Review Tasty Dining - Oakleigh

Came here for dinner with family. Had a scrumptious meal. Service was good, food came quickly. Prices were reasonable. Dishes were very authentic - Cantonese / Malaysian style cooking. Enjoyed the food very much. Would recommend to friends and family for sure.

This is my girlfriend’s family restaurant, as everyone says the chicken rice is delicious! Also enjoyed the sizzling tofu, lobster noodles - might not be available to the public. Also, steam fish was 10/10! Try it, so soft and moist!

Silky smooth chicken skin, succulent meat, fluffy flavorful rice. Chili was also a well balanced mix of spicy, sweet and sour. Just a little strange for me that it was served with lettuce instead of cucumbers but it worked.

I honestly don’t know how the place has decent reviews on both google and uber eats. I ordered my dinner through Uber easts. Picture was the $26 roast duck, in my opinion, that’s gotta be a joke. So not worth it, and frankly I think it’s not even duck, tasted like pork (which is also $26 though) I also ordered Beef char kueh teow which is stir fried rice noodles, in my experience this dish is not usually spicy (hot) or you’d get asked but there was no options to select whether you want it spicy or not. It came a bit spicy for my liking. I did want something with a kick to it so I got hot and sour soup (which doesn’t taste right either) but had I known my dish was hot I would’ve gone for something like sweet corn chicken soup. All in all, disappointing experience unfortunately. How hilarious was the owner’s response. It’s none of my business that you are refusing to hear opinions that are different to your own, (just saying, no one is perfect and it’s okay to accept criticism and reflect on ways you could improve on your business.) but I also don’t see you justifying that sad little pork dish being $26 worth.

First time visiting tasty dining, food came out surprisingly quickly.. I ordered the lunchtime special beef rendang curry for $12 very affordable and tasted it out of this world. Great portions and love the fact that I can grab my own drink. Customer service was amazing they even brought my finances handbag halfway down the street that we accidentally left behind.

Tasty Dining has the best Hainanese chicken rice which I highly recommend. The food is great value for money and is also a great place to have gatherings with friends and family. Tom and his family also provide exceptional service in addition to the food being delicious as always.

Been coming to this restaurant for more than 10 years, (even before the name change) and it has been so unbelievably consistent! The food always tastes the same and the hospitality is great. Tom is a fantastic host and I could not recommend their food more!

Best chicken rice in Melbourne! 90 chicken rice for church day!

The lunch crowd here only seem to be interested in one dish. Their Hainanese Chicken rice. And it’s very very very good. Chicken was smooth and rice was aromatic. Had dinner here a few times and their coconut prawns was good.

3.5 ⭐️ We have been here twice for chicken rice, $10.80 for a chicken rice, of course its worth it! The rice is good, both roasted and steamed chicken taste good. Except we prefer the rice comes with cucumber rather than 🥬 😁 Also, service is good and friendly.

Definitely the Best hainan chicken rice i have had in melbourne 🍚 ❤️❤️ the staff are always so friendly and food is always hot, fast and fresh. Their lunch specials are affordable too!

Be careful with this restaurant. Their Hainan chicken rice tastes above average, but some other dishes I tried were just average or below average. You need to be really careful to not get overcharged. I was wrongly charged twice at this place. The first time they charged me extra $10 dollars on a $55 order. I realised only when I got home, and I thought everyone makes mistake so I didn’t complain. Yesterday my husband was charged extra $13 dollars and he didn’t realise it, until he got home and I checked the price of what we ordered on the menu. It was definitely unpleasant experience when it happened twice.

Used to be good when it was Kotaraya and when it just changed to become Tasty. Recently tried it again and it was dissapointing. Ordered the minced chicken sizzling tofu, which was not sizzling and had no chicken at all, used to be whole Japanese tofu too, not it’s just fried tofu pieces. Ordered the sweet and sour whole fish and could taste it was frozen fish, not fresh at all, and the sauce was mediocre. Only gave 2 stars because at least the lunch option is still very cheap at $10.50 and tried the horfun it was not bad.

Wow, did you change the chef? Worst Asian food we have tasted. Food was very bland - fried rice was tasteless and the coconut chicken had a pasty texture and no real flavour. This was our go to restaurant for Chinese food but in the last few months it has become a disappointment. My suggestion is you get your mother to cook for you as she would do a better job of cooking. Sorry guys but your chef has to go - this was on a Thursday night and only one table was booked when we dropped by.

