only do a set menu but there were a few menu items to choose from. Portion sizes were adequate snd we left feeling full and satisfied. Garlic rice and veggies are included in the meal. Service was excellent and the staff were knowledgeable on the different dishes that they serve. All in all, a great venue with great food.