Menu Reveal: Four Dishes To Try at the Young’s Palace x Access Readers’ Preview

Young’s Palace, one of the most exciting restaurants to land in Sydney this year, finally opened this week. It’s the latest from culinary couple Big Sam Young (ex-Mr Wong, Totti’s, Lotus 2.0) and Grace Chen (ex-Est, Queen Chow, Poly). Young built a cult following with his deluxe lockdown meal kits and private catering business before opening the French Chinese neighbourhood bistro S’More with Chen.

Inspired by Chinatowns the pair have explored around the world, Young’s Palace will focus on comforting Chinese dishes that are simple, unfussy and well done – food they describe as a “love letter to the immigrant experience”. They aim to reshape how Chinese cuisine is received in Australia. Don’t bother with BYO, there’ll be a thoughtful wine list to accompany your meal.

Diners can pick from two menus: the first features classic dishes like sweet and sour pork, honey king prawns and lemon chicken. Then there’s the Chairman’s menu, which offers more lavish options such as giant mud crab and claypot abalone rice topped with truffles and caviar.

As always, Broadsheet Access ensures members get in the door first with our Readers’ Preview series. On August 21, Access members are attending an intimate evening at Young’s Palace, where they’ll enjoy a set banquet with complimentary paired wines, and hear from Young in conversation with Broadsheet ’s Sydney food and drink editor Grace MacKenzie.

This Access experience sold out lightning fast. Fortunately, we host Readers’ Previews in Sydney regularly, so there will be plenty more new venues to explore. To be in the know for upcoming events, join Broadsheet Access today.

Here’s a sneak peek at the Readers’ Preview menu, as described by Young himself.

Fried crab wonton with sweet chilli sauce

“We’re trying to do a version of crab rangoon. This doesn’t exist in Hong Kong or China, it’s an Americanised version. It’s crab meat with a little bit of mayo, deep fried in a wonton. It’s really a homage to regional China, and a really good kick-off to the meal.”

Cold spinach, green bean and enoki salad

“Our food is quite rich, so this is a more refreshing dish to cut through that richness. We don’t really eat salad in Chinese culture, only cooked vegetables, so this is our take on how the immigrant story changes and adapts.”

Steamed scallop with ginger shallots and soy

“This one is a timeless classic. It always works, it doesn’t matter where you go in the world. The ginger shallot has a very simple preparation and we steam the beautiful seafood, dressing it with a soy vinaigrette. It’s designed to showcase the key ingredient, which is the scallops.”

Signature sweet and sour pork

“That’s one of my signature dishes. I ate a lot of sweet and sour pork growing up in restaurants, so I’m connecting my childhood to this new restaurant. And again, we’re trying to change the immigrant story. We use this beautiful Byron Bay pork, which is really different from the old days, when restaurants would find the cheapest ingredient and freeze it for three months. In the new days, we’re trying to make it better.”

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