Menu number #1 and #19 is a must have when you're here! Authentic Xinjiang Cuisine
Oooohhhh my goodness! This place had, hands down, THE BEST noodles I’ve ever had. We ordered 11 (spicy wide cut noodles with lamb) and 18 (pan fried lamb dumplings). Both were fantastic, bursting with flavour, but the noodles were simply out of this world. Chewy and perfectly seasoned. I can’t wait to come back and try more things off the extensive menu. We had a peek at our neighbours’ plates. Everything looked and smelled incredible. I agree with some other reviews that the service wasn’t great, but to be honest, I’m there for the food. Good service in a family restaurant that’s relative cheap - I’m not going in there expecting 5 star service.
There's nothing not to love about this restaurant. It's a family run business I guess. The service wasn't superb but this is normal for chinese restaurants right.
Anyway, the highlight of this place is their 大盘鸡 which is chicken cooked with some potatoes and handmade noodles. It has a nice amount of spice. The handmade noodles were soaked with the gravy and was super soft and chewy!! It has a really extensive menu, and I'd def go back to try their other food on the menu. It's portion is really big and hence, the higher price point. But it was really worth it! I honestly don't mind having this everyday.
We ordered two dishes that we used to have a lot when we were back in China. Honestly it’s pretty authentic and the volume is decent. From the aroma of the dish when it was served I could tell my choice of this restaurant was definitely right! Highly recommended and this restaurant would surely be at the top of my list from now on.
I've been to Kaynam xinjiang twice and will continue to come back because the food is fantastic. This simple restaurant hits the spot every time and its nice to have something outside the usual Pho/Laksa/Raman Melbourne food bubble. Make sure you get the lamb skewers!
It is the night where the lady chooses the dinner, and we meet up at the location.Tonight I just say order anything I will try it,
Inside was very plain and no music I don't think, ordering was done by writing down menu codes.4 dishes arrived in quick succession, big serves, the lamb skewer remind me of street food, all cooked fresh, but the noodles were super great.takeaway the left overs.
Kaynam Xinjiang is a newly opened restaurant in Carnegie. With plain wooden tables and an open environment the staff greeted us with a smile. We were a group of 24 and had 3 tables of 8 which we had asked for and they were set up with water, glasses, plates and cutlery. The food was amazing fresh and in large servings. We ate no 2 (not spicy) and no 3 spicy home made noodles. Squirrel whole fish sweet and Savory yum. Dumplings pan fried with juicy meat inside. Lamb, onion and black pepper parcels which we will be going back for. Green bean with chilli - a little over cooked for me as l love my beans crunchy. Well worth giving this restaurant a try. I’ll be back
There are so many Chinese restaurants in Carnegie, this was the one that had been missing! There aren’t many of Uyghur restaurants in Melbourne and I’m so glad now Carnegie has one that’s so authentic. I came here once when they first opened and frankly it wasn’t as good as it is now. This time, the nan, the dishes, the lamb skewers... everything was perfect, such great flavors, it reminded me how much I love Uyghur food. Many dishes have big portion so don’t over order the food and waste it, ask the waiters before you order, or if you can’t finish, just get take away containers😬
Amazing size with reasonable price!!!! One single dish can well serve at least two people, liked girls in my size, lol. Chief must be an expert of cooking lamb and all sorts of noodles, with yummy sauces.
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I just wanted to start off by saying, this is definitely THE BEST lamb skewers I have had in Melbourne so far, so good that I just keep going back - four times in the last 2 months, despite the unhealthy oil/lard/fat you see dripping off every single dish there.
This place looks and feels authentic, so if you are a XinJiang/Uyghur food lover, this is the place for you. Recommended dishes include stir fried potatoes with crispy lamb ribs, rice cooked with lamb, stir fried spicy whole chicken with vegetables and handmade noodles. And of course, lamb skewers with every meal is a must. The meat is juicy and tender, with just the right amount of crispy fattiness that bursts in your mouth, flavoured and grilled to perfection.
Finish off with their special yogurt drink, mmm delicious!
However like most authentic cheap(ish) Asian restaurants, service is definitely minimal, on one occasion, it took me 5 minutes to get the attention of the waiter to get us some water. Some of the other less well known dishes can be drenched in fat/oil, and you will notice the yellow solidified fat once the meal cools, which would leave the food a lot less attractive.
No matter how bad it looks though, I would keep going back for those delicious lamb skewers (minimum 5 per meal), highly recommended to anyone who is also a lamb skewer lover.
