Amazing food, the flavours, the presentation. The Staff are so wonderful. Totally would recommend going! �
Amazing food!! Would recommend to everyone!
Brilliant food and fantastic service. Roti served with vegemite curry is a touch of genius.
What an awesome experience... And running so smoothly for such a young restaurant (7 weeks since opening when I visited).
A huge shout out to the chefs and front of house team who went out of their way to make sure we had an amazing time even tho I pushed them for time. (don't try and squeeze in a set menu before a 7.30 show!)
Will definitely be back to try out the rest of the menu!
Outstanding
Sit at the bar and watch the action
Khanh Nguyen’s Instagram handle – @genghiskhanh – is aptly-named. Like the infamous Mongol conquerer, the Vietnamese-Australian chef has prevailed through a who’s who of Sydney’s kitchens – Luke Nguyen’s Red Lantern, Justin North’s 2-hatted Bécasse, Dan Hong’s Mr Wong, Savage & Hildebrandt’s Cirrus Dining, and even a stint at Noma Australia – working his way up to and including sous chef at each of them. He did all this before hitting the big 3-0.
Takeaway vegetarian banquet (from 30/06), menu changed. Vacuum sealed reheat packs. Easy to prepare and plate at home.
Vegemite curry is delicious, very moreish flavour, not actually a specially vegemite taste just that rich savoury umami taste. Great flat bread to accompany it.
Excellent vegetarian dishes, some more flavoursome than others.
Fantastic service, adventurous menu, some great flavours. This is the kind of place you go for a special occasion. Like most degustations there were some stand out dishes, and some that didn't quite hit the mark. Overall, expect to be surprised, intrigued and most definitely well fed.
The food arrives ready to heat and it's very easy. The main was boil in the bag, the rice just needed steaming to finish it off and there was a fresh crispy salad. They offer one dish per day and as we wanted Saturday then it was chicken. We had it delivered. Sunda would normally be outside our budget so it was a great treat to get to eat their food and it was totally delicious.
My hero was noodles with chicken crackling
Great food with an extensive modern approach on Indonesian and Malaysian cuisine as what we had from the set menu for a party of 6. Noodles with crispy chicken skin was the star of the night as also their roti with Vegemite curry. Beautifully presented but tastes can somewhat overlap and you start to get this sickening taste in your mouth. The air-conditioning could be turned down quite a bit as your sitting in the middle of the restaurant, very cold air is enough to give you a head cold.
Overall an innovative take on some classics and beautifully presentedin a modern way..
Stand out was definitely the fried noodles and desserts! Such a burst of interesting flavours!
To try:
- roti bread with vegemite curry; I honestly could've polished that off with twice the amount of vegemite. The roti was soo buttery and flakey. An off menu must have.
- otak otak; the curry has a parfait like texture and you spread it over the rice crisps. This is absolutely delicious and packs such a flavour punch
- marron; the marron was perfectly cooked, covered in a delicious curry sauce and already sliced in the shell so you could eat it with ease. Accompanied with some cute bao buns to soak up the delicious sauce
- rangers valley wagyu; this was cooked to perfection and truly melted in your mouth. The carrots were a bit strange but the lime satay paired perfectly.
To skip:
- the set menu; I think it skips some of the more exciting items off the menu. Create your own!
Overall Sunda was a fantastic meal. I love that it is a combination of Indonesian, Malaysian and Vietnamese cuisine using Australian ingredients, it made for the best sort of fusion experience.
DO: The Roti, the roti and the roti.
DON'T: Forget the pork cutlet, Wagyu pie, otak, Marron or xo noodles.
TIP: Leave room for dessert. The Vietnamese tiramisu was sensational.
Sunda's become one of my favourite restaurants in Melb! It's always the first restaurant I recommend to anyone looking for a great meal. The Vegemite Roti, Oysters, and Otak Otak are my top three favourites, along with the little serving of pickled veggies. Great service and drinks, along with a bustling yet comfortable atmosphere make this place even more amazing. Can't wait for my next visit.
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I came here tonight for a catch up with my brothers and had the most wonderful time.
To begin with the staff are friendly and are extremely knowledgeable on all food and drinks available. We opted for a couple of our own choices from the menu and a couple of recommended dishes. As there was two pescatarians and a carnivore in attendance we weren’t sure how it was going to go. We were all extremely happy with the fantastic flavours in each dish, the presentation on everything was simply outstanding.
We started with the signature “Vegemite curry roti” I can totally understand why this its on the menu and features on a google search, it is simply scrumptious, flakey uber buttery pastry and vegemite, what is there not to love. The little pie tees were next, they had an amazing depth of flavour, it rocked our palates, we just couldn’t believe it was vegetarian.
For mains we ordered the:
Marron, it came with belacan butter and Vietnamese mint, it was rich and melt in your mouth.
Barramundi, lap Cheong, with desert lime and betel leaf was succulent and juicy.
Freemantle octopus with bush tomato and lemongrass sambal was tender.
Spanner crab curry with rice crisps, this was a standout of insanely infused flavours and textures, it did not look at all like we expected (it looked like a dessert) my taste buds simply went to heaven with this dish.
We also ordered various other dishes, like the fried rice and a ceviche and a few other dishes I forgot to write down.
A hands down incredible foodie experience and spectacular wines and cocktails to match, the aperol spritz a particular winner.
Fifth times a charm, so was the first, second, third and forth. Sunda is one of those places that you walk in to during daylight savings and think wow, it’s bright but warm and inviting. It smells amazing. It’s friendly. I like this. Then you head to your table and the staff are just fantastic. You get a bit of wine, perhaps a nice cocktail. Then the sun starts going down and the warmness of the lights against the walls and all that wood detail feels like a big warm communal lovely hug. Amazing. The food is great every time. They even helped my dad with a more few bland choices because he’s so fussy. The patience of that waiter deserved a GIANT tip!
Finally made it to one of the popular restaurants in Melbourne! I didn’t know what to expect, was I going to go home still hungry? Was it going to be worth the hype? Value for money etc!
We were greeted by a really nice waiter, he sat us down and offered us wine 🍷 Good man! We ordered of course the vegemite roti, which wasn’t too strong like vegemite, and the roti is very buttery so it’s not over powering.
The Freemantle Octopus was amazing with the bush tomato & lemongrass. Recommend this! The raw cobia is also very nice if you want something light.
We shared the pork cutlets for main, it was full of flavour and complimented with the broccoli salad.
Overall the price for the quality of food was reasonable and the service was fantastic!
