Review Sumalee - Bentleigh

Really nice place for dinner. I had lamb shank massaman and my partner had the panang- braised beef and neither of us were disappointed. Great ambience and very friendly service. Also a very nice place to celebrate a special occasion.

Really great restaurant. Lovely cosy atmosphere, friendly staff and amazing food. The best Thai food I have had in the area. So fresh and tasty and nicely presented. I love the tasting selection of starters a really fun way to start a meal. Love the crunchy beef, the beef is so soft and flavoursome with the perfect spice level. Highly recommend, if you want Thai food that is extra special.

We absolutely love going to Sumalee Thai it’s our favourite place for the best authentic Thai flavour dinner, best customer service ever always with a smile xx

I had super high expectations from the reviews, but this was far from that expectation. The restaurant looks nice inside. But the food was bland and far from good quality authentic Thai food. The beef Grapow and the Sumalee garden had the exact same flavour, one just had meat. The arancini was okay, as were the beef puffs. The staff were too busy to be focused on service. If you want (in my opinion) superior Thai places to try, I would suggest 'Sibling Spice' in Carnegie, or 'D'Elephant' at Chadstone. I'm sorry I could not rate higher. Khap Khun Kap 🙏🏼

Amazing new and modern charm my decor, amazing service from the start to finish and accommodated all our need. Best Thai I’ve ever had, and the beef brisket in my curry was hands down the best beef I’ve ever had in any curry, ever!!! I will come back again and again just for this one dish!! Our new Thai go to!

Solid Thai place located in central bentleigh. The staff are super friendly, making sure that we understood that we were ordering spicy dishes. The food is tasty, fresh and presented very nicely. The coconut rice was particularly delicious. The curries were plentiful per serve but unfortunately lacked a depth of flavour. It was also on the more expensive side for a curry dish. Overall it is a nice local place.

We have been coming to Sumalee for over 10 years and it just gets better. The food is fresh and delicious, wonderful Thai flavours with in some dishes a modern twist. Presentation is lovely and staff are friendly and welcoming.

We went for dinner yesterday to Sumalee. It was a lovely experience! The Green Papaya Salad, Fish On the Beach and Pad Thai were delicious! Would love to visit again.

Incredible food with even better service!

Lovely place! Food has so much flavour, great atmosphere,always busy. Friendly staff! :)

Always a great meal everyone!! Hidden gem Bentleigh!

The service was excellent and food had plenty of flavour.

This place is a little gem in the suburbs. love the flavours here. Menu is tight & flavours are strong & sensational! this place never dissapoints. waiting staff know there stuff. always happy to return

One of the best Thai places I’ve been to in Bentleigh! The Pad Thai comes in a huge serving size (my friend and I shared!) and looks awesome. We also had the spring rolls and roti with peanut satay sauce which was delicious 😋Definitely my go to Thai food place

Been here several times，can't get a table without booking especially in nice summer season. Service is friendly , food is good … a small cozy family restaurant in bentleigh!

We have eaten here many times and the food is always delicious. The staff are very friendly and give good service. Our favourite meals are the lemon lime fish, papaya salad and the signature entrees. It's always busy so make sure you book!!

Nice ambience and friendly staff. After so many attempts trying to book for the place we finally got a table just at the restaurant’s opening time. Food was alright, there was no wow factor. I was a bit disappointed that the food wasn’t as authentic as i’d expected it to be, this is more fusion restaurant. The green papaya salad was a mix of shredded green apples, carrots than papaya. There was no pineapple fried rice either and the tom yum goong was also a let down, quite thick in texture.

Sumalee. An absolute delight with the yummiest Thai food to be found in the Melbourne Bayside. <br/><br/>We occasionally book a table, but more regularly we will phone in for some dishes to pick up which, for us, takes just a short drive. On weekends, when the restaurant is busy, this is an option to remember if you are within 30 minutes of Centre Road, Bentleigh (Sumalee is close to the Nepean Highway end).<br/><br/>My favourite dish is Chicken with Cashew Nuts and it is absolutely superb. As a coeliac sufferer, Thai food, in general, is very compatible but Renee and her team will go that extra step to ensure that you are safe as well as satisfied. The dishes themselves are big servings and very reasonably priced. We will often have so much that I can take some to work for lunch the next day. <br/><br/>The Pad Thai is another treat. I read another recent review that showed some disappointment that chicken was the only Pad Thai protein on the menu, however our favourite Pad Thai from Sumalee is Prawn, and we have always found the staff happy to oblige if you want a change to one of the dishes.<br/><br/>The staff always great you with beautiful smiles and never fail to make you feel welcome.

Fell on this place one night after googling Thai restaurants in Bentleigh and the food is delicious. Tried to get in again without a booking and it was full so make sure you book. The staff are lovely, polite and very friendly. Highly recommend.