So il be honest, I have been to this place twice now. The first time I went the food tasted decent and I thought it was alright until I went home and a few hours later I vomited my guts out. I came there a second to try it out because I wasn’t sure if it was just me or the food that made me sick. But it IS THE ACTUAL FOOD. They add so much MSG to the food that it irritated my stomach and now I’m vomiting yet again. It feels so horrible and I regret going to second time 👎 please if you are sensitive to msg or whatever do not eat because you will feel like dying after

I actually like this place because:<br/>1. The service is really good: we reserved a table and when we got there someone opened the door for us, a basket of prawn crackers were already waiting on or table, without having to ask, the waiter brought over a fork and spoon for our non-Chinese friends who don’t use chopsticks.<br/>2. The place is really clean and so are its fish tanks<br/>3. The food was pretty good and the servings were large: we ordered a sambal spinach, egg tofu with minced chicken, szechuan chicken and coconut butter prawns. The sambal spinach was the largest serve of vegetables ever! It was fresh and crunchy and good. The egg tofu was delicious and flavourful. The coconut butter prawns were crispy and fragrant. The dish that I wouldn’t order again is the szechuan chicken as it was not spicy and the sauce was too sweet.<br/>After dinner the waiter gave us a plate of oranges and watermelon. A nice way to finish. We also asked for cut chilli and they gave us 2 large saucers of it. The waiters were also very friendly. Will definitely be back to try their other dishes.

Went there and ordered 3 dishes and one char hor fan to share between us. Char hor fan was generous is serving. The salted egg pork ribs was terrible. It was literally just bones with the meats all shaved off. We were eating the batter. It is as though they ran out of ribs and had to use the bones. Do not order this if you go. The Assam fish was watered down and didn't have enough flavour. Curry vegetables was all right.

The 1.5 is for the service, which is just adequate. I really do not understand the rating of 3.7: the food was below mediocre, with EXTREMELY little amounts of accompanying sauces on entrées and the main I had (Singapore noodles) was large in noodles but very scarce in anything else. I do not know which hot spice was used (certainlly not chile) but it was totally flavorless, just burning my palate and tongue. After that, I could not sleep at all: I spent a half of the night with my heart beating at 120+, because of the very high amount of monosodium glutammate in the food. Never again!

Came for dinner w friends, nice variety of items on the menu and some banquet options available.. they also have fresh lobster, fish and crabs in the tanks. Food came out pretty quickly, nice flavour and restaurant has nice decor and atmosphere. Stuff were pretty friendly too.

Loved the Prawn Sambal, Satay Beef, Chicken Curry, Nasi Lemak and Coconut Prawns. The food lives up to the restaurant's name ..really Tasty food and the servings are huge! <br/>Quality and quantity. <br/>There is also a great choice for afternoon takeaway lunch.<br/>Will definitely be going back.

Craving for Malaysian food and the only place that has good ratings around here is Tasty Dining. Being the poor students we are, we’ve ordered only Spinach Sambal and Nyonya Chicken to share. The food is like the restaurant’s name - tasty, but the portion, not up to satisfaction. We expected cutlets of chicken with Nyonya sauce but it turned out to be thin slices of chicken. Absolutely understand the fact that different restaurants have different way of cooking but well, students being students, we just want to have our money’s worth. However, the Spinach Sambal completely reminds me of home (I’m from Malaysia). It is quite difficult to find a Malaysian restaurant that serves authentic (& delicious) Malaysian food. So the Spinach Sambal was really like rain in the desert to us. That dish is officially my favourite Malaysian dish in Melbourne. Although it is a bit pricey for us but we will definitely want to go back and try some new dishes. Maybe lunch is better as they have a different menu.

we always feel satisfy whenever we go to Tasty Dining, even back then when they were still as Kotaraya. lastnight we have birthday dinner for my husband,and the staff generously gave us compementary ice cream as desert,simple gesture from staff greet him a happy birthday and we were really appriciated it. the King Prawn in coconut butter always wins our heart! never been dissapointed since first time we ordered. tofu and vegetables cooked perfectly well,still crunchy and very tasty. altough the curry little bit out of tuned,but over all Tasty Dining have their best foods so far. my advice for the one who never visit this place, is dont listen to the negatives comment,just try it,experience yourself,and enjoy the foods. they are good!! 👍🏾👌🏽

Unforgettable birthday party in Tasty Dining!<br/>We booked reservation for 16 people on 7pm Saturday evening. I wish to have one table to fit in. But the gentleman told it will be to squeeze fit 16p in one and the table maximum only for 15p on the phone. Finally i still chose one table. When we got there by 6.45pm, it only have three big tables left near the bar. Then we find out couldn't fit 16 adult in one. But one of the staff gentleman told us they can set up the two big table straight the way(8+8). But at the end we still on time to had dinner.<br/>We preorder the Hainanese Chicken on that night and order many different food from the new menu. The food was absolutely beautiful . All the staff service was nice and friendly. We are so sorry to bother when the restaurant totally full. At the end i put down $50 for the tips as well. We are every enjoy and happy on that night and we will come back.