One of my favourite dish from @sunda_dining The lamp rump, cashew nut and native curry.The lamb was cooked perfectly and the curry went really well with the dish. @genghiskhanh showcases amazing and modern cooking with a touch of south east asian flavours. Loved the simple and modern architecture of the restaurant. This amazing restaurant is located on Punch Lane, be sure to visit them
I loved the food here, full of flavour and casually fancy. Good value for great quality food. Service staff are casual and friendly. I will be back here- highly recommend.
Just go. The restaurant itself looks lovely with a feeling of space (upstairs at least). The food is excellent - something different from the usual Asian fare. The service wasn’t the strongest point but that’s hardly a criticism: with food this tasty anything else seems underwhelming in comparison.
SUNDA is the place to be if you ever looking to try something creative, new and tasty.
Located in a hidden laneway, the interior design was simple, minimal and comfy. We ordered quite a few dishes from the menu and all tasted unique, nothing like what I had before.
My favourite goes to the vegemite roti. The roti was so crispy and who would have thought it goes so well with the vegemite! The oyster tho, omg with a hint of coconut cream that was out of my imagination, such a great novelty combo. Octopus was also very chewy and flavoursome. The marron was well-presented and super fresh. The only let down was the egg noodle, for me it was a bit too salty.
Love the dessert to finish off the meal, light and refreshing. Thank you Sunda for giving us a great dining experience and well done on all the effort in designing and preparing all dishes. Look forward to trying other special dishes.
Inventive and delicious. What a wonderful dining experience. Too many standout dishes too list!!
Highly recommend trying Sunda. Service was great as well.
I’ve had @sunda_dining on my list to try for a very long time after such great reviews. We started with the infamous roti and vegemite curry, subtle in both curry and vegemite but still very apparent. Even though this was the it dish to order (and delish) it was all the other dishes that left me thinking OMG! Beef rendeng pie had that melt in your mouth flavour paired with house made sambal (flavour explosion #1). Thereafter the spanner crab parfait with rice crackers, the umami flavours were out of this world (flavour explosion #2) lastly we had the xo egg noodle with crispy chicken skin and lamp rump. I could totally eat that xo egg noodle for days and never be sick of it! 🤯🤯🤯 #flavourexplosion #3
What an outstanding menu with so much flavour in every single dish! Can’t wait to go back! Thank you for such a memorable and out of this world experience
It was all excellent! Really delicious and innovative food, amazing combinations and super high quality and unique ingredients. Great service
Chronicles Of A Foodie
+4
I love Indonesian food! So this was a great modern twist to Indonesian food. The Wagyu beef rendang pies were fantastic and so was the spanner crab otak otak. This place definitely stayed on my mind for days, the food so damn tasty!!!
The lamb rump with cashews and the WA marron are also a must to try.
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Sunda is the quintessential example of modern/fusion Asian done tastefully.
I had an absolutely amazing time here over a long-awaited catch up with a foodie friend. I'd booked online - seamless! - and they quickly seated us after grabbing my name for the reservation, as well as confirmed my dietary requirements.
As it was the first time either of us had been here, the first thing we noticed was the space: impressively modern, minimalist, airy and yet moody, with details that caught our eyes and became adorable little diversions in conversation.
We decided to order the set menu - no regrets, we made a conscious choice to eat here! - which I would recommend to anyone. Obviously it looks like a pricy choice, but for the range of flawlessly-plated and meticulously explained dishes and the overall delectable culinary experience, you definitely get what you pay for.
Our courses: the tempeh, tofu curds, palm sugar & muntries (a lovely mix of textures and tastes); pie tee, whipped egg custard, salted vegetables & chilli bean (wonderfully thin and crispy on the outside); raw cobia, lemon aspen, pea eggplant & tamarind (stunningly fresh and perfectly tart); charred cucumber, cheese, jungle curry & lemon myrtle; the 'otak otak', spanner crab curry, finger lime served with rice crisps (my favourite, and an innovative and absolutely mouthwatering take on a childhood delicacy); the lamb rump, cashew nuts & native curry (deliciously tender); the egg noodles, XO sauce, chicken crackling & pepperberry, and finally the vietnamese coffee, chocolate, coconut & wattleseed (a phenomenal ending to dinner).
The wine pairing: a South Australian riesling recommended to us by our host. Cheers: to good food, and good company.
I'll conclude: it was a gorgeous evening, and one I'd really, really, like to relive soon.
Wow! Sunda is amazing... I think I love... almost everything?! 😂 I love the Egg noodles w XO sauce and the rice with salmon roe is soooooo Moreish!the Otak otak tasted very unique and I love it. I think the marron was so-so though... there weren’t much meat in it... and we didn’t get to try the vegemite curry special. :(. And this is the reason why I only gave Sunda a 4 stars. The service was a bit... weird?! We didn’t get told about any specials... and the waiter kept topping up my glass of water (good), and not topping up my friends’ (bad). He did it about 3 times!
Amazing food and flavours that were generously served. I couldn’t fault anything and can’t wait to return to try the rest of the menu!
We had:
- roti with Vegemite jungle curry
- wagyu rendang pie
- Otak otak with rice crisps
- marron with belacan butter
- cabbage with nashi pear
- egg noodles with xo sauce and chicken crackle
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This place was AMAZING.
From the moment I walked in, I was excited. Perhaps it was the modern, open plan decor, but I think it was the ambience which was lively and not too noisy - the perfect balance.
The service by Sai was fantastic as well. Our family and friends loved the meal. Sunda is a great place for romantic meals to group dinners.
We ordered pretty much everything on the menu. The must have dish is the buttermilk roti with vegemite curry. Having grown up overseas, I have eaten lots of rotis, but this is the BEST roti I’ve ever had, hands down. This was hubby’s fav too.
He also liked the black truffle congee, the lamb rump which was so tender and juicy, and the fried XO noodles with the pork crackling. He pretty much liked everything. When we asked for truffle +++, they delivered.
The otak otak was paired beautifully with crispy rice puffs, with a rich curry flavour, and the marron came with mantou puffs to soak up the juicy sauce
We were all blown away, and we loved the place, the food, just everything about Sunda. We will be back!
Went to Sunda last night to celebrate my husband’s birthday. I’m a Malaysian and heard rave review about their otak otak so would like to bring my Aussie in laws to taste fusion south East Asian food.
We had set menu and here are some of my favourite dishes:
Acar is still classic but also has unique beautiful flavour.
Tempeh is so yum (coming from me who dislikes tempeh and tofu), it’s crispy and not greasy, my MIL’s favourite.
Their mee goreng with chicken crackling was sooo yum. Lamb was tender.
Otak otak (spanner crab) was the most delicate and beautifully served with rice crackers.
Sunda pavlova is unique and we are all chocolate lover and it couldn’t be better.
I had jasmine mocktail which was fragrant and complimented all the meals.