Food: 4.5
Service: 2
Ambiance: 3
Price: 4.5
Don't get me wrong, the 5 star rating only reflects on the food here, because it is delicious, and very authentic. However if you are after fancy service or atmosphere, it is not the place for you. Rather than saying their service is bad, I would say it's more like absent, they really keep the communication down to a minimal level, well the good thing is there is nothing between you and the food, and that makes me enjoy it.
One of the few halal Chinese food in Melbourne. The dishes came from Xinjiang area in China which is primarily populated by Muslims. Most of the dishes proteins are lambs and chickens. The dumplings are pretty good and the handmade noodles are even better. It's chewy and seasoned nicely.
Stumbled upon this accidentally about a month ago, and already been back a second time. A great combination of Chinese and Uzbek/Kazakh food. Bonus points for the amazingly large portions and for being BYO.
The food is so delicious and the price is cheap. The environment is clean and comfortable. This is the my favorite xinjiang restaurant in Melbourne. Highly recommended.
Authentic dishes, great service, reasonable price, nice atmosphere, you guys have another cuisine choice when you heading Carnegie.
Highly recommended.
Nancypants Fancydance
+4.5
Can't wait to go back & try more dishes.
Very different from your normal Chinese restaurant its more Kazakhstan/Chinese food. We had lamb skewers, charcoal lamb ribs, dumplings & a lamb rice dish. I really enjoyed the skewers & dumplings really nice texture. Everyone around us was having the hand pulled noddle dish which looked pretty yummy I had major food envy. I'll definitely be back for more
If you love your Asian, food that is, this place has a very different bent to anything I’ve seen before. It’s Chinese with a side of Stan. Very tasty, rustic dishes. Staff were very helpful too. A return will be on the cards.
I had Lamb Skewers. Strongly recommend to have these. The meat is so tender and juicy. Also, the hand made noodle is good. Originally, I was hesitate to order this lamb noodle with 2 stars of chilli. When I tasted, it is not spicy at all - the flavour is pretty good. The price is a bit high compare to restaurants around Carnegie.
Brand new place, also first Xinjiang cuisine restaurant in Carnegie. Went there on a weekday night with a bunch of friends. The place is spacious and organized, not very busy. Three waiters , manager included, took care of all customers, service was good. The manager was cute btw. I won't give very high ratings to the dishes cuz I cannot help comparing another Xinjiang restaurant I visited in the CBD (the CBD one was mind blowing, not going to mention the name here just so you know I'm not advertising that one). Anyway dishes could be better. Price was fair, but they've already raised the price, it's just opened not long ago! I probably would recommend lamb skewers and the chicken with Sichuan pepper. Cannot recall the name cuz it seems menu is in Uyghur language.
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Went there with friends and surprised to learn a different type of Chinese cuisine. They said that these foods come from a muslim area in China, so no pork. Instead, they use a lot of lamb and boy, so much lamb in the menu. The interior is still quite empty, I guess being new they haven't decorated it much. It was crowded when I came on Saturday night and inside is quite noisy. The menu's foods are in uyghur languange apparently so none sounds like chinese food. I was a bit nervous since I am not a fan of middle eastern food. Anyway, the portion was big. Especially this chili chicken, it was massive. We had this spicy tofu that looks a bit like mapo tofu, and the sauce was pretty nice. Had lamb on skewers, also chicken wings on skewer (watch out for the chili powder, it was so spicy). The best was the chili chicken, which wasnt that spicy. It has some sweetness from capsicum and it was crispy, so good. One more dish that we ordered did not turn up, which was a noodle dish but we didnt chase it up since we were so full already. The portion was massive and for the price, it was really good. For 5 people we paid only $13 each and we were so full and satisfied! We dont know if the price will stay the same or portion will still always be big, we wonder if this is how they want people to be impressed for a new place. On the other table we saw like (almost) a whole lamb on a massive plate. Would be great for a party of lots of people. So yeah, if you are a meat lover, you will love this place. Generally food is pretty good. Hope price and portion stay the same.
This is a first for me trying Xinjiang food. Ordered the skewered lamb and da pen chi or big dish chicken. The food was surprisingly good and met my expectations. Not too chili hot and the chicken dish is quite delicious. The chicken dish cost $28 which I think is a tad too high and not at the correct price point. After all it is just chicken.
Overall not too bad. Service is good but the waitress could not understand simple English instruction and took me a few times to get the order and cutlery.
I will come again to try the other dishes the menu.
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