Had to dine here again. Love the ambiance and fun vibe. Sat at the bar and were seated…read moreimmediately. Funny thing is after ordering, I looked back at my first review to see what at ordered back then. Go figure, I ordered the same thing! Should have checked first becuase I would have tried something new. Nonetheless, delicious once again!

The ambience was very social. Seemed like everyone wanted to be here as there was a wait list and…read morevery limited seats for walk ins. Make reservations! They also have a downstairs bar too with seating that was also booked and packed. Nice variety of dishes, chef curated plates that were visually pleasing to the eye. The drinks while good and unique were carefully measured and extremely small for the price points. 3 cocktails and I didn't feel buzzed. I feel like Australia is very big on preventing intoxication. One of the few places that had knowledgeable staff and to my surprise actually nice and welcoming. I tried the BBQ Salmon wrapped in a banana leaf, braised beef curry, and a couple of drinks. Rather your traveling or a local who hasn't tried this place, it definitely should be on your radar. I was traveling from California and ChinChin was by far the most memorable dining experience I had.

Came here on a Friday night and it was packed but managed to get a seat by the window, away from…read morethe crowd. I think it was actually just the waiting area but they stuck a table there to accomodate extra people. Great idea! I ordered the porkchop and egg on rice ($9.50) and my friend got the combination seafood noodle soup ($11). Then we saw the table next to us had a bottle of wine so we thought, why not pop over to the supermarket and get one for ourselves. Super happy to find out that there was no corkage and the waiter promptly brought over a couple of wine glasses. They also left a bottle of cold tap water for us. To be honest my pork chop on rice wasn't the best. The chicken was seasoned pretty well, but a little dry and the rice was unevenly cooked. I tried some of my friend's noodles which, according to the menu, are handmade. I thought this dish was much better, had fresher ingredients, and the bowl was massive too! The staff were also pretty laid back and even though we were the last people in the restaurant as they were cleaning up, they didn't ask us to hurry up and leave. I think for a decent feed on a budget, this restaurant represents good value.

I had the pleasure of visiting Ramen & Dumpling house before I had to fast for 12 hours, so I…read morewanted to make my meal count! Koornang street is extremely busy during the Friday dinner rush, so I count myself lucky to have gotten a seat at this bustling establishment, many were not as lucky. The service considering it was a full house was attentive but not annoying. Our friendly waiter was patient with us and took the effort to explain certain dishes, answer questions and make suggestions. He was quick with water top ups and didn't forget a thing which seems to be becoming a rarer quality these days. Our meals came fast, but not so fast that you feel suspicious about what's going down in that funky kitchen. We ordered classic honey chicken, vegetable noodles, s & p pork with dry garlic and vegetable boiled dumplings. Not going to hyperbole my heart out here, but that honey chicken rocked my world, it's was crisp on the outside and moist on the inside and just sweet, not sickly like you find sometimes- über impressed! The noodles we're good, packed with vegetable, lots of delicious Asian greens to make you feel like you're doing okay for yourself, plus bean shoots and capsicum a plenty. I should add we asked for this especially instead of a chicken or beef noodle- they were more than happy to accommodate our request. I've noticed a trend of late that people reviewing Chinese restaurants always say they "had the best dumplings ever!" Well, go to Ramen & Dumpling house and be proven wrong, because their Dumplings are better, they even give Aunties a run for her money, but Aunties is cheaper. I found the pork rub flavourful but overall the pork itself dry and unappealing. I'm not a big fan of pork and the best of times, but I felt this had potential to be delicious but just missed the mark a little. The entire meal cost us less than $60 but we ordered twice as much food as we needed, for generous servings, a decent atmosphere and great service, watching person after person get turned away was also a decent show. We even had lunch for the next day. I'm a fan, you should try it out chums!