Overall my in laws are so impressed with how beautiful the food is and we also love the vibe that’s not too noisy but vibrant.
Everything about our dinner at Sunda was just about perfect - amazing food and service; quiet restaurant; really interesting space ; service was excellent without being pretentious. Every dish was delicious
This place blew my mind. I can’t believe I haven’t tried this place earlier! A gf took me out for my birthday.
We ordered 4 rock oysters and the coconut curry vinaigrette tasted so delicious! I’ve never tasted anything like it.
We shared the wagyu rendang pie which was delicious!
Both our favorites was the ‘otak otak’, spanned crab curry. You spread the crab curry on rice cakes and it was just so perfectly balanced and textured. It’s a cold curry and melts in your mouth!
For mains we had the lamb rump and egg noodles in xo w chicken crackle.
The lamb rump was the best I’ve ever had. Usually rumps are quite plain but they cooked it so well.
The noodles were good but nothing amazing compared to all the other dishes we had.
We ended dinner with a honey comb cake which was under whelming considering how amazing everything else was. No regrets though. They even wrote happy birthday on the plate with a candle for me.
I want to come back already and try everything else on the menu!!!
#sunda is amazing! I’ve been a couple of times and I’m sure that this will be a staple for me in Melbourne. The fusion of Asian flavours is insanely good #melbournefood #melbournefoodie one of Melbournes top restaurants
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I would rate Sunda 10 stars for the food if I could!
I was taken here for my birthday dinner and a better place could not have been chosen. This is up there with the top 2 dining experiences I've had so far this year and will remember those perfectly blended flavours for a long time. Very affordable fine dining and I will continue to go back with season menu changes.
FOOD: 5/5
Seeing the ingredients listed against the dishes really challenges any preconceived preferences you may think you have. E.g. I don't like Vegemite but having it in thay Vegemite curry was so well balanced and delicious!
The buttermilk roti is infamous here but it says a lot when after you've tried all the dishes, you realise it wasn't close to your favourite dish because the standard here is so high.
What we tried in order of phenomenal to good:
1. Egg noodles with SO sauce and chicken crackling
2. Lamb rump, cashew nut with native curry
3. 'Otak Otak' spanner crab curry with finger lime curry & rice crisps
4. Buttermilk roti with Vegemite curry
5. Wagu rendang pie with sambal
6. Complimentary pickled veggies (more peanut satay than pickled but it was delicious)
DECOR & AMBIENCE: 4.5/5
The minimalist very dark interior with stainless steel chef's (bar) table taking centre stage, it can seem quite sterile upon first entering. Once we rolled up to our seats and enjoyed the experience unfold, the uniqueness all added to the charm. Reminded me of NYC style restaurants.
I would highly recommend sitting up at the bar if you're a party of 2 or 3. The dining table area looked a little crammed and uninteresting to be frank.
SERVICE: 4/5
Unfortunately I felt service wasn't as seamless as what I would've thought being such a highly regarded restaurant. It was an awkward welcoming as you walk in to the bench and wait to be served. After taking payment, they also didn't say goodbye. It's the small things that do get noticed The waitresses throughout the evening were faultless though.
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innovative southeast asian creations
🦀 otak otak
🌶 XO sauce chicken crackling egg noodles
🥧 vegemite curry roti
🌾 tempeh
🏚: SUNDA_
📍: Punch Lane, Melbourne
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————————————————————📝: Despite being the new kid on the block, with the kitchen recently opened up just in 2018, Sunda Dining has won so many awards, be it from the Good Food Guide, Opentable, Delicious, Time Out, Concrete Playground, and much more.
Inspired by the flavors of the region it is named after, SUNDA_ is a modern Southeast Asian diner, hidden away in one of the city’s busiest laneways.
Drawing on Asian herbs and spices combined with local Australian produce, the menu feature innovative creations of Southeast Asian dishes.
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❤️: Combining the flavors of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam with high-quality australian ingredients, the sharing style menu ranges from snacks and bites to smaller and larger dishes to give you a unique dining experience.
Featured are our favorites of the night. Starting off to whet our appetite was the tempeh, tofu curds, palm sugar, and muntries. Next off, we had the signature special Vegemite Roti. Yes, yes, it might sound shocking, but OMG, this was stunning. The perfect crispiness yet slightly chewiness of the roti, combined with an umami Vegemite curry—OMG, no words.
Sunda’s take on Otak Otak is as insane, with spanner crab curry, finger lime, and rice crisps. We savored every single bite, hoping for it to last as long as possible. Lastly, we had the egg noodles in XO sauce, chicken crackling, and pepper berry. Another impressive dish.
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Wow! I don’t know how this place had escaped my notice until recently but man did it surpass expectations. There’s a cool industrial vibe and the staff are friendly and know their stuff. Between 2 we shared the oysters, cured kangaroo, raw cobia, charred cucumber, roti with vegemite curry, and lamb rump. For the price the lamb rump came out much smaller than I expected initially but once I took a bite - it was packed full of flavour and absolutely top quality so was totally worth it. The cured kangaroo was described to us as “steak tartare meets Thai larb” and that’s a pretty apt description. Every dish was a standout and I would order them all again. Pricey but you get what you pay for - an absolutely delicious and memorable meal.
Came here after a show at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. They were super lovely about holding our table for us as the show ran overtime. Had the oysters which where sublime, pai tee, rori with Vegemite curry, rendang pie, otak otak and noodles with X.O. and chicken skin. Our server was lovely and was very apologetic with a few small missteps (it was her 2nd day on the Job) the restaurant manager was civil but could have been warmer when interacting with us. I would go back again but I think I prefer less refined takes on Malaysian food.
Perth Food Review By SW
+4
Impeccable service, delicious South East Asian fusion food with a creative Australian twist.
Dined alone on Friday for lunch after jetting in to Melbourne from Perth in the morning. The restaurant vibe was friendly and relaxed. I was seated on the bar seats directly facing the chefs and the open-plan kitchen - it was so enjoyable that I easily spent three hours here watching the chefs in action whilst slowly savouring the food. At no point was I rushed to finish my meal.
To start off, the complimentary pickles are such a treat - crunchy, tangy, bit spicy and topped with peanuts. The perfect appetiser. Most of their dishes can be served in halve-sizes for those dining alone.
I ordered the otak-otak and octopus in halve-serves. The otak-otak was the main reason I wanted to visit Sunda and it did not disappoint. It is served like a parfait to be spreaded onto crispy rice crackers. So delicious. The Fremantle octopus was tender but there was too much charred bits for my liking. Loved the lemongrass sambal and pickled onions that came with it.
Also had the wagyu rendang pie (very filling) and roti with vegemite curry butter (aud16 off-menu; super crispy but also really oily). Initially ordered a halve-serve of noodles but had to cancel this as I was too full.
