Came here for dinner for the first time by recommendation! I booked ahead and they were very flexible when I changed my reservation time. It’s a very beautiful space and looks like a fine dining institution from the outside. The drinks and food we ordered were truly divine! Ordered the chicken Pho, pork spring rolls, pad thai and the veggie green curry with coconut rice and finished off with some Vietnamese coffees. All the authentic Vietnamese flavours were there which we were happy about. Super tasty and generous portions and great value for money. The staff were friendly and attentive. Will definitely be back to try the breakfast menu. Must try if you’re in the area!
Excellent salt and pepper squid. Excellent friendly service
Nice to have a place so close to home that serves
Great food , great coffee, great service and reasonably priced.
Can’t go passed the Asian omelet.
Will definitely be going there again.
Our dinner and dessert was really nice! We ordered pad see ew and creme brulee. I definitely reccomend it and its really easy to get to with public transport.
Chumanchu!!
Awesome place and vibe
People here are professional and food arrived quickly. It’s very quiet though. Not sure what they are like during their busy times.
I ordered the Thai Green Chicken Curry
It’s the best I’ve ever had!
Large portion, perfect balance, sauce consistency 👌🏾
And the coconut rice is the bomb.
Always excellent... consistent.... tasty.... and why would we go anywhere else.
Great meal, the menu appears to be authentic and there’s something there for everyone.
Chumanchu tucked away in its local spot of Preston stands out from above the rest. The industrial interior with a soft Asian feel to it and the Pan Asian mix of Vietnamese and Thai flavours are shown from the menu. Breakfast items are available as well with eggs and omelettes but their Pad Thai and Banh Cuon are standout items for the lunch/dinner. Not to mention coffees are always consistent using Dukes beans. Would absolutely recommend this to anyone.
I really liked the interior design and the ambience of this place. Beautifully decorated and is perfect for a Sunday night out when all you just want is a relaxing place to be. Food was spot on. We had the banh xeo, pad Thai and salt and pepper squid. Out of these the salt and pepper squid really stood out. The batter was perfectly seasoned and the squid was fresh, not too tender.
A little bit cafe, a little bit Vietnamese, a little bit of everything on the menu. Coffee is great. Brunch is tasty, and the pho is the legit real deal. It’s a west Preston stalwart that we’re happy to have around.
Fast and fresh Vietnamese food with a flair. Have eaten here many times and love trying new things- have never been disappointed. Will continue to come here for great food
I had four courses with my family could not fault one dish. The fried fish on a bed of seafood fried rice was out of this world. Best lunch I have had all year. Couldn't recommend it more. You will not regret it!
My boyfriend and I have lived near here for months and are kicking ourselves we left it so long. Great food! Pretty good service. We will definitely be back.
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Enticed by a friend of ours who posted a delicious photo of the barramundi dish that we had to have, and so we did. Located at the round about of Gilbert Road in Preston, Chumanchu delivers in all aspects of a foodies expectations. Warm elegance combined with hipster under tones and hints of Asian culture sprinkled throughout its interior decor. Spacious yet cozy, its presentation along with the hospitality of its owners provides a great introduction into what we could expect from the food.
The menu combines Vietnamese, Indonesian and Japanese cuisines which all seem to be as delicious as the last however we must say, the portions of the dishes were enormous and definitely should be devoured by a minimum of 2 or 3 people instead of ordering individual mains. It is definitely a case of "bang for your buck" here at Chumanchu as the quality of the ingredients and portion size is most definitely worth the money you have paid for the dish.
For our dining experience, we ordered the white bait for an entree and honestly could have been very happy with having just that as it was deliciously crispy and seasoned just right. This along with the baby Barramundi we ordered which was not on the menu but can be asked for so just ask the waiters. We also tried the seafood Mee Goreng $21.0 which hit the spot although, since the servings were so big, we ended up just taking it away and having it for lunch the next day. We couldn't not try the desserts here so we ordered the warm black sticky rice $13.0 and sticky date pudding $14.0 and boy were they delicious. So much so we didn't leave any left overs. In total including a couple of lemonades, the bill came to around $103.0 which we felt was fair based on the food and experience we had and definitely will be visiting here again.
One very noticable attribute that we hadn't mentioned yet was that the staff seem to genuinely like to work there and take pleasure in doing so. We think it's a very important part of the service industry and Chumanchu have clearly chosen very carefully as to whom they have chosen to represent them on the floor.
If there is any criticism of this place, it would have to be its location as it's right on the corner of a roundabout about with off street parking about 20-30 meters away but is that really an issue? No.
We'll definitely be back here and will probably try out the breakfast menu too but till next time, this is Our Foodie Find.
This is a regular haunt for breakfast because the food is tasty and consistent, meals are very generous and staff are friendly. Recommend for a relaxed weekend brunch.
Delicious food and friendly staff. The nasi goreng didn't have a traditional fried egg on top however it tasted delicious and I forgot it even needed the egg.
Try their house chilli paste too which you have to ask for.
Great local find!!
Went there last night for a late dinner. The waitress was so friendly and helpful, and organised exactly what I was after, making sure it was gluten free. Such nice service.
Just yum! Been coming to Chumanchu for the past year! Never ever have we been disapointed! Always welcomed with beautiful smiles & friendly staff.