Read some of the not-so-positive comments and was left scratching my head - our experience here has always been great. We have been coming for a while now, normally with a large party of adults and kids. For us it's been great - the steam chicken, the ginger rice, fish, prawns, sizzling tofu - good portions, and reasonably good service. Most importantly, the food tastes good!

Totally doesn't deserve it's rating. No wonder the restaurant was totally empty at dinner time on Wednesday. The ambience was nice, but I bought takeaway. Not worth the money and the staff taking my order was pretty unfriendly and condescending when I asked him about the menu items as the description was unclear. This is the worst roast pork/char siew I've ever had in my life, he said if I get Japanese tofu I have to pay $3 more, really $17+ for the same tofu supermarket sells for $1.90 or so? Ordered the normal tofu in the end, hardly any minced meat and no egg, this dish in other restaurants usually would have egg. It was $3 for 1 portion of normal white rice. Won't be back.

DO NOT GO HERE!! The food was below standard and the service was very poor! Unfortunately the waitress at the restaurant couldn't even speak English. When we went to pay, they charged us extra for the drinks! Bad restaurant! I can't believe this has 3.7 on zomato! It is a piece of crap.

Unfortunately the waitress couldn't speak english very well which meant it was difficult to let her know what we needed. They tried to serve our wine from a beer glass. There was so much msg in my partner's pipi dish that his joints in his hands became stiff and difficult to move freely.

Came here with 20 class mates.. Amazing food. Good service.. had that green curry chicken ..chicken was very tender and cooked to perfection.. highly recommend..

We have been going here since it was Kotaraya. Were a bit sceptical after it changed hands and became 'Tasty Dining'. However we have been very pleased with the quality and service. We never tried dinner here but always come for their lunch special during the weekends whenever we are at this side of town. Highly recommend their Char Kway Teow and Char Ho Fun.

We (around 10 of us) didn't realise their was a change in ownership, we wanted to order hainanese chicken and hainanese chicken rice but they were all sold out, the vegetables were way too oily, salty and spicy. They also got the classic Chinese Malaysian yee sang wrong (you don't put in pear). We definitely won't be going again.

This restaurant has had a new owner since 4 months ago. Thought we would come try it for Chinese New Year. Had a party of 10 so ordered quite a few dishes. Different staff kept giving different information with what dishes were available. The Chinese New Year menu also had no prices. All in all we felt the dishes were a let down. The hokkien noodles were perhaps the worst I have had at a restaurant. Was extremely dry and looked microwaved. The belanchan spinach was so salty most of it was left untouched. Asked the waitress for a recommendation. She suggested the nyonya chicken. What we got was a plate of what seemed like fried chicken skin. There was close to no meat on the chicken. We also got overcharged for rice which later got fixed up. Safe to say it'll be our last visit.

This was our first meal in Melbourne when we flew there last month. We arrived in the wee hours of the morning after a long overnight flight from Hong Kong (with three kids!) - and we just wanted an early dinner and crash early for the night. My younger sister, with whom we were staying in Melbourne, suggested Tasty Dining (though she referred to it by its former name, Kotaraya), as it was open for dinner at 5:30pm, and it was conveniently located nearby. One of the advantages of arriving so early for dinner at a restaurant is that it is still empty so that the kids can be rowdy without causing too much parental embarrassment. Service was average, with some room for improvement. One of the waitstaff got one of our dishes wrong, but there was no fuss made when we pointed it out, and the correct one was replaced in good time. The food was delicious and reasonably priced. Tasty Dining is a good option if you're in the area.

Best Hainanese chicken rice in SE suburbs. Authentic and delicious! I've been a customer since your first restaurant in Clayton.. Used to be a daily eater while I was at uni.. Flavours are consistently the same great quality.. Nostalgic!

We ordered assam fish,thai kong po chicken, vegetable and tofu. The taste of the food is really bad. we never go back to this restaurant again.

The food was ok. We ordered roti, laksa and mee goreng. The roti was too oily and the laksa did not taste right. Mee goreng was not that bad. Cheap food and good customer service.

The food was good, great service. Really loved the fried rice, roti and curry chicken but it was a bit oily. Lacks quality but for that price you can't expect much too. <br/>Will definitely be going back

I took away a Me goreng. The quantity was sufficient. Quantity of chicken was a bit less but ok. Taste was great. Would want to try more things on the menu.