For dessert, the jasmine rice cream with mango was refreshing and light. The chefs and servers were all really friendly.
Thank you Sunda Dining, will be back for sure! Very happy first meal in Melbourne after three years.
My friend from Sydney was visiting Melbourne and suggested to dine here.
He heard many great things about this restaurant and thought it would be great to catch up here.
Every dish had an Australian touch to it. A great mix of Western and Asian cuisine.
Friendly staff and great ambience. A nice dining experience.
With much anticipation I walked into Sunda.
Deco - raw steel, unpainted wool, polished concrete bar. ✔️
Food 😋
Ordered the set menu at $85 each.
Entree tempeh and Pie tee. Liked the pie tee a mixture of crisp and sourness. Not a fan of the tempeh.
Followed by Otak otak and raw cobia. The otak otak was very interesting! Curry parfait with rice crisps was an interesting mix of tastes & textures, in a very good sense. The raw cobia was fresh and delicate.
Lastly mains was Bass groper and Lamb rump. The lamb was cooked to perfection. The fish was a little tough.
The mains was accomplished by charred cucumbers and tomatoes fried rice. Love the rice with salmon roe on top.
Overall food was very good and service equally attentive.
I ended up visiting Sunda quite by accident – I knew Nigella had dined at a South East Asian restaurant in the CBD during her time here in January, and mistakenly thought it was Sunda, only later realising she’d gone to Vietnamese restaurant Annam. No matter – Sunda had been on my list for a while and it did not disappoint.
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4.5
Sunda is definitely in the league of Supernormal and those high end, modern Asian fusion restaurants. Downstairs seating is across 2 long communal tables or at the bar. Staff are friendly and knowledgeable. The pie tee was a bite sized cup of deliciousness - we had a few rounds of these. My girlfriend wasn’t that keen on her oyster though. The rendang pie with a sambal sorbet was novel and tasty. They had a special on this night which was a crispy roti with a Vegemite curry to dip it. The roti was so perfect and flaky and we ordered a couple but had a little bill shock at $16 each. The octopus dish was a standout with a fair amount of spice to it. The WA marron (like most shellfish dishes), had very little meat to it. Something really different was the crab curry parfait which was cold and spreadable on rice crispies - it was like a strong concentrate and easy to spread. So good! Desserts were a honeycomb cake and meringue with ganache and both complimented the meal. Overall, the meal was fantastic, but you certainly pay for it - this came in at $210 without booze. Finally, and I think it’s worth noting, the toilets for this place are terrible. This was built only a year or two ago and the toilets are definitely not up to standard for the type of restaurant this is.
Located punch lane , dining atmosphere is great , customer service is great , explained all the menu details , really excellent. The food is great and tasty , fusions way . And the dessert is awesome . Price is reasonable, will definitely visit again.
Some exciting and inventive food happening here. You will have to leave any thoughts of tradition at the door but it's worth it. I'm not always a fan of fusion and not every dish is a winner but when it works, wow yum! We had a variety of dishes with the Rockling being the standout. Not ecstatic about the upper level where we sat. The floor creaks and moves way too much. Book downstairs if you can. Service was exceptional. Well worth a look but it's not a cheap eat and you will need to order a fair amount as serving sizes are smallish. Closer to a 4.5 but Zomato doesn't allow detailed scoring.
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After reading all the hype and passing this restaurant on route to eat elsewhere we finally made a Friday night booking and wow - we wished we hadn’t waited to long. Sunda definitely lives up to all the wonderful reviews it’s getting and we loved every single dish from start to finish.
The wait staff were happy to chat, with great knowledge of the menu and wine list. We had what has become the famous buttermilk roti with vegemite which we will now have to have every time we go! Delicious, crunchy and just the right vegemite tang. Oysters were just really delicious and a must have if you’re an oyster lover. We followed these with the spanner crab curry, the crab is treated perfectly and not overpowered by the curry flavour.
Next up was the cured kangaroo, this was described by staff as a mixture between a Thai larb and a steak tartare and we thought was a perfect description of a wonderful dish. We then had the smoked eggplant, lamb rump and a delicious side of egg noodles with chicken crackling. We are often disappointed by main meals after wonderful entrees but not at Sunda, they were as good as all the smaller dishes and we couldn’t fault anything we ate. This was all washed down with a gorgeous Chardonnay from Cobaw Ridge, one of our favs.
Dessert we shared the jasmine rice cream with mango and liquorice which was a crunchy delight! Also had the honeycomb cake which was a perfect finish and not to sweet. Loved it!
We will now return often!
I had heard so many amazing things about this restaurant, and it did not disappoint! The whole dining experience felt very personal, all the waiters seemed to enjoy their job. I came with a couple of friends and we all absolutely loved the food. We loved the special roti with vegemite curry, which wasn’t overpowering, the pie tee, cured kangaroo, charred cucumber, pork cutlet and lamp rump!! Literally all taste sensations. The rendang bun was a little too bready for me, would have loved a tad more filling, but was complimented perfectly with the pickle. And the spanner crab curry was too fishy for my liking, but that’s personal preference as I’ve seen rave reviews about it. Will definitely be returning here again soon!
This is a really nice restaurant serving modern Asian fusion dishes. Most dishes are designed to be shared and my favourites were the ‘otak otak’, rock oysters, wagyu rendang pie, roti with Vegemite curry sauce and the Fremantle octopus. The egg noodles were also really yummy but a bit salty for me. Overall though, great restaurant with excellent food and lovely staff. I also recommend booking in advance as they do get busy during peak times.
Went there during lunch for my sister’s bday. We did our research prior so we knew their popular dishes already.
All of the dishes that we ordered were really good except their fried rice was a little bit too expensive for the price.
Overall, loving it!
A Chronicle Of Gastronomy
+5
4.5/5 Sunda made waves when it opened mid-year, known for its intriguing and contemporary take on South-east Asian cuisine. Given the large number of people for our booking that night, we partook in the banquet menu.
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Sunda is a small restaurant seating about 40 people and located in Melbourne's small Punch Lane, off Little Bourke Street.
It has a very chic industrial setting, with steel scaffolding throughout and you sit at one of several long communal tables or against the counter where you are up close to the chefs and kitchen staff where you can see their skills and teamwork up close.
I don't normally like long share tables but three of us had a quiet evening, absolutely impressed with the quality and ingenuity of the food. Despite being very busy, it was not noisy and you'll probably need to book.
The chef's team provide an inventive fusion of Malaysian, Indonesia and Vietnamese food. We were surprised by the complimentary starter.
