Ling Nam

I guess this would be a 3.5 star review leaning up. Small little BYO asian place that has all the regular fanfare — Sweet & Sour Pork, Shredded Duck In Pancake, Noodles, Vegetables/​Meats with sauce, etc.
Based on reviews it seems to be a favorite for late night drunk food as its open till 3am, but we came here at about 6pm with some wine and sat around ordering Soups, Spring Rolls, Lettuce Wraps, Duck Wraps, Vegetables and Rice. It was all good and yummy, though clearly not fine ingredients, just designed for taste and efficiency — but that was expected and sometimes what you want. It’s relatively cheap.
Felt a little clogged in the tummy the day after haha. But I’d certainly return given the right circumstances/​after checking out some other places on list nearby.

When you’re stumbling around Chinatown at 3am in the morning and craving Chinese food, head over to Lind Nam!
Excitingly, it’s open until 3.30am — which is even later that the Supper Inn.
The food is also consistently good — we gorged on noodles, KFC style salty chicken (gah!), satay chicken, salty fish and garlic greens. An excellent way to refuel after a heavy karaōke session #justsaying

Every night when the clock strikes 12, I starting having these insatiable hunger pangs that yogurt and museli does not fulfil. As a result, Ling Nam is the very place that has been responsible for my lack of visible abs.
I would recommend the getting the Sweet and Sour Pork, XO Pipis with Chinese donuts (or doughnuts), Honey Pepper Beef, and Salt & Pepper Chicken.
As with almost every Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, BYO. Service is pretty good, and they do take bookings if you push the right buttons. I also always eat quick, and walk home in shame because this is not how it’s meant to be.
MY STOMACH AND I LOVES YOU, LING NAM.

Well and long established late night hospo meal spot.
As with others, this seem to be a favourite spot for late night
dining out. I’ve been here since around 2009, and after 30 visits,
I thought it was time to post. MSG chicken, the always mentioned
pipi’s and Xo sauce with Chinese donut, yam stuffed duck. and the tender
steak with veggies something or other. It’s also good that you can BYO!
Which may or may not result in up to 13 bottles of wine being brought
to the table, and on one memorable occasion, about 6 people to drink them.
In short; quick and fast service, steady stream of food that arrives for group
orders, and food arrives quickly. One doesn’t go home hungry due to the FT
of food. Heaps of options and a better late night meal when not much else
is open.

I LOVE THIS PLACE
Pipi & XO sauce with chinese doughnuts, spicy blacken quail, ginger steamed oysters what more do you need???
I have been coming here for YEARS love a place that you can take a bottle of wine and eat yourself silly!

Ling Nam has always been a guilty pleasure for me, but the last time I went there I didn’t feel guilty at all! The food is still delicious, but the service has improved pretty dramatically.
The selection of food is huge, the selection of alcoholic beverages is not. My personal favourite dishes are the deep fried chicken in spicy salt and chilli, and the beef and shallots in a hot pot, with fried rice. If you’re into seafood, try the clams in XO sauce with some chinese donuts. Dishes are rarely more than $ 20, and servings are large.
The place has always been quite popular, and they don’t take bookings. Its common to have to leave your phone number and come back a little later.
If you’re after a casual dinner, or a late night feed on a weekend, you’ll do well here.

Soooo love the seafood there!!!

As for Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, this is a foundation for cheap and good food. You always get big servings, and its great for groups. The service is attentive it you are looking for it.
Open late, Ling Nam is always an option in Melbourne. Watch out for the minimum order on Friday and Saturday nights. I think its about $ 18 per head. You can always take your leftovers with you.
This is one of our favorites.

I came here on a late night, during my vacation in Melbourne. I was hungry and the menu items seemed enticing. The atmosphere seemed chill and mixed group-​consisting of families and young people. I ordered a scallop appetizer and Singapore Noodle plate with hot tea. Service was fast and cordial.
While I was waiting for my food to arrive, I noticed my server served my tea cup with his thumb inside the cup. I was slightly uneasy with this, as I have taken a course in food-​handling. If you think that this is bad, this is just the beginning. Another member of serving staff kept wiping his nose while serving the floor – that is gross! At that point, I was ready to bail and go to bed hungry than catch a food borne illness. Moreover, the man kept coughing without covering up. C’mon who does that?
Food on the other hand, while trying hard to ignore this isolated incident, was satisfying. The scallop appetizer and Singapore noodles were scrumptious. For $ 20, I attest that this is a deal.
I hope this place understands the importance of proper food-​handling and retrains their serving staff.

I probably only go to a few restaurants in Chinatown — Shanghai Village being one and Ling Nam being the other. I don’t know if the other Chinese establishments are worst, just as good, or better, but through word of mouth and recommendations, I somehow ended up at Ling Nam and continue to go back.
The food here isn’t amazing — it’s really good, but not amazing. You have the usual Chinese dishes, but I particularly enjoy the salt and pepper calamari and the roast duck. I love a restaurant that can do duck well — the meat is juicy and tender, but has a tendency to have too many bones to gnaw through.
Like many of the Chinese restaurants I go to, not just those in Chinatown, the service here is a bit lacking, but there are hardly any errors — you get the food you order and you get it quickly.

Ling Nam is quite an interesting place to grab a Chinese feast. First of all, it is pretty much always rammed on a Friday or Saturday night. You’ll typically have to wait 10 – 15 minutes for a table. While you do that you might want to get some BYO wine from the bottle shop across the street.
I’ve eaten here on numerous occasions and the food for the most part is delicious. Just how a Parma is a measure of an Aussie pub, I find that the salt and pepper squid to be a measure of a Chinese restaurant. Ling Nam’s salt and pepper squid is awesome. Their duck is also a personal favourite. As for the other things on the menu the other dishes are really good for the most part. I’d stay clear from some of their entrees though. The food would probably get an ⁸⁄₁₀.
The service is not great however. It is not that quick and not that friendly. On one occasion the waiter gave a friend visiting from the UK a tough time. He got heckled for ordering a Wonton soup. Then he got heckled for ordering beef in black bean sauce. When the food arrived the waiter said «Hey Englishman, here is your beef in black bean sauce» as he sniggered and laughed in my friends face. This not so «friendly banter» continued in every interaction.
It was kind of a strange experience and my friend who had lived in China for 3 months was mildly insulted. I found it fairly funny but many people would not have appreciated such a mindf**k.