I had published a five star review for this restaurant previously, and I am so sad that I need to change it to a lower rating. Unfortunately, having been to this restaurant with family and friends many time, the last time I went (and may I add, the last time I will EVER go), was horrible. My boyfriend and I went for lunch on a Saturday and we found ourselves waiting for 30 MINUTES for service. We waiting, watching all the other customers being served, without being offered even a menu or water. Nothing. We just sat and waited. We could see that ALL of the other customers were being served and we couldn't help but wonder WHY we weren't being served (even wondering if it might be a racial thing as we were the only Causasian customers at the time). Eventually, after 35 MINUTES of not receiving ANY FORM of service, we left. I will not return to this restaurant. The day we went was not busy - as previously stated, it was lunch, so it was quiet! - and we felt unwelcome and uncomfortable. Never again. Pathetic service. I am SO disappointed as this was one of my favourite restaurants in Melbourne.

DO: The king prawns, pork plum sauce, Mongolian Beef, coconut butter chicken together with coconut rice and beef char kueh teow. <br/><br/>DON'T: Know what to order? Ask the waitress for the most popular items. Remember, they're all sharing plates. <br/><br/>TIP: Come at lunch for the lunch time specials. Afterwards when you're full of MSG, head down to Eaton Mall for a coffee to wake back up.

Quick service. Delicious, hot, fresh, tasty food - particularly Kong po prawns. Cheap, although entrees a little on the small side. Conveniently BYO.<br/>Language barrier can sometimes be difficult. Apparently, there is also a special non-English menu with additional items on it?!

Most tables at lunch are all filled with the same dish - Hainanese chicken rice. I think that says plenty and at $10.90 you can't really go wrong. The meat is tender, the rice is extremely fragrant, and the soup maintains the balance in the dish as a whole. Will continue to come back for more!

I have mixed feelings about the food here. I ordered duck vermicelli for myself and did not like it - the vermicelli was too sweet and soggy. However, the nasi goreng and char kuay teow that the boys ordered were quite good. I wish I had ordered that instead. Dishes at neighbouring tables look appetizing enough that I'm going to give this place another go.<br/>The ambiance here is of a typical Malaysian restaurant - threadbare decor, bustling with an element of efficiency in the service and delivery. Reminded me of home!

Having just come back from weeks in KL, I can't believe I loved this Malaysia restaurant so much that I'm rating it a 5! But just so good. Hainanese chicken is perfectly cooked, and even the rice tastes so authentic. Highlight was the coconut butter prawns - massive juicy fresh prawns lightly fried and topped with beautiful coconut crumbs.

Not being a big fan of this type of cuisine changes here. Sambal fish is amazing. Beautiful soft melting fish served with yummy green beans! Nice spicy flavours. Chicken curry with roti cooked fresh , nice spicy flavours and crunchy fluffy roti! Vegeterian rice also full off fresh delish flavours. Yum! Not a big fan of the chicken black bean, but i dont order that anyway. Service is nice too. We usualy come here for family dinners as its pretty local and everyone enjoys it.

Had lunch at KotaRaya on Sunday. Their Hainanese Chicken Rice with chili sauce is very nice. Been coming here for the last 5 years. Despite changing owners they maintained the food quality. <br/><br/>We ordered sweet sour pork, 3 type vegetables with Sambal, char kuey Teow and roasted chicken rice. All were authentic. Definitely coming back again soon.

Been there many times. They are famous for their Hainanese Chicken Rice and special chilli sauce. They only serve them on the weekend so have to get in early. Another 拿手菜 is Yam ring, only few restaurant do this in Melbourne and it's one of the best here.

Came here for the Hainanese chicken rice, as it is supposed to be very good. Apparently in recent months they have moved from their Clayton location out to Oakleigh and also changed owners. My partner's family had been going there regularly since they came from Singapore 12 years ago, so we tried it out for the first time since the changes. The HCR was a bit bland, not so tasty and with barely any dark sauce to marinate in on the plate or to dab on. The chicken was pretty bouncy and slightly dry, not the more authentic silky and moist quality; nothing to dislike but still pretty underwhelming. The rice itself was pretty good; moist and fragrant. The other dishes however, were very nice. Nyonya chicken was crispy and succulent, recommend trying it with the plum sauce. The Tofu with chicken mince is also very good, and the coconut batter prawns are the trademark dish for good reason. I was still happy with the meal as a whole, but certainly would not go all that way for the chicken rice again. The service was fine, not super attentive, but they are evidently working on it.

