The food was absolutely exquisite and sent tingling sensations, down through, to our tastebuds.
Every dish, was truly like a symphony, and hit every note, with our soulful joys, were sent to delight.
Hats off to the chefs, for a wonderful and very well rounded meal, as you have all combined well, to create such lovely tastes of Vietnam.
We also like to give a massive shoutout, to the waiting staff and front of house staff.
As you’re all the backbone of what makes a wonderful team performance in fine dining !
You all exceeded and excelled in excellence and experience in making this beautiful menu, a must go to establishment in Melbourne.
Kudos to the entire team.
Decor, atmosphere and background music, bravo, as it truly made for a compliment of what was truly a great night to remember.
We will definitely be returning and also taking our friends here.
Our new favourite restaurant.
Thank you again for a lovely night.
Kind regards
~ Glenn
We had an excellent dinner with cocktails here. The meals are designed for sharing and we worked our way through a fair bit of the menu. One of the stand outs was the banh xeo as was the pork hock. I love that alot of the meals are designed to be wrapped in lettuce and herbs - very fresh. The cocktail list is a must.
We commenced our crab-centric journey with the coconut crab dressed with coconut, lime, chilli, black sesame rice paper crackers. A contemporary take on a South East Asian hawker dish, this offered a myriad of bold, but complementary, flavours which still allowed the sweetness of the underlying crab meat to shine through. It was an excellent starter which typified Dandelion’s multi-faceted style of cooking.
The Soft-shell crab rice paper rolls that followed were similarly delicious. Perfectly crispy soft shell crab and fresh salad were wrapped in the most delicate rice paper rolls. Just yum!
For mains, generous bowls of Singapore Chilli Mud Crab and Black Pepper Swimmer Crab were a crab-lovers dream. Messy, saucy and a whole lot of fun! The mains were served with side dishes of Vietnamese slaw with peanuts, crispy shallots, nuoc cham, grilled sweet corn with chilli and coriander butter and a bowl of steamed rice.
The food is nice and flavours good but not worth the fine dining prices; you find similarly great flavour at some of the modern cafe style Vietnamese restaurants in Melbourne. Their signature dish, the pork hock is $42 and comes with iceberg lettuce and herbs. Delicious flavour in the tamarind caramel sauce it was cooked in, but not much pork underneath the pork fat and (delicious) cracking, so a vegetable accompaniment would be a welcome addition for that price. We added the corn which was a nice flavour (coriander butter) but the corn was dry. If you’re going to do corn on the cob, it has to be juicy corn. $26 for two Peking Duck rice paper rolls with just a sliver of duck in each and some spring onion and cucumber is excessive; the hoi sin sauce was pretty good though. My husband thought the dessert Banh Flan was the standout. You could really taste the honey in the honeycomb!
Came here with a few friends and had a great evening!
The food is delicious, fresh and well plated!
We all had a great evening. The staff were pleasant and very attentive!
Thanks for a lovely dinner!
Such a beautiful and bright restaurant, perfectly paired with the food they serve. This modern Vietnamese establishment has tons of vegan and vegetarian options that provide a fresh twist on old classics. The activated charcoal rice paper rolls make a nice light starter, and the bun noodle salad (featuring the same, wonderfully textured sesame coated tofu) is an awesome complementary option. The best feature of this dish are the veggie spring rolls, each wrapped in webbed rice noodles. For a main, I tried the kho chay. I'm not a huge fan of okra typically, but it was so nice when paired with a medley of tomatoes and squash. The beautifully prepared soft boiled eggs on top make the dish. To drink, I sampled the Pinot Gris and for dessert, the Vietnamese coffee flan, which was the right size and strength to finish me off on a comfortably full and satisfied note. Last of all, I must commend the service, which was truly above and beyond.
One of the biggest challenges I (Christina) face as a food blogger is choosing my favourite cuisine. I know, #firstworldproblems. Lately, I am tossing up between Italian and Vietnamese, luckily my Nonna doesn't know what the Internet is and will never read this because after Dandelion, Vietnamese is the clear winner right now.
Great sleek looking restaurant serving contemporary modern Vietnamese cuisine. We ordered a number of entrees and they are pretty good especially the Hanoi Fire Crackers but be careful as they pack a heat. The beef short ribs are really soft and pretty good too. We came on mother's day and were given free choc fudge, what a service!
This Place really is the cream of the crop when it comes to Viet joints to go out and eat! lots to choose from and its always super fresh and tasty.