Sumalee is a Thai Restaurant located on Centre Road in Bentleigh. It’s a fairly small restaurant & popular with the locals so if you’re planning to go I’d suggest booking. Inside it was fairly crowded & noisy so we chose to sit outside. Sumalee offers your standard Thai food with some creative presentation. <br/><br/>We ordered the vegetarian Pad Thai, Chicken Cashew Nut, Roti & Satay Sauce. The Pad Thai was very impressive, served in an egg net & a huge portion. I really enjoyed this dish, Pad Thai is one of my favourites & their version was delicious. The Chicken dish was tasty too, again a very large portion which was a good thing as the prices were a bit steep for a local Thai place. Around $20 & up for most main meals. Roti bread & satay sauce is always a hit with me & we both loved the flavour of the satay sauce. <br/><br/>The staff at Sumalee were very friendly & made our visit an enjoyable one.

Was so surprised that there were places for dinner after calling up on Friday. I have called up a few times previously and have been unsuccessful in getting a spot. <br/>So glad we got to try to place because the food was really nice! Especially that pork belly dish-it was incredible! I think the best I had my far. The pad Thai was nice too-the only concern I had was they offered pad Thai in one variety (chicken). Would be good if they offered other variety too since it’s quite a popular dish.

Sumalee's Signature dish and their Crispy Caramel Pork belly are to die for.<br/>The staff are young and very friendly and accommodating. <br/>Still hoping for some Thai music ! Heather Vocino Not Morris

Food was extremely good. It was very crowded and the place is too small. But the Thai red curry was just too amazing. The staff are also very friendly. Can have a good Thai dinner here for sure.

I wanted to give more but maybe the very high praise I'd heard for Sumalee gave me high expectations; in fact it did. <br/><br/>Loved the staff, interiors and it's my local. Food was all lovely but not outstanding. I've had really good Thai where the flavours are so distinct and fresh you feel like you're in Thailand but it was not memorable. <br/><br/>I wanted it to be more wow. It was good but not great. The Thai fish cakes were just Thai fish cakes like I've had takeaway. The prawn crisps were good but again nothing outstanding. Favourite part was the roti!! Dipping it into the chicken curry (red because the green was very hot) was a highlight. <br/><br/>I think if I'd not expected it to be outstanding I would have given it a higher mark.

Absolutely delicious. My partner and I ordered the Pad Thai & pork belly (pictured) and were both outstanding. Highly recommend, standout Thai food!

My husband and I both work in the food industry and have tried many different restaurants. This is my favourite Thai restaurant, you can tell their head chef puts a lot of effort into his food. The techniques used for preparing and decorating food has been refined to perfection. You would only find food with this standard at a very high class restaurant. Every single plate is bursting with flavour, our personal favourite, Pad Thai,beef spare ribs Penang curry,crispy caramel pork belly . It leaves me speechless every time, it’s absolutely delicious. The fact that this is only a small restaurant in Bentleigh is just unbelievable. The front line staff’s service is incredible, their warm smiles are very welcoming. The interior decoration is also very aesthetically pleasing.

Ambiance is lovely, loved the green and gold decor. Service was full of smiles and asking if food was alright from time to time. Main I had was the special main on the blackboard ...honey and soy beef ribs with light salad. When it came out the salad on top of the meat was huge, a little amused at the 'light salad' part. Salad balanced out the strongly marinated beef which was too strongly marinated to be honest. Meat was tender though. My partner had kaffir lime seafood curry, he found the fish dry and had a lot of fish pieces but not so much of other seafood and the flavour was not strong enough. I thought the flavour was sufficient so this depends on your own taste. The coconut rice was too stodgy. Was extremely full after the mains could not have dessert. Overall 3/5. Teck Joon Yeo

Went here for dinner as Sumalee’s rating was high and reviews seemed good. <br/>Service : fairly slow. After ordering it took 40 minutes to receive entrees. The restaurant was not booked to capacity so unsure why it took so long.<br/>Food: servings sizes of the food varied between dishes (I.e. the curries were much smaller than other dishes). Good cuts of protein used in dishes (I.e. chicken breast over thigh). Some dishes were authentic but others were more designed to appeal to westernised palettes (I.e the pad Thai was very sweet). <br/>

The high rating is certainly deserved. Two suggestions: 1) FOOD: very nice, well prepared, well served and properly priced. The arancini are a little over-fried and the pad, certainly nice and quite decorative, is possibly lacking a touch of chili. 2) AMBIENCE: fine, but because of the high ceiling, the restaurant, which is obviously full most of the time, is definitely noisy (eco-chamber effect). A few sound proofing panels, hanging from the ceiling, would certainly make a difference and allow the personnel and the customers to converse and communicate with ease. These panels are quite inexpensive and come in different colours, which makes them  decorative as well.