I rang up for Take-away and they can't even answer their phone.<br/>Wanted me to leave a message. So I did. Told them I will go somewhere that answers the phone.

As locals Kotoraya has been a very reliable and enjoyable favourite. The food was good tonight as always. We were celebrating a big occasion but this was soured at the register when we went to settle the bill. The waitress gave me a lovely compliment on my hair. So nice and unexpected. BUT then 2 seconds later without missing a beat she asked for a tip. It was just so calculating and transparent and left me feeling very deflated. Beware the blatant insincerity.

It was weird when i found out there is a lot of review saying change of ownership.<br/><br/>Me and my family have been in Kotaraya since Clayton branch and the head chef (owner) stays the same and the Hainanese chicken still the best in town.<br/><br/>We went for an birthday party of a friend of us from church yesterday, it was real impressive!<br/><br/>they did Lobster Salad, Abalone etc which can be specially order for occasion as well as their signature Twin Tower standing fish too. and their decoration on the plate was stunning! Really appreciated how the chefs prepared all that!

It's all about the Hainanese chicken rice at Kotoraya. Kotoraya has had a change of owner, but the Hainanese chicken rice is still as good as ever. I think this may be one of the best chicken rices you can get in Melbourne. I recommend the steamed chicken as they do offer a fried version as well. The chicken is really soft and smooth, and the rice is cooked in garlic, chicken stock / oil. Has an amazing aroma as it's being served. One thing to note is the Hainanese chicken rice is only available from Friday - Sunday at lunch time, so don't make the mistake of coming over days. The Teochew Chinese brocolli is also really nice with a strong rice wine and garlic flavour. Their other Malaysian dishes are also not bad including the beef randang. They also got the retro coke bottles too, which I really enjoy compared to the normal coke.<br/><br/>Ambience is literally non existant, it's just a massive area with tables. They generally got some old school 80s music in the background, which can sometimes be nice but can also be annoying at the same time. <br/><br/>The waiter / waitresses are just horrible. They are so slow, they get the order wrong, and don't seem very bright in general. It's really frustrating to place an order with them or even get their attention. They walk in one direction and they don't look anywhere else. Last time I went they even got the bill wrong, chased us down the street, because they forgot to charge us for the brocolli! I really wish they have better waiting staff...<br/><br/>Just come for the chicken rice and you won't be disappointed. Wanting nice ambience or good service? Look elsewhere...

Nothing compared to what it used to be. New owners have taken over and the food is extremely overpriced, especially for what you get. Also poor service, only 2 tables occupied in the restaurant and the staff were just staring into space. Was difficult to get their attention. Used to be a regular customer.

First time to Kotaraya and very disappointed.. We came here on a Saturday night for a large family dinner. From the reviews I had read I was excited and happy to be dining here. We arrived here and were seated, my brother & his family arrived not long after & I asked them if they had been here. They said they had & they stopped coming because they had some issues with this restaurant. After waiting for almost an hour for our food, we grew very hungry & tired, with having a 1 year old waiting for food is not easy, we saw that many people who arrived after us received their food before us. The food was okay, the service was not great, it was hard to get a waiter/waitress to attend to us, Its also quite pricey. We almost finished our meal when 1 of our dishes didn't even come, I'm pretty sure they forgot & we had to ask for it many times. On top of slow & bad service they overcharged us on a few items but corrected it after we brought their attention to it. After my experience I was very unimpressed.

Consistently Amazing Food. My family and I have been eating at Kotaraya for over 3 years now and there's a reason we keep going back.<br/>The staff are always warm, friendly and inviting with great recommendations when needed. In addition, they will never rush diners, which is a trend I unfortunately seem to incur at most affordable asian restaurants. <br/>Finally, the food itself is always amazing. I actually don't recall a single instance when the food was subpar. Having lived in Malaysia for many years, we find their food to be comfortingly nostalgic and always a treat.<br/>I would definitely recommend Kotaraya to anyone in search for great Malaysian food.

Ordinary food

This places doesn’t seem like anything speical however its not the decor you should be concened with. Inside you find friendly staff and a warm owner greeting you at the door. I have only been here for lunch a few times however I was a bit confused with some of the Urbanspoon reviews..in fact this is contray to my experience which has always been good. But service is not what you come here for (although its good) its the Hainanese Chicken Rice. Although they say there is a fried and steamed the real chicken rice is steamed – the fried version is nice but steamed is better, much better. You will find the chicken is succulent and tender and the serving large. You will also find a freshly cooked sambol spinach to go with your chicken rice – highly recommended Although some reviewers seem at odds with the lack of other sauces the chilli sauce provided is really all you need. The dish is about $10 and overall I feel a great customer experience. There is nothing flash here you go there just

The rice is quite authentic, being cooked with garlic and chicken oil. Not to mention the yummy chicken rice chilli. I also like how they serve up big juicy pieces of chicken which is actually quite un-Singaporean!