Few of my fav dishes are crab spring rolls, bahn xheo, fish curry the broccoli. Oh recently tried the pho and its incredible, very lightly flavoured not too heavy in the richness department and fairly generous portion size too. Oh dont forget the brulee amazing one of the best ive had for a long time, but the brulee has always been good here!
Great service will be back.
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I have never in my life ever written a review before as i think im probably too old to be doing this but, Dandelion is one of my favourite places to go eat. I ate hear back in the early days and have followed Geoff Lindsay since his Stella days. The food at Dandelion is some of the best in Vietnamese cuisine that Melbourne has to offer.
I came with my partner and we had the green fried prawns which were amazing as always, we also noticed a few new things and had the pickles which were very different and had a really nice hot chilli paste that was fairly hot but it actually complimented the pickle. The Bun salad was something i wasn't expecting my husband wanted to get it i wasn't really interested in the Bun salad but it certainly surprised me! Not sure what rice paddy is and not sure if it was even in the salad maybe its the noodle, the salad did impress.
We also tried the fish curry and duck leg the curry was amazing possibly one of the nicest curries I've had, the waitress said it was a tomato base which i was a little interested in as i was thinking more of a coconut cream style curry but it was certainly amazing a must try sour, hot and salty. The duck is also a winner not much more to say about it but its sour sweet and salty and you can definitely taste the mandarin. we did not have dessert.
The service was good but from our last experience i think they looked under staffed. Dandelion is a great place to go eat if you really love Vietnamese food you'll love Dandelion
Alex Sobolevsky was present for our staff Christmas party. Dandelion tried their hardest and the waitress Liat was excellent she was a 10/10 for attention and help. Serving a group of 20plus people is always a challenge. The food came out a little slow but understand that it is a small kitchen. The food was delicious (for the parts I tried) and the highlight was the mushroom pho and the hand rolls (vegan). The staff enjoyed tempura wraps, and pork hock as well.
Fantastic place and great atmosphere. Made for fresh ingredients and all dishes were full of flavor. Ribs just melted in our mouths. Lamb was bit undercooked and was hard to eat. Springrolls were amazing l!
Dandelion is a relaxed, intimate restaurant, with friendly service, modern fusion Vietnamese fare, and a great cocktail menu. I’ve been there a couple of times, and they’ve always been delicious. Last night was no exception. Started off with some mocktails, off course. The coconut and lychee granita was a tropical treat. It made me feel like I was on holidays!
Invited for a birthday lunch on a Saturday. Not too busy . Clean , light and airy space. Greeted warmly by the waitress . A well thought out wine list to match fresh Vietnamese flavours. We started with the crab salad , even though the crab was fresh, it lacked seasoning and needed a touch more acidity .
The kingfish crudo not super fresh, but the flavours were good.
The star dish ,in my opinion was the pork hock, crispy sweet , soft tasty, served with nouc cham.
The whole flounder was grilled over coals was tasty ,needed more peanut sate.
Over all ,fresh and light modern Vietnamese food . Recommend
This is seriously one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. Great service. We felt like celebrities. The food was phenomenal! What a great way of eating! Loved it and would highly recommend it!
We loved the green rice prawns, the duck rolls and the famous caramelised pork hock! OMG! My mouth is watering writing this review!!!
Dandelion is amazing.
Stunning restaurant.
Great wine list.
The Mountain was incredible - the hock & dessert starred.
Outstanding service.
Loved it.
Can't wait to go back.
Great food, yummy and fresh. Menu is imaginative and service is fantastic. Good wine list. Pho is one of the best I have ever tasted. Delicious rice paper rolls.
Vietnamese family sees hip modern Vietnamese restaurant.
Vietnamese family decides to take a leap of faith expecting hip modern Vietnamese restaurant to disappoint.
Vietnamese family is pleasantly surprised and goes on to demolish everything that comes out and also (somehow) seems to have room for dessert.
Let me start by asking why does this place not have a higher zomato rating? We were served by a lovely Malaysian waiter (should have asked his name but was too busy eating lol) who was SUPER helpful with the menu so much so that we were game enough to go A La Carte.
Gluten and dairy intolerant diners have no fear because you won't have to order a salad because at least 80% of the menu is safe! Phew!
Now food. I'll keep this short and tell you that everything is awesome! Click photos below to find out what we had!
Spent $226 all up but well worth it, we were stuffed! Can not recommend this place enough, we will be back!
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I can't believe I haven't heard more about Dandelion, sure, I've known of it since it started but truly the score here in Zomato does not reflect our experience last night.