Our go to local restaurant. Doing so well they have moved to larger premises (kudos Renee) food sublime, service personable and fresh, fresh , fresh.<br/>The owners care about their heritage Snd it shows.<br/>Go try and you won’t be disappointed.<br/>

Yum!!! Ordered the shared appies which had a little bit of everything, green curry and masaman curry followed with coconut ice cream for dessert. They give you alot of protein in the masaman which susprised me. Took a star off bc the ice cream had popcorn on it which didn't leave me feeling I was in Thailand. <br/>The staff are very welcoming and even let us order dessert after kitchen was closed. <br/>Would come again :)

Food spot on with beautiful flavours. Our group had a great time. Food portions just right .Service was exceptional with the waitress extremely attentive.

Points for: a decent local Thai restaurant<br/>Dine Time: Weekend Dinner<br/><br/>Bit of a cosy restaurant, and aimed at the locals, meaning that a couple loud tables can really fill the restaurant with a lot of noise. It also means the flavours have toned down and a lot of the dishes are a lot sweeter.<br/><br/>A part of the menu is a modern/contemporary take, and some dishes try and stay true. The red duck curry has some rich curry flavour, but a tad sweet.<br/>The crispy pork belly had quite a layer of fat, and the crispy skin was more .... soft.<br/>The roti is a little on the oily side, and satay a tad thick and sweet as well.<br/>Some of the desserts are plated a little on the dated side, with patterns of syrup coming from a squeeze bottle.<br/><br/>At the time of writing, this restaurant has a 4.6, which is a little too high for what it is imho.

Very delicious and authentic Thai Cuisine, the pad Thai is yummy, but anyway still a bit expensive, will recommend to be there and very good service

Great food here, very popular with a great vibe even mid week. Would recommend pulled pork entree if looking for something to share, well presented and delicious.

One true local gem, with very good food and friendly staff, and not to mention the reasonable price tag. Always fully booked, recommend to book in advance.

Amazing food - well presented and plenty in the serving. Not fatty and and the curry was full of flavour and meat/veggies. Staff lovely and great service.

We saw this little place when we first came to Melbourne two years ago, but were unable to get a table. My wife managed to get a table for my Fathers Day treat, and we were all blown away by the food. The Pad Thai was as good as I've had, with the rest of the mains not far behind. We will definitely be back.

Went there last Sat with my wife to check the place out - so many nice reviews! Had too book well in advance - turns out, you can't just pop in casually, it's fully booked virtually always. Well, what can I say? The reviews were RIGHT! This place IS a little gem. <br/>We ordered lamb puffs for starters, soups - tom yum and coconut milk, then duck curry and green papaya salad. Service was very friendly and prompt. Ambiance was great. Food tasted DELICIOUSLY! Flavours were amazing! IMHO that's the best Thai food I ever had in Melbourne. <br/>Prices were decent. Overall - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! (don't forget to book first!)

On two occasions I tried to make a booking on the day (weekend and a weekday) but they were fully booked. The two of us finally got a table Saturday night after booking 3 days in advance.<br/>First impression upon stepping in was that this was a very tiny cafe style restaurant, it felt warm and cosy. Service wise - we had indicated to a waitress that we were ready to order to which she responded 'wait a moment', but it wasn't until 20mins later someone came up to us and apologised that they had forgotten about us. I wasn't particularly starving exactly at that time but I was a little surprised considering the praise they have been getting here on service. Besides that, I found the service to be average.<br/>We started off with lamb puffs for entree, pork belly/prawn pad thai for main and coconut icecream stack for dessert. These guys clearly value presentation and we were also quite happy with the quality of food and would to come back to sample more of the menu.

We came to sumalee after seeing their high zomato review. The place was totally buzzing and fully booked even in the middle of the week! We were lucky to get one of the outdoors table with out a booking. <br/><br/>We ordered 2 entrees, and 3 mains to share. The entrees were good, they were different to any other thai restaurant i've been to. Not quite your standard Thai entree. For the main we ordered duck curry, beef, and pad thai. All the dishes were presented beautifully. However I found they were generally lack in flavour and on the sweet side. So personally, i was not particularly impressed by the food. <br/><br/>The service was pretty good even when they were busy, they took time to make sure that we were ok.

Authentic, delicious Thai food at this place and reasonably priced. A gem that not many people know about. Service was good and it was easy to get a booking.

Wow!!! What a little gem! Great food and service, will definitely return to Sumalee. Absolutely nothing negative to say about this quaint little place, it doesn't disappoint.

Consistently excellent food. We've been many times and no matter how busy and frantic this place gets, the food is always spectacular. Beautiful presentation and amazing flavours. Last night we had the pulled pork on wontons for an entree and lemon lime fish with coconut rice. Sooooo good. It's always noisy and understaffed so I wouldn't choose it if you're in a hurry or wanting a deep conversation but the food makes up for the mayhem every time and we totally understand why it's so busy.

