Designated as TimeOut Melbourne's Best restaurant of 2022. It's a great addition to the Melbourne food scene! And a modern take on Filipino food.
Serai is located in a dead-end alley off Little Bourke St. We were visiting with locals and they initially wanted to take us here for dinner, but couldn't secure a reservation. So we took a chance on our last night in Melbourne and showed up when they opened. The staff were accomodating and we were able to snag some seating in the alley. Honestly, in retrospect, I was glad we were in the alley, the restuarant was really loud.
One of our servers was also the bartender and made a point to check on us periodically (sorry I don't recall your name, but you were ultra cool and hospitable). Actually, everyone was really nice and service was great!
We ordered one item of each section of the menu. First dish was seared kangaroo Kilawin, wood roasted marrow and toast. This was THE BEST DISH of the evening! Kangaroo is a lean meat and the fatty, rich bone marrow added so much flavor! The next dish we had was the "McScallop", this was ok. A bit messy, I think it was meant to be 1-2 bites, but I had a hard time keeping it altogether. The Skull Island Prawns - ooh - I'm still dreaming about this dish! And for our large plate we had the special: Woodgrilled kingfish belly and Sinigag with duck yolk to share. By this time we were almost too full to really savour and enjoy this dish.
They also have well crafted cocktails! We had the Ube Wan Kenube and Sus Maryo Spritz. Both refreshing and delicious.
Definitely make a visit to Serai, I think everyone will find something they will enjoy!
Side note: Review #500!!! read more