The smaller dishes are around $20 to $25 with larger dishes around $37 to $42. As a starter, I had the Pie Tee which is a small, delicate pastry with whipped egg custard, salted vegetables and chilli bean. My friends had the rock oyster, with coconut vinaigrette, eschalot and Tasmanian pepperleaf. The stunning complex tastes lived up to the visual presentation. The "Otak Otak" was also beautifully presented; the spanner crab was finely complemented with a gentle curry, finger lime and some rice crisps .
We also had Fremantle octopus, with bush tomato, lemongrass sambal and onion. Beautifully presented.
The smoked eggplant, with some plums and fermented coconut reminded me of Middle East dishes. Very delicate and smokey.
The charred cucumber was paper thin was accompanied with laughing cow cheese, jungle curry and lemon myrtle. Interesting but not near as innovative or delicate as the other dishes.
We loved the egg noodles with XO sauce, chicken crackling and pepperberry; interesting mix of flavours.
The drink list has several boutique beers and cocktails. The wines are from boutique producers around Australia, NZ, France, Germany, Georgia, etc. Most wines are in the $65 to $78 mark, with a good selection at higher price points. We had the Hochkirch 2017 Riesling from Victoria. It was like a German Riesling, with obvious fruit and a spiciness, which was a great accompaniment to the delicate south east Asian flavours.
One of the most interesting meals I have had in a long time. Will definitely go back; so much more to try. Next time, I'll probably try the set menu at $80 (matched beverages are $50).
Excellent service by staff who know their wines and food and the meals can be adapted for vegetarian and coeliacs.
This is a perfect place to bring your interstate or overseas friends to enjoy the Melbourne dining scene as its most innovative. A special night out.
A lot of my friends recommended me to try this restaurant so here we go ! Finally had chance to visit this popular fusion dish restaurant. I ordered the tempeh, pie tee, and the roti as entreé. My fave is the roti comes with vegemite curry (sounds unique isn’t it?). It is delicious! Their main are amazing; I ordered lamb rump and the noodle. The lamb is juicy and melts in your mouth. The noodle reminds me of Indonesian dish called “bakmie”. It is very tasty and slightly spicy. Definitely come back to try the rest.
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This would have been a perfect lunch with a perfect score, except I would have marked Sunda down to a 4.5 rating, due to the disrespectful and rude behaviour of our food waiter. He seemed over-eager and pushy from the start and we just took it as wanting to provide good service. What we were not told when booking nor at the start of service, that they wanted to turn over our table at 2:30pm. It wasn't until we had paid ($500 for food and wine between 4 including tip) and were kicking back with a bit of idle chat, that our waiter rudely said that he needed our table and that we had to leave.
We would not have left a tip, had we known. This ruined what would have been a very enjoyable experience. All the food was tasty and delicious and works on a shared plate basis.
We started with the much vaunted Roti with Vegemite Curry (not on the menu), followed by Rock Oysters with Coconut Curry Vinaigrette, Wagyu Rendang Buns, Otak Otak Spanner Crab, Fremantle Octopus, WA Marron, Pork Cutlet with Kohlrabi, Egg Noodles with XO Sauce, and Aromatic Herb Fried Rice. A simply delicious meal with a modern twist on traditional dishes
300th review - might as well write a review for my new found favourite restaurant in Melbourne!
😱Lizzie’s first impression: knowing it won best new restaurant of the year - I was pretty keen to try Sunda out. After hearing about vegemite curry and kangaroo tartare - I was intrigued.
🍩Lizzie enjoyed: everything we ordered was absolutely made with precision and care - the quality was amazing and it tasted impecccable. The otak otak with spanner crab was a stand out and so was the roti with vegemite curry. Another must try is the pork cutlet and the xo egg noodles.
🍅Lizzie did not enjoy: I ordered a cocktail which was a massive let down as it tasted quite diluted, but aperol spritz saved the day!
🥇Lizzie rates overall: I loved this place and I would come back again to try the other dishes especially the Maron.
Very fusion place where I don’t recognise any of the Malaysian root. However, I will recommend the yellow noodles, the octopus and the pork cutlet. If you have a bigger group, you will have more chance to try more dishes to share.
Rock oyster, coconut curry vinaigrette, eschalot, tasmanian pepperleaf. This was cleverly executed with alternating bouts of heat and creaminess.
The a next dish is a bit of a Melbourne legend - roti with vegemite curry - and to maintain exclusivity, Sunda apparently only does 25 serves daily.
Whilst the flakey texture was spot on, the layers of the roti housed grimy oil pockets which assaulted the mouth with each bite; the vegemite barely discernible in flavour. Maybe it was an off day? Or maybe I've just had too much good roti.
I have the feeling that the novelty factor of a new invention in the Aussie restaurant market weighed heavier than the actual taste of the dish.Follow This Model Eats A Lot on Facey and Insta. And YouTube, if you like luxury Michelin Star food.
A group of 9 of us had a reservation to celebrate a friend's birthday. We decided to go for the set menu since we were a big group. The dishes shows a fusion twist on classic South East Asian food which reminds me of back home-Malaysia.
Out of all the dishes, the stand outs would have to be the otak-otak, raw scallops on betel leaf and the lamp rump.
I had a really enjoyable dining experience. The only downside is that they don't allow us to bring in a birthday cake from outside.
Service was quite good and the food was interesting and tasty. The oysters are an absolute must. Unfortunately they ran out of the roti and vegemite curry which I was dying to try. The kangaroo would also be a standout dish too
Great restaurant with great vibes! Love the modern fusion take on traditional Indonesian and Malaysian dishes. Loved the Mie Goreng dish in particular, and the Tempeh and Otak Otak are awesome too!
Update: I’ve been here 3 more times since first review including to try the new vegemite curry roti - amazing restaurant!
Exceptional dining experience! Such a unique menu with all the dishes bursting with flavour. Between 2 we ordered the famous Vegemite curry, the oysters, the kangaroo tartare, the octopus, the lamb and the cucumbers with laughing cow cheese. The Vegemite curry with crispy roti was addictive and I also loved the tartare. Couldn’t complain about any of the dishes though. Will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu.
Jenny Jeyanandarajah
+4.5
Was such a wonderful evening having Malaysian Indonesian flavor with Australia ingredient. Decor I felt was very Melbourne being very paired back but felt this just highlighted main event which was the food. Highly recommend the roti with vegemite very inventive and tasty. Other standout was the Marron with belachan butter, otak otak, oysters with coconut curry. Also order the xo noodle with chicken crackling wasn’t a stand out for myself and the pie tee cup were interesting but not as memorable as everything else. The bika Ambon was the perfect finish to the evening. Only wishes we had just that dessert as the Vietnamese coffee was way too intense n slightly ruined what had been a beautiful meal. Service was lovely and sitting at the bar was fantastic to see chef at work. Overall can’t wait to go back.