This Thai restaurant in Bentleigh is quite small and after reading the reviews, we had to check it out. And we weren't disappointed. The food was sensational. One of the best Thai restaurants we've been to. The service was very friendly and willing to help. The green chicken curry was nice and spicy. The entrees were just perfect. Definitely book if interested as it was a full house when we were there. Definitely a place to go back to. <br/>

I've been wanting to try this place for ages. Really enjoyed the food, very good variety with personalised service. The restaurant is very small which explains the difficult table booking but it was a satisfying experience.

Great food, fresh, quick service didn't have to wait long for the food to arrive which is great when u have kids. Enjoyed the experience and will be back!

This Thai café in Bentleigh is classy. Friends and I visited just to have an entrée before moving onto another venue, and I was quite impressed. I had the crispy sesame tofu, which was very tasty and attractively presented. I was slightly disappointed that some of my favourite Thai choices were not available as vegetarian (for example, spring rolls), but there was a handful of other vegetarian possibilities. We all agreed that the food was good quality. The décor is very smart, from the glass façade to the timber table settings and wall ornaments, and we found the service very friendly and helpful. I would certainly return when next in the area.

This tiny Thai restaurant in the heart of Bentleigh is a gem waiting to be discovered by the rest of Melbourne residents. Oh how delicious is every dish they put on the table. Wonderfully presented, with flavours sending you into a foodgasm. You get generous portion, absolutely fantastic staff and a nice, relaxed ambiance. A must try. We ordered the thai aranici balls, lamb massaman curry (my fav), pad thai, roti, coconut rice, coconut icecream and panna cotta. Well done Sumalee team.🤗

Favourite Thai restaurant in Bentleigh. Interesting menu with a range of delicious meals to choose from. Welcoming staff and warm atmosphere.<br/>

Incredible!!!!<br/> I am not usually a fan of pork belly; however, their rendition was delectable! <br/>Everything left us wanting more, luckily the food was filling. Otherwise, you would’ve had to roll us out of there. Be sure to book in advance, they’re typically full house.

This place was full again, but they made room for us. The food is always out standing, going to try the beef ribs this evening, looking forward to it

Seriously one of the best Thai restaurant in Melbourne. I am so glad I went there to celebrate my second anniversary with my partner. Everything was good. The food was perfect and full of flavour. The pad thai was one of the best I ever had. Even the dessert was top-notch. The customer service was excellent. Overall highly recommend.

Beautiful authentic Thai food! Possibly the best I've had in Melbourne and a must go for all you Thai lovers! I ordered the fish cakes and Rockling stir-fry! The fish was succulent, the vegetables were crisp and fresh and the flavours were infused perfectly! Prices were exceptional considering the quality of the food! The only downfall was the lack of tables available considering the demand! Expect to wait at peak times but be assured it's worth the wait!

This restaurant is awesome. The food tastes great and is presented exceptionally well. For a small cafe style restaurant they certainly punch above their weight. Noise levels are low and you can have a conversation over dinner which is a huge plus.  Our table ordered entrees to share – the Thai Arancini and from the specials board the Triple Cooked Pulled Pork with Asian slaw on Crispy Wonton Skin.

I really can't fault Sumalee.  The presentation is always fantastic.  The flavours are great. For a small cafe style restaurant they excel themselves.  Another big plus is that the noise levels are low and you can have a conversation over dinner.  You do need to book though.  It's a small restaurant and very popular.

Over rated over priced. Food looks good but food tastes no good....................expensive for a below average food .......no good.........them rating is fake ........not coming back 👎thumbs down

Really nice thai food! <br/><br/>Came here with my girlfriend for a casual friday date and it did not disappoint. The service was excellent and very polite. <br/><br/>We ordered the chefs special and tom yum for entree and both were amazing. After that we had the kaffir lime fish and pork belly for main and could not fault either.<br/><br/>Highly reccomend for a local night out 😀

