Including a three-storey Malaysian mega-venue from a top Aussie chef, and affordable fast-casual eateries for cheesy toasties and pastas. Plus more Melbourne CBD openings to get excited about.
Winter is upon us, but things are heating up in the CBD, where a clutch of new openings is here to help you resist the urge to hibernate. A Sydney-famous Malaysian chef has made his Melbourne debut. There are three wallet-friendly new lunch options for city workers to get around, and two seafood-centric Japanese diners are on their way.
The hottest new restaurant in town
Since opening the wildly popular Ho Jiak in Sydney, now with four locations, Malaysian-born chef Junda Khoo has been sharing the food of his homeland and challenging expectations of what the cuisine can be. Now he’s brought the party to Melbourne, with a three-storey Malaysian mega-venue. The cherry on top is rooftop beer hall Ho Liao (Level 2, Rainbow Alley), which Khoo says has been doing between 600 and 700 covers a day since it opened late last month. “It’s been absolutely wild.”
While the menu might read conventionally, Khoo puts his own spin on things. His signature char kwai teow is “not traditional, not authentic”, with more wok hei than you’d expect. The loh bak (five-spice pork rolls) use fatty pork jowl instead of the more common mince and add prawn mousse to the mix. The rendang curry stars braised wagyu shin for extra flavour.
All the rice and noodle dishes are priced at $15, but they’re moderately sized so you can order several. Want to splash out? Go fingers-first into the delicious mess of lobster or crab, with your sauce of choice including ginger and shallot or Malaysian chilli. A “more boundary-pushing” restaurant called Ho Jiak – Junda’s Playground is set to open beneath Ho Liao, on the building’s first floor, in mid-June. Watch this space.
Three affordable new fast-casual eateries
On street level underneath Ho Liao, Da Bao is Khoo’s version of the economy rice stalls found across Malaysia. Bain maries are packed with “the kind of simple, home-style dishes my grandmother used to make”, says Khoo. “Some – like a typically Malaysian onion omelette – you might not normally see on restaurant menus.”
Sixteen dishes are on offer, from drunken chicken to green-sambal eggplant, and you can get three for $15. The name “da bao”, emblazoned in huge yellow lettering on the wall, means “takeaway”, but there is some seating available.
Right around the corner, Remo’s (198 Little Collins Street) is a new pasta and tiramisu “laboratorio” by Remo Nicolini, founder of the popular A25 Pizzeria. He’s Italianised the former Parcs site, which now serves reasonably priced bowls of pasta to take away or eat in. The classic spaghetti aglio e olio (with garlic and olive oil, plus chilli) is $14, while the gnocchi pomodoro with basil-spiked sugo and stracciatella is $15. Tiramisu, made with Dukes Coffee, comes in flavours such as pistachio and Nutella.
At the top end of town in the Collins Place precinct, the recently opened Golden (55 Collins Street) is all about coffee and toasties, from $15. It’s the latest venture by Jackie Middleton, of Earl Canteen and Dame, in collaboration with Hakim Halim of Queen Victoria Market cheese shop Ripe.
“I don’t know if we necessarily need another made-to-order [fresh] sandwich concept in Melbourne,” says Middleton. “But a ripper toastie, everyone likes.” Breakfast could be a “cacio egg pepe” toastie that combines pepper pecorino and mozzarella with fancy Pep pepper and sliced hard-boiled, free-range egg. Other options include miso eggplant, inspired by the Japanese nasu dengaku, and an autumnal spiced pumpkin.
Three soon-to-open restaurants to watch out for
After years of pop-ups, starting at Leonie Upstairs, former Kisume sushi chef Reki Reinantha is readying a permanent home for Sachi (179 Queen Street), his seafood-focused Japanese restaurant devoted to chirashi-don ‒ expertly constructed bowls of sashimi atop vinegar-cured sushi rice, with seasonal sides.
The concept sits in between fancy and fuss-free, he says, “when you don’t want Minamishima, but you don’t want Sushi Hub”. Slated to open in July, there’ll be several distinct experiences – with distinct offerings – such as an express sushi lunch or a dedicated sake-and-snacks menu. Fish, including premium Australian bluefin tuna, will dry-age in a fridge at the doorway.
Nearby, chef Dani Liem’s Sushi Sho (Level 1, 369 Little Bourke Street) – also known for its pop-ups, plus artful nigiri boxes with house-made sauces – will be a new player in the CBD’s omakase game when it puts down roots.
And on the riverside, From Here by Mike (9 Maritime Place, Docklands) will be the flagship dining destination at 1 Hotel’s first Australian property, when it opens in Melbourne on June 19. Led by chef Mike McEnearney, of Sydney’s Kitchen by Mike, the restaurant will take diners from breakfast through to dinner with a focus on hyperlocal produce, and dishes such as twice-baked goat’s-cheese souffle with rosemary cream.
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