Two seatings, we got the 8.30 slot and the place was pumping when we got there. Sat right next to the kitchen and was mesmerised watching the team in the kitchen calmly cooking for the noisy bunch in the restaurant.
I usually eat earlier than 8.30, I'm not like the Spanish! and was feeling hungry when I got there and hoped I didn't have to wait too long to eat.
Menus on the table, love that, and what a selection. Drinks ordered pronto and arrived quickly. Now what did we (5 of us) order?
Crispy sesame & coconut rice papers with spanner crab. A small bowl of the spanner crab served with large flat crackers. 3/5
Antarctic King Crab spring rolls, oh my these were so good we all had one each but I wished I'd had more. Wrapping them with lettuce, adding herbs and the dipping source was so outstandingly good. 4.9/5
Steamed, shredded Glenloth chicken with Vietnamese slaw, absolutely outstanding, fresh in the mouth, so many different flavours 5/5.
Wagyu Pho was ordered by our friends and they loved it but we ordered the Peking Duck Pho to share which was a great idea as it was very tasty and filling 4/5.
Cocktails (Pomegranate Daquiri, Orange Muddle) were fabulous. Didn't dessert as we had a birthday cake back at home with candles!
I adore this place because the food exceeded my expectations and service was exemplary. Will be back!
Good size serves! And the waitress did not remind us that we ordered way too much for two. We were under the impression it's the tiny serve fusion food, and turned out they are huge. Rates 4.5 because of this! Food was good especially the flounder, special spice just right for people like me who don't eat much spicy food.
Delicious!! Everything we ate was great, service was fast and friendly. The decor is cool too. My favourite dish was the braised pork hock, closely followed by the lamb shoulder curry.
Will definitely be back!
I'd wanted to try Dandelion for years now (since 2011) however my Vietnamese dining companions refused - modern Vietnamese isn't something they wanted to try. They are the biggest offenders when it comes to "this is not good/authentic because it isn't my mum's" type comments and to me shows I can't trust their opinions (as wonderful friends they may be) when it comes to eating Vietnamese food.
MFWF express lunch today was very good.
I'd suggest the ocean soup (if you want seafood) or mushroom entree (tastes similar to tom kha but not soupy).
For main I'd try the beautiful looking salmon skewers (I tried the decent savoury quail and the reasonably tender gravy beef which had an excellent salad - but the salmon also has a salad)
I loved everything about this place. The service is superb and the big, open space feels just right. We went for the usual suspects and the wagyu beef was the hero. The minute steak is worth a mention as it was expertly done. Recommend to anyone. I'll be back. Half a point off for noise.
The restaurant looks unassuming from the street but opens up to a more impressive space. Attentive staff and pretty busy for a Thursday night. We chose "the river" feed me option. Well presented, tasty food at a reasonable price. Look forward to going back to Dandelion to try the other options.
We ordered the "feed me" option (had a few pre dinner gins down the road) as it seemed the easiest option. This is one of those experiences where every mouthful is a delight. The Wagyu leaf wrapped entree was stunning. So much flavour in each mouthful. The star of the dish is the pork hock, although by this stage we were a little full (we also grow and eat our own pork so we aren't amazed by this slow cooking process). Dessert was too sweet and heavy, and we were overwhelmed by the pork! Perhaps slowing the courses is a good idea. Overall the evening was perfect. Origins of the meat would be good, but that's a personal interest, but fast becoming another way of showing the level of care the chef takes with the food.
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Dined at Dandelion last night with my husband and daughter and could not fault the service or the food. We were welcomed with a smile and so well looked after with offers of recommendations on food and wine. We were even advised that we had ordered too much and maybe if we felt we wanted the particular dish later in the meal then to order it. You don't get that too often in restaurants!! The pomegranate cocktail was fabulous as was the wine. Every dish we had was incredible but I think the spring roll and the ham hock was the standout. Coffee was terrific too! The staff, service and food could not be faulted. The only down side is when you get noisy people next to you and they don't care about anyone else but themselves. I also don't like the extra charge of 1.5% on credit cards. Yes they do tell you before you pay but in this cashless society I do not understand why they have to charge it. All in all it was a fabulous night and we will certainly be back. My husband would love to try the flounder next time.
Busy neighbourhood restaurant well worth seeking out. The food is presented immaculately, like every dish is about to be photographed for a magazine. I would describe the food as fine dining Vietnamese, served in a relaxed, cafe style relaxed atmosphere. Food was excellent, service was ok without being noteworthy. Only criticism would be that it was a little pricey, but quality comes at a price i guess.
