Ruyi: As You Wish

Ruyi is a spiritual object said to make everything to be ‘as you wish’ and modern Chinese restaurant Ruyi endeavours to do just that. Serving modern, provincial chinese food, Ruyi’s seasonal menus feature dishes from all regions of China and is a beautiful addition to Melbourne’s food and drink scene. The immaculate design and decor of the restaurant perfectly matches the menu’s earthy, pure and fresh choices.

Ruyi is not what comes to mind when you think of a Chinese restaurant, making it refreshingly fantastic. You won’t find any dragons or lazy susans and you definitely won’t find lemon chicken or made-of-god-knows-what sweet and sour pork on the menu. Food is all freshly made from premium ingredients, full of flavour and zing without any overpowering spice or hotness, nor the grease that you find with other Chinese inspired options.

Ruyi really pulls through with a selection of original cocktails. Their signature cocktail ‘Ruyi’ is sweet and zesty, made from vodka, blue curacao, passion fruit syrup and is served spectacularly with a flaming lime! It is a perfect sweet treat for the summer.  A little less sweet but just as zingy is the ‘Ginger Ginger’ cocktail which combines gin with a well-balanced blend of ginger, citrus and honey flavours. The extensive drinks list alone is enough to keep you occupied for quite some time while you admire the decor.

But of course you can’t visit without being tempted by their food options. Ruyi’s ‘homeplates’ are great for sharing and are the best way to try a bit of everything. Their take on traditional pork wontons in chili sauce features a tasty homemade chilli sauce that is light, well-balanced and full of flavour without being too hot. It’s also hard to go past the ‘Bao Bao’, a zesty and delicious taco-like chinese sandwich made from peking duck and steamed bun. If you’re looking for vegetarian and/or gluten free options, Ruyi delivers with their szechuan eggplant fries. They are crispy and light, decorated generously with a flavoursome szechuan sauce.

Ruyi has made waves in the design world for the restaurant’s carefully planned out interior, designed by Hecker Guthrie. Each and every aspect of the decor has been carefully crafted specifically for Ruyi and sourced from all corners of the globe; from the vintage Italian tiles to the Belgian cushions to the Ruyi branded crockery uniquely designed for the restaurant.

Ruyi feels like a breath of fresh air amongst a plethora of chinese food options in Melbourne; offering unique style, authentic and fresh dishes, excellent service, original cocktails and an extensive wine list from Australia, New Zealand and Europe. A short walk down Bourke Street from Parliament station, Ruyi is located on the laneway-esque Liverpool Street and is open Monday-Saturday. Visiting is highly recommended.

For a limited time, Ruyi is generously offering an exclusive deal for Milk Bar Mag readers. For just $30, Milk Bar readers will be treated to a ‘Ginger Ginger’ cocktail, a serve of Ruyi Chili Wontons and a serve of Crispy Chicken with Honey Wasabi Sauce. This offer is valid until the end of February 2015 for walk in customers only.

Ruyi
16 Liverpool Street, Melbourne
ruyi.com.au