Superb Thai Cuisine<br/><br/>Sumalee is a high quality Thai restaurant. It is, in our opinion, amongst the very best in the Malvern, Carnegie, Murrumbeena and Bentleigh and Bentleigh East areas.  <br/><br/>One of the very most important traits of the restaurant, and to Carole and I, the very most important is the quality and freshness of the food we were presented with.<br/><br/>It is best termed a bistro environment, and it can be quite  "squeezy" with so many people fitted into a relatively small area, a necessity as it is so popular amongst its patrons. However, this should not  detract from you paying it a visit as you will be well rewarded with the quality of the Thai food served.  <br/>The restaurant is NOT excessively noisy such that it is impossible to hold a conversation, quite often the case in other Asian restaurants.<br/><br/>Its decor is typically Thai with the usual  decorations and ornaments, so indicative of that culture, adorning the walls.  So it is nothing out of the ordinary, just a very pleasant place to have a meal.<br/><br/>We were interested in noting that the chef has cooked on a number of TV cooking shows and his experience really shows through in the presentation and innovation of the different courses we were presented with.<br/><br/>For our entrees Carole chose the Ocean Bag which is a pastry, similar to that of a spring roll stuffed with prawns vermicelli Asian herbs and spices.  Thoroughly enjoyable and very delicious.  On the other hand, I chose a Tom Yum Soup which to me was great - it was hot, spicy, had black tiger prawns, straw mushrooms baby corn and tomato infused into the broth - beautiful.  <br/><br/>We were also intrigued by the  Golden Prawn entree and after having shared  a four piece plate between us, we were so impressed we sent out for another plate. The dish consists of marinated crumbed prawns, with mint yoghurt and orange ginger caramel.  it will come as no surprise to readers this is the standout dish to us and was the highlight of the night.  In a nutshell – magnificent.<br/><br/>And so to main course and for that I enjoyed a Massaman Lamb Curry,  with a tender spiced lamb shank,  floating in a creamy Massaman  curry accompanied by potato, onion and peanut.  It too, was a delicious meal which I thoroughly enjoyed.  But take care, it is a very large portion and it will have serious effect on your ability to consume more food later.  On the other hand, Carole could not stop raving about her exquisite Lemon Lime Fish which was based on a crispy white flesh fish fillets complete with green salad, chili, Asian herbs and a delicious lemon lime dressing.  Just could not go past that one! Some coconut rice to the side was an excellent accompaniment, with Roti bread and satay sauce.<br/><br/>Aahh - deserts - (which Carole could not join me in having - too full), but I thoroughly enjoyed a delicious Thai Milk Tea Panna Cotta, consisting of creamy panna cotta infused with pandan leaf and served with a berry coulis -  sufficiently light and cooling after the previous courses to completely hit the spot.<br/><br/>There is a excellent variety of food on the menu, and it is the variety and innovation which will please diners.  It would be unlikely you could not find something to tempt you.<br/><br/>The wine and beverage list, whilst not extensive, is adequat .<br/><br/>Very pleasing to report  the lady of the house was our waitress for the night and she did a first-class job.  Very personable, very knowledgeable and only too pleased to help, particularly in tailoring the curries to individual tastes.  She was also very interesting to talk to and she obviously knows her stuff as far as Thai food goes.  Great job, very well done.<br/><br/>For the quality, freshness and excellence of the courses we enjoyed, we consider the prices not to be excessive, and will be only too pleased to return their as soon as possible.

After reading reviews I couldn't wait to try out Sumalee! Went on a Tuesday night with some friends and the inside was fully booked out (must be good) so we were seated outside with the gas heater which was okay. I think the staff may have forgotten about us because it took a while to get our order in but food arrived within 20 minutes. Beautiful presentation and large serving sizes. We had the cashew chicken, prawn pad Thai and red duck curry. It was all amazing and very flavoursome. Staff were friendly. Would definitely come back but will book in advance for sure!

Fabulous food! All the dishes came out pretty & generous. For entree, we had lamb puff & the day's special which was like a pulled pork taco. Mains: Pad Thai, Duck Red Curry, Grilled Chicken & the day's special which was a crispy rockling fish with pear salad. All yum! Dessert were Yogurt Panna Cotta & Waffles. The Panna Cotta wasn't perfect but the accompanying caramelized popcorns were divine! Their prices have gone up & on the pricey side. Service was friendly & reservations are recommended to avoid disappointment.

This place is an absolute gem. Small and busy which shows how popular it is! I loved the golden prawns OMG! Unique and delicious, not at all like the usual thai starters. I loved their pad thai(prawn and chicken mixed) and beef grapow dish.<br/>I am a regular! And the service is very friendly and warm.

Thai cuisine with modern Australia touch<br/>Red duck curry + Crispy caramel pork belly<br/>.<br/>The duck was deliciously moist and the flavours with lychee just worked!! You will keep digging til no sauce left 😋 (and its not spicy)<br/>And the pork ? Soft, tender and juicy!! 🐷 dont forget the crunchiness crispy skin <br/>PS: the coconut rice is a must to try👅<br/>.<br/>Crispy caramel pork belly - $20.90<br/>Red duck curry - $20.90<br/>.<br/>Overall is a good unique fusion thai dinner experience. Normally had to book first since its always fully booked, luckily for us we had just enough time