Amazing. We opted to be fed by the experts and chose "the mountain". our absolute favourite was the caramelised tamarind pork hock. I didn't want it to end. The restaurant has a great buzz and a really nice fit out. Love Dandelion. Will definitely be a long time favourite 😊
been here with friend on Tues night. Fuision Vietnamese foods but taste absolutely amazing, especially all the entrees we had are spot on (the waguy beef in betel leave and all the rice paper rolls), main dishes are a bit large in size, better for sharing, and their fish sauce is the best i've ever tasted in Melbourne restaurant so far. Interior design: 5/5 and lovely staffs. definetily go back
P/s: foods were so good and 3 of us were in hungry to remember taking photos ;).
Clean eating at its best . Flavours are sensational . Love the use of the herbs . I have come many time and always been wowed. It's my favourite of all time and it's healthy. I love the rolls you can make yourself. Thank you for such exceptional food 😊
Had an enjoyable night out at Dandelion. The food and service was first class. The spare rib was amazing although the only problem was that we were too full to fit it in. Friendly/fresh and well worth a visit.
Fantastic. Modern and clean setting. Really fresh ingredients. Spectacular presentation. Great specials for lunch and delicios pho. Great use of flavours. Love the plethora of fresh mint
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Wow...
I had read about the 1 chefs hat awards on agfg and some reviews in the little book. I was a little unsure of a Vietnamese based restaurant outside of the Springvale and Richmond 'cheap' eateries we love to dine at. So was pleasantly surprised how much we loved this place.
Booked online via Dimmi for a 2 hour slot.
Turned up on time and the place looks good, nice lighting (dim but not too dark) good seating arrangement and pleasant family vibe, kitchen in view.
We ordered the 'mountain' 5 course tasting course. There is a choice of 4 different courses and the mountain is based on 'meat' dishes. All the courses are on their website and can be viewed to see what each course contains
My boys ordered the kid and adult Peking duck noodles in broth. These came with the second starter so wait wasn't too long for them. Broth was very tasty and didn't taste of MSG. The only reservation was that the kids and adults size was the same bowl size, but with a plate of typical Vietnamese herbs and salad. The content might be more meat but size was the same for 1/2 the price.
The grilled wrapped wagyu mince was juicy and succulent.
Duck rice paper rolls were very nice, warm wraps with moist duck.
The pork hock was served with a plate of lettuce wrap, ricenoodles and salad. OMG. The caramelised hock flesh was soft and succulent with a crispy salty crunchy skin that was so tasty and delectable.... I wasn't expecting this and loved it so much I was picking bits of the skin and meat with my fingers.... This portion size was large and wife and I found it a good portion. This dish was served with shiitake and bean stir fry
The dessert was the sticky rice and peanut ice cream. Another winner and portion size was smaller but packed a punch and satisfied completely.
My son ordered a Lemongrass panna cotta, mandarin jelly, flambéed blood plum. Creamy and fruity served in a martini glass... Yum.
Lastly was some truffles on a sugar coated pomelo and fresh sliced strawberry on top. Soft and squidgy truffle with a strong chocolate hit.
I finished off with a strong Hoi An style coffee with condensed milk. Strong and bold coffee taste with the creamy sweetness.
Service was really good and water topped up all the time. Very helpful, great hospitality and knowledgable waitress.
5/5 definitely come back again
Beautiful, delicate flavours. Thoughtfully prepared menu by a team who clearly love this style of cuisine. Light, contemporary, delicious...
These are restaurants that always offer good vegan options on other nights, but the special nights were all vegan offerings. The first was at B’stilla, which I went to, the second was at Woodland House, which I didn’t get to, and the third was another all vegan night at Dandelion in Elwood to celebrate Buddha’s birthday. Dandelion has won hats in the Age Good Food Guide for the last four years.
Really yummy. We shared some rice paper rolls to begin with and they were full of fresh ingredients . They were delicious and looked nutritious . Great way to start. My friend and I had the spicy flounder for our main. It was lip smacking delicious. Others had the veggie curry and the duck. Everyone was happy. Service was excellent too. Will definitely return. Lots more things on the menu to try.
We enjoyed a wonderful meal here. We ordered quite a few dishes and shared them. The ambiance is lovely. It is on the expensive side considering your standard Vietnamese style restaurant.
Service and food was good enough. We had a really good time here. We had pho/wagyu beed & pecking duck and they were just amazing! Find it hard to get a better pho in Melbourne.