 Whilst it was family style dining, the service staff were responsive and with a large table, we weren't made to feel like a hindrance, like in some family restaurants.  The cuisine has a more Malaysian and Nonya style influence which makes for a nice change from the usual Chinese restaurant offerings. Just to switch it up a bit, kiddo and some of her cousins wanted their opinions on the dishes represented in this post, so I did a Vox Pop of the children's opinions.  After all, being a family restaurant, whether the whole family enjoyed dining there or not is an important factor.

The rebranded Kotaraya (Tasty Dining) finally brought back the chicken soup that is traditionally served with Chicken Rice. I've been back several times for this weekend only dish and it never fails to satisfy. Lately the CKT has been too spicy for my liking, but they do a decent Singapore Noodle. Overall, this is a great place for a Malaysian foodie fix in the area.

Regulars on company occasions. As the the company is close to this restuarant, we'd order lunch meals from them time to time even had a few business dinners there, owner is very friendly and helpful, good roasted duck with plum sauce and green veggie curry!

This place is a regular spot for us in the weekends. We come for the hainanese chicken rice (available Fri-Sun) and also their char kuew teow, mee goreng, lorbak and sambal kang kong. Lunch specials are great value at $10.50 and serving sizes are good.

First visit to this restaurant and greatly impressed. Had dinner with special friends on Thursday evening and loved the food and the service.<br/>Extremely pleasant atmosphere, great service and the food was great. <br/>Plan to visit again soon.

Awesome Food. Really rate this restaurant. Been coming here since they first opened several years ago. Slightly strange location but have seen it get busier and busier over the years and there's a reason for it, really good authentic asian food and great service! I think some of the best asian food in Melb!

Great Food - Great Service. The food is absolutely delicious and authentic. Service is great no complaints at all on that front. <br/>I have been there now several times, taken friends and family and they all love it. A real hidden jewel.

Good all-round Hai-nan chicken dish. Kotaraya is an authentic hawker type Malaysian restaurant located in the South-eastern suburb. It reminded me of the trips I've made to Malaysia. While I was in the country, I set foot on an amazing gastronomical safari that had taken me from KL to Ip Poh, and from Penang to Sabah. Over the course of the journey, I only have positive feedback and fond memories of the local cuisine. Some of the unforgettable classic dishes include fried guai teo, curry laksa, assam laksa, Hai-nan chicken rice, bean-shoot chicken rice noodle, satay, and roti chenai. As such, it has absolutely changed the way I perceive Malaysian cuisine; all these mouth-watering dishes are simple and affordable street food that can be enjoyed by all walk of life. <br/><br/>Speaking of Hai-nan chicken rice, it is Kotaraya signature dish, many of the people that I know of have come and tried this popular dish and were raving it afterwards. I, myself have sampled on 3 or 4 occasions; however, the last time I was here...pretty much over a year a ago.<br/><br/>So why is Kotaraya's Hai-nan chicken rice so popular. Firstly, it is adhering to the authentic preparation (no short-cut or gimmick). The chicken thigh is poached and de-boned, where the meat is at the most desirably succulent level. The rice is cooked in chicken oil and chicken stock, absorbing all the flavour resulting in a soft, fluffy, and grainy texture. A mixture of light soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine pour over the chicken to accentuate the flavour. The dipping sauce vary, traditionally it consists of dice ginger, sesame oil and a touch of salt. But in Malaysia and Singapore, there is an addition of chilli paste as a dipping sauce. <br/><br/>Secondly, Hai-nan chicken rice is only available on Friday, and weekend. Each day, no more than a dozen orders are prepared; first in first served policy, unless you call earlier to pre-order. On a few occasions, I came specifically for the dish and was told it sold out. Though disappointed, at least I am confidence the rice and chicken are cooked on the day - where the quality of freshness is guaranteed. <br/><br/>Having tried the 100+ days kampong chicken (village chicken) in Malaysia, nothing could surpass it, and I will always use it as the benchmark. Why...the chicken flavour is more intense and gamy but retains that moist, tender and juiciness, probably the best chicken I've ever had. <br/><br/>CONCLUSION: Kotaraya delivered a good all-round Hai-nan chicken rice dish.<br/><br/>VERDICT: 7/10...I would recommend any Hai-nan chicken fans to give it a go.