WOW, JUST WOW...The Best Chinese food in Melbourne. This was our first visit to Ruyi and it was…read morejust down right fantastic. We had a reservation and arrived on time. We received a warm welcome, by I think the owner. As we sat and looked around the place was lovely and classy. We sat pretty close to the bar and were able to watch the bartender make magic. I had Szechuan Mule and it was so pretty I didn't want to drink it. It was soooo good. It was made with a Szechuan infused vodka. We ordered a mixture of appetizers and they were perfect. Honestly we wanted to order everything. We settled on the Peking Duck Cones, the Wonton in Chili Oil, and the Szechuan-spiced Eggplant Batons. - Peking Duck Cones (pancakes)(2 pieces) were some of the best we have had. They seemed lighter, duck had a great flavor with less fat than most, and a perfect crisp to the duck skin. Loved the little dots of hoison placed on the plate. - Chili Wonton (6 pieces) consisting of pork and shiitake mushrooms, arrived in a bowl soaking in a Sichuan Garlic Chili vinaigrette sauce. Again, some of the best we have had. Much better than previous ones we have had in Melbourne. - Szechuan-Spiced Eggplant Batons - arrived beautifully presented. And like none we have ever had. They were actually big slices of eggplant that had been fried and tossed with shallots and a coconut peanut powder. Interesting and delicious. All of the food was wonderful. Everything had their own modern touch added which only enhanced each taste. Service was great. Recommend you make a reservation well in advance. We had to adjust our schedule and eat at an early time to get into this wonderful little restaurant. Highly recommend and will definitely return when we return to Melbourne.

When you think Chinese you normally think 70's interior, bad lighting, fish tanks, Lazy Susans &…read morechairs that you once had in high school, but when you walk into Ruyi you are confronted with soft colours, clean lines, wood and smiling staff. Already I was happy to be here. We were shown to my table with my partner and right away you know you are on to a good thing when you have a wine list in front of you, we were offered water as we sat. I love to know what I am eating before I choose my wine so our lovely waiter went off and grab us some menus. As the waiter explained how the menu is designed for sharing; she asked if anyone on the table had allergies. Now I am a foodtard (have allergies) so having a venue that understands that this is a common thing is refreshing. The menu look so good it was very hard to choose what to eat... Dumplings, soft shell crab, scallops, whole snapper, wagyu - so much to choose from. We started with dumplings; crab & pork dumplings, vegetarian dumplings & the wonton dumplings in chilli sauce. They were perfect. A thin skin which you could see the filling through. The dumplings are made fresh to order. You can see the chef making them behind the bar. They have a well balanced wine list which has European wines, Australian & New Zealand. There is plenty by the glass is you want as well. Next we had soft shell crab, peking duck cone & scallops and again amazing the flavors were well balanced, good texture booked beautiful. For mains we had the whole snapper two ways which is a piece of art amazing it's a MUST have!! But don't forget the truffled +9 wagyu oyster blade served with mushrooms & asparagus. Mmm my mouth is watering thing about it.. But it didn't stop there even though I could not fit in dessert I just could say no to banana fritters, my partner had the chocolate spring rolls with coconut ice cream. Lets just say he didn't give me any!! I am looking forward t my next visit they informed me that they have an express menu too...

A rainy spring night in a dark alley... Perfect time and place for KFC and Beer!…read more Chicken and Beer is a must order at Gami. But we also enjoyed our Spicy Seafood Soup ($18). Service could be a little slow as we were seated in the front of the restaurant and had a hard time waving down the waitress. Half Chicken ($18) is a perfect portion for 2 to share so you can get something else to taste on the menu. Chicken with bones were tender and juicy, perfect pairing with Gun Bae Lager. Cheers!

The Koreans know how to do fried chicken. Second time to this place, the chicken and beer…read moreexperience is better than a trip to KFC. Get the original half and half; choose spicy + soy/garlic flavours. You'll get enough for two people and the meals come with sides (radish pickles, and cabbage salad). The flavour is a steal at $32. Don't forget the Gami beer (bitter or lager). Go for a jug, otherwise get a pot for $4

We were visiting Melbourne and wanted to visit a more unique kind of place. Supernormal fit the…read morebill! Here's what we noticed: - You'll definitely want a reservation as the place gets packed. For our party of two we were seated at the bar, which is a really long bar and appears to be the primary area where parties of two get seated. It was nice, fun to be able to watch the action behind the bar. - They had a great cocktail menu and so we ordered some unique drinks. Both were really good. - The menu is pretty broad with small plates to share and larger entrées too. We end up starting with the Korean Rice Cakes, which was probably a highlight of the meal. It was also a pretty generous size. Then they brought out the Lobster Roll, which was good, but probably a poor ordering choice for us since it really wasn't that unique...although it was very yummy. And finally, we had the Duck Bao, and it was excellent. There were so many other things we would've liked to order from the menu, but this was a lot of food for just two of us, although we saw other parties of two order so much more. But, we wanted to save room for the peanut butter parfait. It was worth the weight/wait! - Service was good. At first, it seemed like they were rushing to move us along, but then as more people came into the restaurant, it calmed down a bit. - The place has a great vibe, but it's a little bit loud as you would expect with a place like this. Bottom line: This was one of the best meals we've had so far during our trip to Australia.