WE WILL RETURN!!! Sumalee serves up some very, very delicious Thai food fare and we dare say would be the best Thai food we've ever had. We came here on the recommendation of a work colleague and could not go past the stellar Zomato reviews it had. We were certainly not disappointed! We had not managed to make a booking because their phone line was busy earlier in the day and we thought we'd try our luck by doing a walk in (we were told not to because it gets very busy and we can now see why bookings are recommended). We only made it to the restaurant around 8:50pm to find it was packed to the brim on a Friday night, they took our number down and kindly told us that they might find us a seat before the kitchen closed at 9:30pm. We were back and seated at 9pm and had very prompt and friendly service from all the waitresses. We didn't feel rushed at all and given how late we had come in they were incredibly warm and understanding. We ordered the Sumalee Signatures for the entree and loved every little bite of it. The thai arancini, golden prawn and prawn plaza were served beautifully on a plate and we were even instructed on which order we should eat them to get the most out of the flavours. A fantastic introduction to what the restaurant had to offer! Looking through the main menu, we both stopped at the Crispy Caramel Pork Belly and simultaneously said we had to have that!! Unfortunately and unsurprisingly given how busy their night had been ...they were all sold out :( We ordered the Green Chicken Curry and Garlic & Pepper Seafood dishes instead. But we can now only imagine how heavenly the Pork Belly must have been because the other two were so, so delicious!!! Such a generous sized portion too along with the creamy coconut rice we ordered to accompany the meal. We generally pride ourselves on being able to eat a lot, but we were struggling to finish! Overall, fantastic service, wonderful food, great price for what you get (we paid $60 for two) and a very authentic thai feel at Sumalee. We'll be returning for our Crispy Caramel Pork Belly one day soon!!!

One of the most popular restaurants in Bentleigh and for a good reason. They're menu just looked so superb we couldn't help but over order. Even the waiter questioned our massive order, but hey, we just doggy bagged the leftovers and it was fine. Also the staff and chef are all super friendly and make sure that the food is to your standard.

Made a reservation and this is recommended as they get busy.  The food was excellent and the presentation especially was very nice.  The green curry could have been better if I can be critical, however the chili beef was to die for and the coconut rice exquisite.  If you are not a fan of spice let them know as it is fairly punchy. The only negative point is the place is super loud on the inside, they do have some seating outside, so consider this if possible.  Definitely will be here again!

Seriously good. Had SUMALEE signature entre. Red Duck Curry wasn't too spicy but just perfect. Expect the taste a little like Laksha! Yes, Malaysian curry dish!! Lemon lime fish was amazingly crispy. You will love it. The Blanc tasted great for a in house drink. My friends had Tom yum and definitely recommends it. So there. Bottoms up!

Honestly this Thai is EASILY in mine and my partners top 5 restaurants we've ever been to. (And we eat out a lot high end and low end) from their service to their food is absolutely incredible. They were fully booked out and reserved and still managed to fit us in because it was our anniversary. Definitely going back!<br/>Entre we shared signature, main was prawn and pepper and also prawn pad Thai.

Sumalee serves up absolutely delicious and authentic Thai food, jam packed full of flavour - felt like I was back in Thailand. I'll definitely be back.

Love eating here every time - the food's authentic and just nice. Wait staff are warm and welcoming. The hardest thing is getting a table at dinner time nearer the weekend. Definitely a must go.

Had dinner @Sumalee for the 1st time last week and had a pleasant experience. A bit on the pricy side but food was really good! Everyone walked out with a smile on their faces. Will be back!

Sumalee has the most exquisite and consistent Thai food I've tasted in the inner South Eastern suburbs. Tried a couple of times for takeaway and once for dining in, I'd rate the takeaway as much better in value in both prices and quantity. No wonder they're ultra popular.

We came here with some friends for dinner. I wouldn't say Sumalee is an authentic Thai restaurant though. Their menu is more like Thai food with a twist. The kitchen made a mistake with our order, however the staff was clever to bring out a compliment entree for us. I can tell that they really pay attention in presenting their food. We ordered 4 dishes, Larb Gai Stack, Crispy Caramel Pork Belly, Red Duck Curry with roti & Pad Thai. Food came in decent portions. Our favourite dishes were the pork belly and the roti. The pork belly is very tender and well seasoned. The roti is not too oily and very fluffy. The rice was mushy which was the only let down. Overall we were happy diners. I would recommend people come here to try a different side of Thai food. Make sure you book in advance since it is very popular to local customers and not a big restaurant.

One word: AMAZING! From Entrees thru Desserts, very consistent. A must try the Larb Gai Stack from Entrees Section. Red Duck Curry, Lemon Lime Fish and Crispy Caramel Pork Belly are to die for... And their Coconut Rice is unbelievable! Sooooo good! Can't wait for our next visit. 😊

Third visit here now to this little gem in the suburbs. (I wish they still did breakfast/lunch on weekends! Such a shame!) Food here is always beautiful and really tasty. Entrees are always a delight, as are the salads. Most recently we absolutely loved the caramelised pork belly, which seemed to be very popular as almost every table ordered it that night. Have had pad thai here every time but the most recent pad thai was unfortunately rather bland. Apart from that hiccup in food, every other dish thus far has been beautiful in presentation and taste. Portions are generous for the price. Service is usually on the slow side but staff are very nice. Without doubt one of the best local dinner spots.

Nice little local Thai place in bentleigh. The service was good - one of the waiters actually came and placed one of those Asian folding doors next to me to block any wind from sitting near the door! <br/><br/>Food was decent. Thai red duck curry was really yum! The mouth on fire beef wasn't chilli at all.. I think they forgot to put chilli on it. The pad thai which comes in a birds nest looked really nice - something I will definitely try next time!