Amazing every time thank u !!

Recommended by a friend. The service was rushed, the staff were not friendly and the food was tasteless. Recommended to me by a couple of people, but would not return.

Great food Sensational Service. From making my phone booking, receiving a confirmation call to check if we had any special needs/requests & table service our experience was exceptionally friendly and professional. <br/><br/>The food was delicious we had a several main dishes some off menu selected by our waiter, Honey Pepper Beef, Coconut Prawns, House Made Tofu, Roast Duck it was all sensational. <br/><br/>Will return!

Go for the Hainanese Chicken.. We have been here a few times and we only get the Hainanese Chicken. I have had only good experiences here and I have only been for lunch.<br/><br/>We also found they make a fresh sambol spinach which is amaze.<br/><br/>The chicken is well portoned and simple. Although this is a Malaysian themed place the serving reminds me of my days in Bangkok getting chicken rice off the street. No distractions just chicken rice and the chicken with sauce. <br/><br/>The chilli sauce is tastly. spicy perhaps too much for the typical aussie but I found it really nice - I ordered two!<br/><br/>The chicken itself is very juicy and there is a lot of it IMO. <br/><br/>The Service has always been good and very friendly. The owner in particular is very friendly and makes you want to go back. <br/><br/>Overall a good lunch spot for some street inspired Hainanese Chicken..<br/><br/>I will be back.

Ridiculous Rice!. Rice costs more than the actual dishes....the food is quite unique but the taste isn't the best....

Fantastic Asian cuisine on your doorstep. Firstly if anyone says that the customer service is bad at this restaurant they are Liars! The ratio of waiter to customer is incredible. So friendly and attentive you feel like you are a celeb. <br/>I ordered the banquet menu as I am very sheltered when it comes to trying something new, and typically order the same thing "to be safe." The Tom Yum soup was to die for, it had so much flavour that I thought I died and went to heaven and although I love "The river Kwai" (restaurant on centre rd) they give you nowhere near as much soup and charge you a fortune!! The entree was delicious, but then when the main came out it was on, Prawns, Beef curry, Hin Apan chicken, each dish cooked to perfection and the flavours all complimented each other like fireworks in you mouth!! To end the night lychees with ice cream. <br/>For $60 for a couple and drinks at a standard price I highly recommend this Gem of a restaurant. :)

Wanted to try their Hainanese chicken rice which I am told is served only on Friday and weekends. The chicken was good but came without a bowl of chicken broth ,only 2 bite size pieces of lettuce, rice and a chilli dipping sauce. Mmmmm for $10.80 you would expect a lot better than what was mentioned. Had the whole shabang for less at other establishments and tasted just as good if not better -That is chicken, rice, lettuce, cucumber, with 3 dipping sauces, chilli, soya and ginger. First and last visit

Excellent customer service very attentive and cheerful.. Food was really really great worth the high price you pay it was delish and fresh.. Though a little reno/refurbishing would be highly revommended but who cares good service with good food .. Great night. Thanks guys :)

Good food but the portions were small and does not represent good value for money. <br/><br/>It's quite pricey too as a small bowl of steamed rice cost $2. <br/><br/>We ended up paying a dish's price just for rice which supposes to be an integral part of Malaysian cuisine.

Yam basket and chicken rice. This is the only place In Melbourne that I know of that serves authentic Yam Basket. The Yam Basket with garlic pork or Kung po chicken is mandatory when dining here. We had the Yam basket with pork and also ordered their famous and delicious chicken rice which is only available during the weekends. The chicken is boneless too! Service is efficient and friendly.

Good food and even better service. The host and all staff are awesome and very hospitable. Strongly recommended!!!

Great food with with many choices. Service with Allan is outstanding good atmosphere

First the positives. The service was great - friendly and fast. They were very accommodating to children.<br/><br/>We ordered 3 meals and they were unfortunately all a bit disappointing. The quality of the meat in the satay beef was lacking while the vege curry laksa and mee goreng (ordered without chilli) were both lacking flavour.<br/><br/>Based on the great service I really hoped the food would impress but I ultimately left disappointed and unlikely to return.

Must have new owners . Food used to be nice flavoursome and plentiful. Now very small serves smaller takeaway containers and tasteless food . $24 for tasteless fried rice with 2 prawns some veg and not much else and 6 small pieces of chicken in a very oily curry . Disgusting never again !!! Won't be back

'oh halllow' Easy local. .... 'oh halllow'<br/>Easy local. <br/>Family friendly so if you don't like kids steer away. <br/>The host is devine and tables are generous in size (shame it's not a breakfast place!)