Supernormal had been on our list to try before leaving Melbourne. It's a whole vibe. We didn't…read morehave a reservation, so we ended up waiting about 30 minutes. Not awful but also not something I normally do. The food was good, though I suspect some of their standout dishes lean heavily on seafood, and because I have a shellfish allergy I missed out on the items people most likely are raving about. We ordered the white chicken with potatoes and spinach. It had good flavor, but I'm not a fan of cold dishes and this one is served cold. The greens and broccoli ended up being the most flavorful dish we had. I was not a fan of the rice cakes. They were very rich/sweet/thick???? and they give you a lot of them. We also got the dumplings, which were really good. The peanut butter parfait was delicious. Overall, I'm glad we experienced it. The vibe and atmosphere definitely lived up to the hype, even if the food itself didn't completely wow me. I wouldn't mind returning for lunch to try their ramen, since it's a special only on the lunch menu.

This restaurant is the perfect place for lunch! They have an amazing deal during lunch time- 35pp…read morefor 5 sharing dishes, definitely a bang for your buck! Despite its reasonable pricing, the food did not lack in its taste or quality. We often take our clients here for lunch and meetings. The place is always buzzing but it's not too loud, so it's perfect for a client meet-up or just a casual catch-up with some friends. We've never been here at night but we're confident that they can impress us with their dinner menu, since their lunch offerings are spectacular.

The food was killer (in a good way). I went with my family--five people--which includes three…read morevegetarians. They were quite happy with the availability of vegetarian/vegan food on the menu. I (not one of the vegetarians) would highly recommend the "Crispy Coconut Cups" (a seafood appetizer) and the "Crying Tiger" (beef flank with a spicy sauce). Make sure you get an order of the roti too. The rice was bottomless with our banquet meals--so while I tried to keep room for the meals--the rice was quite good! Our server was nice and funny, not shy of cracking jokes. The seating is quite spacious and there are outside seats too--many of them covered by space heaters and under a shelter during the winter. Overall, I'd definitely recommend stopping here for dinner. Their "banquet style dining" worked well for us, and the portions ended up being exactly right for somebody who walked in on the slightly hungry side--which also makes their fast service and speedy kitchen helpful!

No obvious signs or bright lights…read more Sitting near the corner of Waverley and Warrigul Road, boy am I glad to have stumbled upon this place. With both indoor and outdoor seating, this small restaurant welcomes people of all sorts and has Japanese beer on tap! Wooden chairs and tables with menus on wooden boards, Cafe Carpenter combines Japanese and Korean flavours and does it well! I have found a quiet hideaway near home!

Oh..where to begin. Korean, Japanese and everything in between, the sheer variety is a bit…read moreoverwhelming at first. If I could order everything I just might. Normally I am a bit skeptical about places with too many choices, but at this place they do not disappoint. If you are looking for a friendly neighborhood restaurant and drinking place (Like an Asian Fushion Cheers?), but maybe are unsure of what you want, but just know that you want good food, then Cafe Carpenter is the place for you. It is not easy to find a place with a classically trained chef from Japan and someone who also actually lived and breathed the Korean street food scene. Food wise, from the LA Ribs, to the Donkatsu, and Takoyaki everything is excellent and authentic. Wide selection of alcoholic drinks, coffee, as well as desserts. The pricing is also very reasonable for comparable quality. While the quality, variety and service were all excellent, the one thing that stood out most for me was the friendliness and warmth of the owners and staff. I highly recommend.

Food was amazing!! It wasn't what we were expecting but such a great find! Highly recommend if you…read moreare in Melbourne!

Spicy Cumin Pork Ribs…read more Spicy Cumin Pork Ribs Spicy Cumin Pork Ribs The secret is out and they *will* make more. These atomic bombs of flavor and heat are my favorite dish on the planet. After the privilege of trying them once, we came home and began a long saga of attempts to duplicate the dish. After all, they don't deliver to the other side of the world... Well, after numerous unsuccessful attempts, we gave up in frustration. But then, years later, we had the opportunity to return and order the same dish. It was incredible and just as we remembered. Spicy, crunchy, tender morsels of atomic goodness. It cannot be duplicated. Just head down the dark alley and up the few steps in to this mecca of Sichuan taste sensation. You won't regret it. Or, better yet, order some "to go" and SHIP THEM TO US NOW.