Great place. Been here for dinner with friends three times. Making my way through the menu. Really good attention to detail and Devine food. Never ask for extra spice, I did and it was extremely hot! The duck red curry in lychee is my personal favourite. Byo there is a bottle shop across the road, and you must book, as it is quite small.

Okay so we went as a family for breakfast & loved it. Then returned for dinner expecting big things. Dinner was nice, but didn't blow our minds as much as it did our body's with food poisoning. Not coming back sorry

A nice little suburban Thai restaurant, however lacks the necessary size for a place so popular so reservations are essential. Everything was tasty, however lacks that certain "zest" that separates the best from the rest.

The best Thai in Melbourne! The food here is truly exceptional. They have taken Thai to a new level. Pad Thai, lamb shank Massaman and pork belly are all must haves! A local gem for Bentleigh!

I love this little Thai place <br/>Food was quite good but even better were the desserts<br/>I had their home made waffles served with mascarpone, chocolate and fig ice cream <br/>I was mind blown completely. A bit expensive but worth every penny :)

Excellent Excellent Excellent - just like buying property you must consider position position position. This place is Excellent in food, Excellent in value and excellent in everything else. Try it, it will not disappoint. Thanks for a great night we're coming back for more.

I've been a big fan of Sumalee over 4 years now. Everything there has just been getting better and better from the food, service to ambiance. It looks like they've found a perfect formula to win customers over. I do recommend everyone to experience Sumalee once. You would know why they're so popular right now.

Is it too hot. Love the restaurant love the food. So annoying when staff ask if youre food is too hot as asked 3 times tonight!!! When I order extra hot I expect it to be hot! Stop asking!

Impressed with the service on our takeaway order, was told it would be a 45min wait which we accepted, they called us back to advise out order would be ready much sooner! All our dishes were very good, flavours, quality meat in the Red Duck curry. Will try again.

I really want to say this is the best Thai food in bayside but unfortunately their steamed rice let them down badly. It was way overlooked and resembled sticky clag. However I will return and order noodles.

Shocking menu. Limited vegetarian options. Not accommodating as far as making changes to menu. Will not be coming back at all.

Last Sunday we hauled our slightly hungover selves down the road to a cute little joint called  Sumalee - one of my favourite places to eat in Bentleigh. Sumalee dishes up aussie breakfast/brunch, mixed lunch menu, and a modern Thai menu for dinner- I’ve been a big fan of dinners at Sumalee (I’ll need to take some pics next time I’m there at night), and this was our first time there for breakfast. I had the goat cheese scrambled egg, and Phil had the ‘red spicy eggs’ (poached eggs with chili hollandaise, chorizo, sautéd spinach and pistachio dukkah) – both came with a slab of chewy fresh sour dough. My scrambled eggs were ok, but Phil’s ‘red spicy eggs’ were the bomb dot com. The chorizo was freakin delicious, and the spicy hollandaise was a flavour explosion. I am getting that next time.   Keep reading after the jump!        

While we enjoyed our meal, it wasn’t anything to rave about. The roti seemed rather westernised and the curries didn’t really pack much of a punch. It’s a shame we ended our meal with the two curries and didn’t feel like having dessert there – looking at their menu now I wouldn’t have minded trying out their pandan panna cotta! Also, it seems like this place might be more popular for their breakfast fares.

Nice food; little options.. Ok, so I'm a fussy eater, and I don't eat seafood or pork. But this isn't your typical Thai restaurant menu. It's very, very limiting for fussy eaters (not even a single fried rice dish, and barely a vegetarian entree option). And be warned that there is NO substituting of any menu item ... Staff were friendly and attentive, and while the food was nice, there are many other restaurants out there with a far more extensive menu and equally as good for me to go to. I'll skip this next time.

More Sumalee. I wish we had more restaurants like Sumalee in Bentleigh and Melbourne for that matter. The service, food and price are super impressive and i just cannot fault it. Its a humble surburban restaurant so dont expect an over the top fitout but its got a great vibe and the staff are fantastic.

A nice local restuarant. I had booked for two people at Sumalee on a Friday afternoon. I was running about 30 minutes late and called in to reschedule the booking. The restaurant worker said it was no problem and changed the booking. My friend and I ordered Pad Thai which was delicious. The food is clearly not pre-cooked and chicken tasted fresh unlike many other Thai restaurants. <br/><br/>We were also encouraged to come during weekdays where it was less busy. Overall, the service was nice and the food is of a good quality. The only criticism I would have pertains to the drink menu which was limited. It would be nice to see something more interesting. A great place to visit!