What a pleasure. Every time we have eaten in this restaurant ,we know it is going to be enjoyable.The service is fantastic ,and the food is always a taste sensation.Have taken friends and recommended people,to dine there knowing there will be something on menu to please everyone.

Nice food but service.... Ok the food is nice but nothing special. And the cuisine is bit confusing. Its a whole range of asian cultures - not sure what they are trying to achieve as its confusing to read the menu. But the negative part of the experience was the staff. Service is limited and the staff were unfriendly they portrayed as though they didn't want to be here. Think they should employ more experience staff not students...

What a gem of a place.

Great local Asian drop in. One of Melbourne's best laksas. Simple and new fit out. Service always friendly especially guy with extremely short hair, probably owner/ manager.

Secret Affair. I've been to this branch of the Kotaraya restaurant countless time since they first opened in Clayton (more than 3 years ago at least) and till they move to Oakleigh. What I loved about this restaurant is the service and of course their food. I would be ordering for lunch usually their Hainanese Chicken Rice (Friday and weekends only). The Chicken spare rib on rice is also great for some simplicity and its tasty. The Indian Mee Goreng is also one of my favorites there. Now to dinner menu, I would order the Nyonya Chicken (A must, signature dish of this restaurant), Coconut Butter Prawn, Malay Kangkung, Kungpao Pork ribs, and the Twin Tower fried whole fish. The host Alan is a friendly guy who makes you feel like you're the only customer. I remember he always let me in to have lunch even though I was coming in so late at 3pm to have my lunch. That's special service you cant expect every restaurant to do for you.. The most important thing about the restaurant that stood out is great service, speed of delivery, consistency in quality and taste of food.

Wonderful Malayasian. This is a great place for dining with a group of friends or just a table for two. We went there on the hottest night ( 36C) with a group to celebrate a birthday. The restaurant air conditioning was perfect and the water was constantly topped up.<br/>The staff are really friendly, they didnt rush us but were so attentative. Seven of us had variety of entrees, love the seafood , the satay sticks and sauce is fantastic. We all loved the beef rendang and roti which is so fresh. The staff let me take a ice cream cake in earlier to store in their coolroom and came out with the cake with candles singing. We all had a wonderful night only cost us $32 a head.

One of the best Malaysian restaurants so far for its Assam fish, Sambal dishes and award winning coconut prawns. Despite great customer service, one downer is that none of the waiters are allowed to take orders; only the boss or one other person is allowed. So when it gets busy, you really have to wonder why they don't train the other waiters

Service very slow & scattered. Ordered all food at 6:40pm and food arrived over an hour later. Had to ask for prawn crackers three times, and soy sauce twice. Tasty food, and well priced but is it worth the aggravation.

Delish food. Went here for Father's Day dinner on Saturday night from a friend's recommendation - full crowd, lively/loud atmosphere, exceptional menu choices, great value for money. Definitely will go again. Make sure you book.

Spacious, good food, friendly service. Chicken rice is good.

Friendly service and good food. First time came to this restaurant was about 10 years ago when their shop is still at blackburn road, fast forward since I work nearby the area this has been my favourite place to grab a quick tasty lunch as well as nice family friendly dinner. One of the person who works there even know me by name since he knew I came quite often and plus I have been bringing my family and in law to visit this restaurant, they are both very impressed with the level of customer service and food. <br/><br/>Their special is their hainanese chicken which only served on Friday and Saturday I believe, oh also try their "roasted hainanese chicken". I love their nasi goreng which I always tell them to make my version veryy Spicy and they never dissapoint. Another which I love is their Sambal Combination vegetable which has egg plant, green beans and okra which is tasty and healthy. Their Laksa also not too bad as well as their char hor fun mmm Yumm!<br/><br/>All in all I understand they may not have much option in their menu, but if you willing to ask I believe they do always have their "specials" which is not on the menu.

Absolutely fantastic! Friendly service and amazing food. Pre-order the "Twin tower" for something sensational.

Best food + good service. Very nice food and friendly service. Have to book in advance Fri and Sat nights. Kid friendly.

Very nice & friendly customer service. However, when i want to order hainamese chicken rice, they said it sold out even it was 12pm. So i ordered nasi lemak & it was very ordinary & plain. Size of serve was bit small.

First, let me start off by saying I was completely impressed by the look of the HCR as soon as it hit the table... WOW. Just from the looks of it I could tell it was going to be good. And good, it was. Was my friend right when he said it was silky? YES, HE WAS. The poached chicken had that silky, smooth gelatinous skin with a slightly firm and chewy texture to the meat and the delectable sauce at the bottom to go with it.