When it comes to the modern Asian fare at Sunda, you could never accuse the Melbourne CBD eatery of being boring. Especially with dishes like vegemite curry on their menu. Yes, you read correctly. Curiosity won out over apprehension (and that’s really saying something seeing as I’m not the biggest fan of Vegemite to begin with) but I was surprised to find that the dish was well balanced in both the flavour and texture departments, with the Vegemite presence definitely detectable, AND still left quite a tasty impression.
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Sunda is a restaurant that specialises in Southeast Asian dishes (mostly Indonesian & Malaysian), with Australian twist. It is a ‘fine dining’ version of Asian food. The place was unique, it was like a warehouse, but the inside was modern. There were only two long tables in the first floor, so we didn’t get our own table, it was like a group dining.
Pie Tee
Price: $5/pc
Taste: 🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝
Pie tee, whipped egg custard, salted vegetables, chilli bean. We weren’t too excited about this dish, didn’t expect much from it. But it was SO GOOD. The filling was full of flavour, it was one bite of deliciousness. We wished there were more of them. It was a great start of the dish, and set up a high expectation for the others.
Roti with Vegemite Curry
Taste: 🌝🌝🌝🌝🌜
It was a special, so we forgot the price. We didn’t want to order this dish at first, because of the vegemite. But when we tried the sauce, it tasted like curry! The roti was flaky and buttery, paired really well with the curry sauce. It was another highlight of the meal.
Wagyu Rendang Bun
Price: $9
Taste: 🌝🌝🌜
We were most excited about this dish, since we love rendang so much. The sambal was a bit too sour, and the rendang flavour wasn’t there. It was OK, but average and lacking flavour. The bun itself was soft and the filling was well-packed inside, so it wasn’t messy when we cut into the dish. A bit disappointing, but not too bad.
Crispy Tempeh
Price: $6
Taste: 🌝🌝🌝
This was a last minute dish that we ordered, since we weren’t full. The tempeh was so crispy, and the sauce was flavourful. The sauce was a bit overwhelming, though, had to drink between bites. Wished it was a bit spicy.
Otak-Otak
Price: $27
Taste: 🌝🌝🌝🌝
Otak-otak was originally a grilled fishcake from Indonesia. But here, it was served as some kind of spread for the rice crisps. It had a pretty strong fish flavour, but it was good. It didn’t exactly taste like the original otak-otak, though. It tasted like something else, but it wasn’t a bad thing.
Egg Noodles with XO sauce
Price: $22
Taste: 🌝🌝🌝🌜
This was the only large dish we ordered, since the others were not as ‘Asian’. The flavour of the dish was very similar to the one in Indonesia, which was sold at street stalls. The crispy chicken on top was a really great addition to the dish. We liked the texture of the noodle. Wished it was more spicy and less oily.
Bika Ambon
Price: $18
Taste: 🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝
Really excited about this one. Bika ambon was one of our favourite traditional desserts from Indonesia! The two pieces of bika ambon didn’t really taste differently. One was served with banana custard, the other was served with some kind of praline on top. The best part of this dish was the pandan ice cream! the pandan flavour was there, but it was light and not overwhelming at all! The banana custard was also really good, it had a strong banana flavour, which we liked. Definitely a great end to the meal!
Overall, Sunda did not disappoint. All the dishes had a familiar Asian taste in them, but it was more interesting because of the Australian twist they put in it. The service was great, the waiters were all friendly and helpful. They served the food quite fast, and they kept refilling our glasses without us even asking. Definitely will come back!
Expectations were high and they were surpassed. From the first taste of complimentary pickles I was dazzled. Everything was brilliant but the eggplant was my favourite. Service charming attentive and efficient. Will be back soon.
If you haven't already had the chance to dine at Sunda, you need to put this place on your raider for your next date night out. The restaurant is a minimal setting with long communal dining tables and purposely placed lighting highlighting the food perfectly. There is probably nothing on the menu I wouldn't recommend after dining here 3 times already (whoops), however the following are a MUST - Roti with Vegemite Curry, Smoked Eggplant, Lamb Rump, Marron and XO noodle with crispy chicken skin. Just went Asian fusion restaurants started to get repetitive, Sunda introduces a new unique flavour by incorporating local Australian ingredients in a playful way. Not to mention every plate that hits the table looks like a piece of art. Hats off to the Chef's & team behind Sunda. Can't wait to dine again!
Punch Lane has a new king! Sunda is the most happening Asian infusion joint going around at the moment and there is a reason why! It. Is. Amazing! We had the set menu, food for days! The Spanner Crab Parfait is to die for! Same goes for the cucumbers, the lamb was literally melt-in-the-mouth and a stunning dessert to complete things. The service was 10/10, the waiters really know their stuff. Refreshing, Different, Impressive. It’s a bit pricey but worth every cent! Enjoy x
I usually a skeptic when i hear Asian fusion. Thats just me. the flavours at Sunda were actually impressive. Good marriage of Asian flavours and aussie produce won me over especially their Otak otak. They took this humble charred grilled street food and elevated it. By including spanner crab and finger lime added another dimension to the flavours. Like a flavour bomb it was bursting with layers of saltiness, spiciness savoury and sourness which delighted my palette. That was my highlight dish that night. Overall, it was a pleasant restaurant, with the ambience for perfect dinner date.
Love this place! Have been here a few times since it has opened and can not get enough of it. Food is always cooked well and to perfection. The flavours are just like south east Asia but with a nice modern western twist. You can see the thought and details the chef has put into it. My favourite dish is the XO noodles, although it is quite spicy! They have a nice selection of cocktails here also. Will see them again soon!
My friend asked me what type of cuisine this was, I’m not sure? Maybe south East Asian fusion?
Enjoyed the food here. Great service. Good portions. Interesting flavors.
Loved:
Lamb - Reminded me of five spice roast duck.
Lamb and cashew (looked like hummus) was so tasty.
Octopus - reminded us of chicken tikka except it was octopus.
Otak otak - most expensive otak otak we’ve ever had but very creamy and I’m sure the ingredients were a lot more premium than what you get in a regular otak otak in Malaysia
Liked:
Scallops
Oysters - were Alrite
Bika Ambon was nice but not the pandan ice cream
Skip:
Pie tee. Does not taste like a pie tee and I didn’t enjoy the flavors.
Really interesting place with quite a few innovative dishes. Sunda takes South Asian dishes and combines them with Australian ingredients. The fit out is quite industrial but modern and cozy at the same time. We were a group of four and went for the chef selection which comes at a great price of $80 per person for 4 courses / 10 dishes. We had some cocktails to begin with (4 of the 5 signature ones) - most of them were pretty average despite them trying to be inventive with the ingredients. Presentation wasn‘t anything special either.