Spoonfuls Of Wanderlust
+4.5
This is a photoview post (contains mostly photos only). The best? The Saigon Spiced Mule and the soft shell crab rice paper roll, nom! The worst? The mixed mint tea wasn't quite as minty as last time. Must try? The other tasting menus... Service? Great. Decor? Warm and modern featuring exposed bricks, wood and colourful cushions and artwork. Noise? Mid-range. Value? Reasonable value for the tasting menu. Would we go back? Yes!
Attention foodies of Melbourne – you now have a Vietnamese dining choice south of the great Yarra River divide. The people of Elwood have much to thank chef Geoff Lindsay for bringing his take on modern, up-market Vietnamese food to humble Ormond Road. While no bargains are to be found here, you can take comfort in knowing that you will be dining in a very comfortable and relaxing environment. This is a major change from the regular fast-paced hustle and bustle you would expect whilst dining at most joints on Victoria Street (Melbourne’s Vietnamese hub). Dandelion is an attractive eating destination for both younger and older folk. The older generation will take comfort in dinner bookings available 7 nights a week and lunches too (Thurs-Sun). Meanwhile; keen, younger foodies are here to sample Lindsay’s take on 21st century fusion Viet cuisine. Now, without further ado, let us start talking about the food – because that’s why your reading this today. We dined here during the week as a
Haven't been for ages and absolutely loved the food all over again! Standout was the lamb ribs! Yummmm. Service much better than previously gorgeous young!
Super tasty vietnamese share style food. A little too pricey if you're used to cheap and cheerful Victoria St fare (which is just as good but served up a bit more fancy). The soft shell crab rolls and salad was super yumtastic, very flavoursome and fresh. The interior is decked out modern posh hipster style. The staff are all friendly and helpful. Would love to go back but Elwood is tucked a little too far away for regular visits.
Loved it!. We came here last week for our staff christmas party (group of 10) and after reading the previous reviews I also was a bit apprehensive. However, I am pleased to say it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The staff were attentive and efficient, the setting perfectly fitted the modern Vietnamese vibe and the food was AMAZING! It would seem management have sorted out many of the issues others have commented on so if this standard is maintained I will definitely be coming back again!
Pork hock is delicious! That caramel sauce :) prawns with green rice also great. Eggplant side great. Good food, worth a visit. Acknowledge service not quite there but still a 'recommend' overall for sure
We are locals and this little gem has been our favorite for years! Last night we went but we're thoroughly disappointed with the change in management - horrible floor service staff ! We used to love the amazing service for every single waiter and the main floor manager however the staff failed to even explain anything on the menu let alone advise of new dishes as the old staff used to ! The manager did not even greet us with a smile, favorite dishes were taken off the menu. We hope they start realizing they have changed our favorite place for the worst ....and we r hoping the service and staff will improve!!!!
Beautiful food. Highly recommend the pork hock & duck curry. Service was near the mark.
The twice cooked beef ribs are AMAZING... I took a friend of mine for his birthday and recommended that dish to him - even though he is not much of a red meat eater.... I have never seen him eat so much! He is my best friend and I have known him for a long time sp that is really saying something. We had entrees as well but still managed to cram the last of the meat in our mouth... it was sensational. We rolled out of the restaurant.
Great sleek looking restaurant serving contemporary modern Vietnamese cuisine. We ordered a number of entrees and they are pretty good especially the Hanoi Fire Crackers but be careful as they pack a heat. The beef short ribs are really soft and pretty good too. We came on mother's day and were given free choc fudge, what a service!
Food - 8
Service - 10
Vibe - 9
Price - $$$$
Dandelion is a relaxed, intimate restaurant, with friendly service, modern fusion Vietnamese fare, and a great cocktail menu. I’ve been there a couple of times, and they’ve always been delicious. Last night was no exception. Started off with some mocktails, off course. The coconut and lychee granita was a tropical treat. It made me feel like I was on holidays! The crab spring rolls were crispy and juicy, perfectly fried. Nuac Cham on the side gave it a saucy punch. Prawns were covered in crunchy rice, with a satisfying crackle in every bite. Beef ribs were the highlight of the meal. Cooked till it falls off the bone, the meat was rich and tender. Fresh side salad really complimented this dish. Lamb shank looked appealing but was a bit underdone. The aromatic sauce was refreshing, as the accompanying, rice baguette and pineapple were good too.
Food & service were both absolutely amazing 🤩
Quite an expensive meal, but worth it! Delicious. Would be a good option for special occasions or the occasional random spoiler. I’ve been here three times and I am sure I’ll go back again! :-)
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