Great for breakfast. I've found their breakfast is their strongest. Great breakfast and fast service. Would recommend and go back

Food is not good ~ seriously don't know what the fuss is all about. Ate here last night. The dishes were terrible. None of the meals came out as described on the menu and all were doused in a sickly sweet sauces. Just one example: Ordered a green papaya salad, there was no papaya in the salad at all it was grated apple doused in a very sweet sause . Last night was not the first time we are here, the last time the fish dish that we ordered was barely edible as it was not fresh and smell was horrendous. But none the less this place seems to have a good rep so came here again only to be more disappointed the last time. Seriously can't work out why people like this place! Just because the owner or waiter knows your name does not mean that the food is good and let's face it people the food here is not good!

Not authentic but delicious. Wow, this place is absolutely amazing. Great atmosphere, friendly service and the food is just beautiful..<br/>The pork belly, Massaman lamb shank and Panang beef spare rib are just delicious. The pork neck special is really nice and tender....fantastic. Every dish we try is well presented like a fine dining restaurant. We definitely come back to taste the rest of the menu.

Good things come in small packages. Because it is small service is fantastic and obviously the chef has the opportunity to cook and present excellent, slightly different Thai meals. Have been twice and will go again

Absolutely fantastic. I have had a number of breakfasts and dinners and have always found the meals and service to be great. Food you don't get everywhere

Brilliant all round. Excellent food,lovely staff, decent prices. They manage to make Thai good interesting again. Very small restaurant so you must book. Will definitely be back.

Amazing brunch. We came to Sumalee cafe by accident as we walked out from the cafe next door(waited for about 15 minutes to be given menus). What a delight, the service is speedy and friendly, and the roti omelette was incredible. The goats cheese scrambled eggs were fluffy and creamy - delicious. We will definitely be back!

Best Thai in Melbourne. Been to Sumalee heaps of times now and returned last night to still be wowed.<br/>Every meal we shared was beautiful.<br/>Best part is that it is so affordable.<br/>Love it and will defiantly be going back.

Neutral.. Foods were fancy. Brunch was nice but the waffle tasted abit like frozen. Thai foods were alright but really westernised Thai. Overall it's okay in general but if comparing to the neighbourhood, probably slightly above the trend.

Not what you'd expect but in a good way!. Just had brunch at this small, unassuming café situated in a part of Centre road that has very little foot traffic. I would not even think to come here if I wasn't looking for a brunch spot in Bentleigh on urbanspoon that wasn't Merchants Guild. The extremely high rating and good reviews intrigued me so I came here, expecting a crowded cafe and another long wait but there were only 2 other tables! The menu is distinctly separated into brekky/lunch/dinner with lunch being a combination of Western/Thai. I couldn't decide which to go with but brunch won. I ordered the sweet potato corn fritters with smoked salmon and it was beautifully presented and tasted amazing and fresh! The bf went with the big breakfast and all the ingredients used were of a high quality and you can really taste the difference. We were both very impressed with our food and the freshly squeezed vitamin C juice was also very yummy. Coffee wasn't bad either! I actually can't wait to come back here to try the Thai food. I spotted the other tables ordering Thai and it looked equally well presented and delicious! A real gem that is yet to be discovered by the masses judging by how quiet it was! Doubt the peace and quiet will last long!

I have visited Sumalee several times now and have never been disappointed. Although they offer terrific Thai dinner, their breakfast menu is just amazing ,simply delicious. My recommendations are the goat cheese scrambled egg, the Olive Benedict & the Roti omelette. The Bircher muesli is also fabulous, too many good choices to choose from. Seriously, I can not fault this place, coffee is great, the girls are lovely and helpful and the prices are reasonable. Really look forward to go back there next week.

Not great for breakfast. The roti omelette had rubbery rotis & bacon. Have had better fusion breakfast in Melbourne. Maybe better for dinner.

Hidden gem. Went there with my girlfriend for Saturday lunch. It was so good to see a place that serves both Western breakkie and Thai lunch. I tried the special burger wow that was big and really tasty (loved that sweet potato chips on side). My friend had Big breakfast and that was also huge and delicious. Her poached eggs were so round and perfectly cooked covered by golden yellow Hollandaise sauce. Yum!!! Their Veggie Blast was super fresh and healthy. We just though they only do Thai but clearly Sumalee is a true hidden gem for weekend breakfast too. Love this place.

Sumalee breakfast. What a surprising delight this little find has been. Nestled in Centre Road away from the main shopping centre, I dined there for breakfast today with a friend. To be honest we were a bit skeptical about a Thai restaurant offering breakfast but we were very pleasantly surprised. We ordered the Goats chest scrambled eggs and the Corn fritter stack. Both were delicious and Sumalee clearly has a chef who is well trained with an eye perfection! The Goats cheese scrambled eggs were light and fluffy with the goats cheese combined, served with golden toast, watercress and preserved capsicum, these accompaniments were perfect. The Corn fritters (which we had with crispy bacon - rather than the smoked salmon) were good. Well cooked and the bacon crispy. A perfect poached egg with balsamic balls, steamed spinach, avocado and a zesty relish all proved to be a gourmet treat. Coffee was good, service was warm and friendly. Prices were reasonable ($15-18 for breakfast mains). Recommended.