I really liked the food though. Interesting presentation and most of the dishes were nothing like anything I tried before. So definitely worth to go! I can‘t say that all of the dishes blew me away, but most of them were really interesting and had a great presentation.
If you are into trying something new and different, definitely go!
Interesting menu and drink list, lovely service. The roti is fluffy and buttery also a nice touch with the vegemite curry. A new hidden gem in cbd laneway.
Sunda! One of the best dinners I’ve had in a while, the food was exceptional, service was on point!! We sat at the bar section which was perfect view to watch the chefs in action! My favourite dish was the special; roti with vegemite curry and Australian black truffle 🖤
You’d be excused for walking past Sunda without noticing what is waiting inside due to the scaffolded frontage, but once you realise the facade is all part of the fit out, you walk into a spacious, relaxed cavernous restaurant.
Greeted with abundant hospitality, the positive experience peaks once the dishes are brought out. Each are meticulously created and plated, and thoroughly explained by the waitstaff.
The menu is an unusual combination of south East Asian flavours with native Australian accents. We had the special starter, followed by fremantle octopus (with bush tomato, lemongrass sambal, onion) then to the marron (with belacan butter, wakame, vietnamese mint) before ending with the HIGHLY RECOMMENDED bika ambon, banana custard, macadamia dessert with pandan icecream.
A fantastic experience - with the relaxing and visually beautiful fit out and interesting menu, we will be back!
Malaysian, Indonesian and Singaporean food pack a punch when it comes to flavour and Sunda has embraced those bold flavours and combined them with native Australian ingredients to create an interesting menu. They are new to Punch Lane in the city and It’s a good one to visit if you’re looking for some innovative food.
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Wow! What an awesome new restaurant in every aspect.
We were seated at the bar which we love because you can see all the action behind the bar and the table top and lighting is just a Dream for anyone wanting to take pictures of the dishes ! It was hard not to take a good picture 😜
We started with the most amazing Riesling... which was so easy to drink and went incredibly well with the food. Still dreaming of that Riesling!
We opted to choose our own dishes because we weren’t entirely sold on the dishes of the feed me menu and glad we did because every dish we chose we loved!
The oysters were well presented and so flavoursome. We also had the rendang beef bun which was a hit too. Next was the otak otak.. the flavours from this parfait was so intense and delicious I could have eaten so many of those! Next was the WA Marron. For us this was the standout dish. Not only was it beautifully presented but the marron was perfectly cooked as the meat just fell out of it. Having said that though, the sauce was something else! They serve 2 little buns with it and I understood why because the sauce was so damn good that you needed the buns to soak up all the sauce which had flavours of south east Asia and marron in it. Amazing! Lastly we had the lamb. I couldn’t believe how soft the lamb was! I also don’t think I ever had lamb cooked this was with south East Asian flavours.. but this sauce again was just divine.
Unfortunately we didn’t have any time for dessert as our table was booked for 9 however I will definitely come back.
Service was friendly too. I’ll definitely be raving about it to my friends and work colleagues! 🙌
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Faultless. We loved ALL our dishes 💛. Malaysian, Indonesian & Vietnamese inspired, fine & modern asian fusion done excellently. It’s amazing how the chef managed to bring out the best of both South East Asian flavours and the Australian ingredients, and most importantly never compromising the true Asian flavours, striking a good balance of Asian and Aussie flavours.
Here’s what we had:
Roti with vegemite curry. Excellent texture, crispy all over. Well balanced flavours, best of all the vegemite flavour wasn’t overpowering.
Oysters with coconut curry vinaigrette. Creamy and spicy, never had this kind of flavour with fresh oysters before, and it worked.
Wagyu beef rendang. Crispy on the outside, tasty rendang on the inside.
Otak otak, spanner crab curry, finger lime. Sublime! Hawker stall food done so fine, beats all other kinds of parfait, one of the best I’ve had. Served with rice crisps, added good texture to the really smooth parfait.
Fremantle octopus, lemongrass sambal. One of my fave ingredients, octopus is always good with a good spicy kick, and this was done excellently.
Egg noodles, with X.O. sauce, chicken crackling, pepperberry. Superbly charred with strong ‘wok-hey’ taste, strong umami, great textures with al-dente noodles.
Special dessert, toasted rice and black truffle fried ice cream, kaya & pandan custard, wattleseed crumb. And more truffles. Great combo of sweet and savoury. Bang on!
My must order dishes are the Otak Otak, octopus, roti with vegemite curry, X.O. egg noodles & the special Black Truffle ice cream 😋
Already planning my next visit....
4.5 ⭐️. Had a great meal here. Punch lane is now a lane not to be missed. The food is very flavoursome with no subtlety. Its was a joy to eat. Thoroughly enjoyed the complimentary pickles, the spanner crab curry/ parfait, roti and octopus. All the food heading out of the kitchen looked delicious. My only suggestion would be to inform diners that some of the dishes are very spicy (eggplant for example) as it was far too hot for my dining partner. Staff were friendly and helpful. The ambience was good, noise levels allowing you to have a decent conversation!
As a coeliac, this is the best meal I have had in Australia. The food was literally incredible- I went with the oyster, otak otak, Fremantle octopus, Marin and the banana dessert- everything was flawless however I would suggest forgoing the Marin and choosing another main (it was good but not exceptional like the other dishes). Cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough.
Absolute cracker of a new restaurant. A wonderful industrial feel with shared tables and great lighting. Grabbed plenty of the small ones and shared them out. The Tempe and the wagyu bun were delicious... great way to start. Grabbed the raw scallops, otak otak and the octopus for next share. All three had surprising deliciousness within and couldn’t be faulted. Shared the lamb and charred cucumber for mains which were nice, but not near the greatness of the meals before. Lost points due to waiter not being too happy to be there. Get there!!
Finally, an upscale fusion Indonesian restaurant! Although the menu only consists very little Indonesian inspired dish, but it’s a start. Impressed with less known offering of ‘otak otak’, nasi ulam and bika ambon. Even if the latter was the only thing that resembles the real thing, I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of the ingredients and the flavour. I would definitely go back. One tiny detail: please fix the floor I the upper level dining area, as it was very shaky every time anyone walks.
Serving up an exquisite fusion of Vietnamese and Indonesian cuisine, newly opened Sunda on Punch Lane is already making its mark on the Melbourne food scene. Situated in a New York loft-esque venue, the walls are exposed, the kitchen is on show, the tables are shared and the seats are limited - all elements giving the place a sense of exclusivity and (border-line half renovated) charm.With a menu that offers a twist on many of the Asian classics using well known beloved flavours, Sunda's menu is both unique, but familiar enough not to be intimidating. The roti served with vegemite satay (you heard me, vegemite satay) is not to be missed - tasting more like a freshly cooked croissant, the butteryness of the bread was cut beautifully by the saltiness in the vegemite satay.
Really enjoyed this place. Fit out is a bit too industrial but somehow it manages to be quite and intimate space and not too noisy. We had the chef's menu and everything we tried was good and a couple of dishes were just ouststanding - the Otak Otak and the PieTee. We sat at the bar where you get a great view of the kitchen, the alternative is on one of the two communal tables.Definately recommend giving this place a try.
Amazing service staff. That's the first thing I must mention. The staff were so patient and helpful in explaining the menu as well as helping us pick the wines to go with our meal. Furthermore, they were very polite when informing us that we had stayed there long over our allocated time.
The food was amazing as expected. Lots of Asian influences in each dish for our menu, mostly sweet and sour. We basically ordered the whole menu and all of them were unique in flavour. The only one that was a little weird was the lamb but maybe it was personal preference.
I would highly recommend coming here for a night out.
Sunda was one of the most incredible dining experiences we had in Melbourne. Phenomenal flavour blends meticulously curated by the chef. Just outstanding. Including one of the best desserts we ever had (their own version of pavlova). Our main waiter was the loveliest and most attentive possible. 6 starts
We ate at Sunda in early 2021, in between lockdowns and for a special birthday celebration. The food was absolutely exceptional! We had the 6/7 course set menu and added the Vegemite curry as well (was recommended and it didn’t disappoint!). We were so full by the end! Service, space and drinks were also of a very high standard. We’ve recommended this restaurant to others, who have also absolutely loved it too.
A truly fantastic fine dining experience. Great dishes, each taking the next one to a high level of gastronomic delight. The highlight for me was the delicious lamb, that my eyes kept saying was lamb but the taste was purely like tandoori chicken. Blew our mind. The oysters were the same. Looked like oysters but tasted of Moru Curry (Kerala Style Seasoned buttermilk) was brilliant. Nikki, our host, was very well informed about the dishes and took care of us through the whole experience. The ambience is lovely, warm and very easy to have a conversation without being eavesdropped. The sake was brilliant and went well with our food. Excellent recommendations from our sommelier Mitch. Very highly recommended Sunda! It’s a great experience.
Upscale dining experience with exceptional presentation and flavour that leaves you desiring more. The saltgrass lamb dish with brioche miso was a personal favourite. Great service and drinks menu selection 🤌
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tl;dr: Service was fine! Ignore bad reviews. Allow for time to enjoy the hydrid menu! Can’t go wrong with tofu/kingfish/pork entrée. The chicken main was WOW! Save room for roti and finish with the pav! Thank you Khan for your constant efforts to create!
We came on opening night of 2022 where Sunda introduced their 4 course a la carté hybrid menu. Patrons are spoilt with all five snack options and have the choice of one entrée, main and dessert. There are additionals you can order, like their signature Buttermilk Roti with Vegemite Curry (which we loved and would recommend).
The ambience is modern industrial, scandi, “under-construction” vibe. The downstairs long tables invite communal seating but if thats not your cup of tea, seperate seating is available upstairs. We had a table upstairs as that was what was available and if felt private and cosy and had ample social distance from other parties.
Lets talk food.
The snacks were works of art. Each one so thoughtfully created. The staff recommended to start with the oysters, then the carrot macadamia satay, and continue down the menu. The trout was unsuspecting and was my favourite. Balanced in flavour and texture with the green mango. The shallot in the oyster was punchy and I would have liked to have had the zingy trout first then to the oyster. The ‘otak otak’ was super charged with crab buttery flavours - was a journey in itself. Sunda’s signature buttermilk roti with vegemite curry arrived with the snacks. The mastery of dough lamination stood up to our slow pace as we enjoyed it after all the snacks. The dish lives up to its reputation, subtle sweet dough disarms its thick, unami curry friend. The dish was heavy on the palate so we needed some time before the entrées
Our entrées were wonderful at preparing us for the mains. The macadamia tofu was so beautiful to look at and its soft sweetness paired so nicely with the prawns. The kingfish were perfectly seared and the broth was pleasantly tart, awakening and ends on a sweet mint note. The pork jowl was complex, moreish and surprisingly light. The daikon sheet reminded me of prosciutto which is just very clever cooking. What stood out was the difference between the tamarind in the tofu dish and the jowl dish, the difference was like day and night, both alluring and welcoming the mains in their own way.
All mains were so pleasing to the eye. The chicken really took my heart though. It was just so inviting, the gailan formed a beautiful spring nest for the tender, juicy chicken. The thai sausage and bush apple added depth that carried each mouthful on and on. The kingfish appeared unassuming but revealed many layers once you dig in. The fish was perfectly cooked, it still has bounce and bite without being too firm to bite. The lamb, perfectly cooked, was extenuated by the dollop of brioche miso. Unami and rich without being too heavy on the palate. We also enjoyed the comforting presence of the baked rice which reminded me so much of eating the crunchy crust of rice thats left in the botton of pot. It was so fragrant and the salmon roe provided a lovely contrast to all the crunch!
Almost 3 hours falling down a rabbit hole of Sunda’s menu, we arrived at dessert. I didn’t know what to expect for rice in a dessert but Sunda delivered. The lemon myrtle icecream paired with soft raspberries was the perfect wake-up from the dream of food we just had. Each bite was different as bits of raspberry pulp were mixed with the crunchy rice grains. The pavlova was taken down a stroll in South-East Asia. The pepperberry icecream had such silky texture and paired so well with pandan. The dehydrated pineapple, lychees and marshmallows provided QQ texture while bites of meringue disappears in each bite. It was the final magic trick that topped the evening off!
If I had to nitpick:
Staff moving their masks aside to speak clearly to announce each dish may trouble anxious patrons.
I booked Sunda for a friend's birthday. Felt very much like private function as we were sitting at a long table along with other people. Food was amazing. Staff were really friendly.
South East Asian fusion at its finest. Bold and punchy flavours, and flawless execution, a meal that would satisfy even the fussiest eaters. The rich and creamy otak-otak deserves the hype, and the unique combination of carrot + macadamia satay made for a crunchy treat that is sure to have you coming back for more. Heirloom tomatoes + white sesame went together like two peas in a pod - bright yet mellow flavours that balanced one another. Absolutely adore the baked rice + jackfruit + foie grass, definitely a must order if you love claypot rice. Choose from the refreshing and light young coconut + desert lime, or indulgent Pavlova to end your meal.
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