The food is always on point! My favourite is definitely the seafood Laksa�well done Martin & team x
I ate here last night. The portions are generous and the vegetarian options are good. Friendly and informed staff. Nice ambience. Would definitely revisit to try out more of the veggie options.
Chumanchu is a pretty cool place, stylish and modern. Perfect joint for a local hang out. Staff is nice and welcoming. Loved the food, tasty and not too spicy. Will definitely go back!
Went here for lunch today. Food served were both fresh and full of flavour. Service is superb and very attentive. Overall it was a very satisfying lunch and would definitely come back for more.
It happened. ToFeedTwo hit up #CHUmanCHU! This is a hidden, stylish and cute restaurant tucked away in Thornbury - and dishes up some good Viet. Varied menu & a relaxed vibe.
For entree we had the Banh Cuon (Crepes with Pork filling). These were nice, but perhaps lacked some flavour. The classic Viet flavour was brought to life in our main dishes - Curried Chicken & Lemongrass and Curried Beef & Lemongrass Buns with added Vegetarian Spring Rolls. All very nice but unfortunately when you CHU on a piece of plastic in your mouth from your Bun... Chu Man, you have to lose some points.
Would return - one of us had been here previously with colleagues and believe the other dishes on the menu might be their strengths (Nasi, Curries etc.) Defs worth a go though 😃
Great space. We were asked for a coffee within seconds of sitting down. Coffee was yummy. Loved the fusion menu. I went there for a business meeting brunch. I had the mushroom dish and added a poached egg. I also asked for gluten free bread instead of the sourdough - easy done. My friend had the smashed avocado. The meals were DELICIOUS! Mushrooms were insanely tasty and the Asian flourish and use of different varietals really elevated the dish. Being a Wednesday morning it wasn't too busy but we were given the attention we needed. I will definitely be back .Look out for the cherry blossom fresco (or wallpaper?) :)
I loved it,
The sizes were incredibly big but that is better than to small and they let us take our left over food home. The dumplings were silo good along with the pad Thai. The staff were very friendly and helpful even though it was packed full. And the wall paper was so pretty.
Ample space, good set up for the restaurant. Was fairly busy for a Wednesday night. Biggest let down was service, definitely needed more wait staff and always had to initiate an interaction of service. But food was great, would definitely be categorised as Asian fusion. None the less very delicious. Plenty of gluten free options which is really great for coeliacs. Would recommend the wagyu beef pho and beef curry. Would definitely come back
***Change of rating. On another visit, the service has definitely changed, the service was prompt and very friendly. Definitely a better experience this time. Flavours really showed more Asian influences and was really great.
Tasty Vietnamese brunch place! What a local gem!
It's rare to find a brunch place that takes on Vietnamese cuisine but here we have Chumanchu which does an excellent job.
Luke tried the Banh Mi Xiu Mai (4/5 points - Meat balls and sour dough) which was delicious. The meat balls were packed with pieces of fat and onion, dipping in a flavoursome tomato sauce. The egg went well with the dish and the toasted sour dough provided some needed carb anf crunchiness. The sauce was not too sweet or salty while the balls were well marinated and were able to hold moisture inside.
Hannah ordered the Mi Goreng (fried noodles - 4/5) and it was also yum! The noodles smooth, firm and were not oily or too salty while the prawns included were fresh, big, and tasty.
We also grabbed a glass of Vietnamese coffee and it was on point - sweet, strong, and milky.
Service was polite, price was slightly cheaper than average - Happy brunchers!
Have come here several times over a few years. Food and service were excellent. We shared chicken ribs, salt n pepper squid, spring rolls, ban xeo and pad see ew. All were terrific but ban xeo was the stand out. Followed up with dessert creams brûlée was yum. Great to know we have this little gem in the neighbourhood.
We had a great meal here. Service and food was excellent. Had a Malaysian style laksa that was deliciously spicy. I'll be coming back soon..
This place serves reasonable servings and has a variety of food to choose from! They serve up your standard breakfast variety such as toast, fritters, porridge, avo etc but also whip up your familiar asian food such as jap pancakes (okonomiyaki), Viet pancakes (banh xeo), Thai chicken padsew/pad thai, curry laksa AND a variety of asian fusion desserts :-) It was nice to have discovered this place on Good Friday because all my usual brunch hotspots were closed. This is a great place to bring a group of friends who eat different kinds of "brunch" and the space is very accomodating. I will definitely be popping by more often!
Good looking cafe inside
Good food, fresh and healthy. Coffee are nice but a bit small. Plenty of variety and choices. Poached eggs on toast with bacon have been a hit the few times we have gone
Staff are friendly and nice
To die for, highly recommend the thit kho, Thai green curry, vegetarian delight and kimchi. However, pass on their espresso martinis and their duck rice paper rolls
Came here for the first time tonight & was impressed. Had a delicious Vietnamese pancake (vegetarian). Will definitely return to sample other things on the menu.
Great range of delicious Asian influenced cafe food. The house made beans and Asian meatballs are awesome. Service can be a bit variable, but this is probably the best on Gilbert Rd.
Very awesome Vietnamese food here. The music is great. They were playing some old school rnb the first time i came here. The Vietnamese pancake is superb. It's almost as good as my mums. The ingredients used are excellent but you have to pay a bit more compared to other Vietnamese restaurants.
Great little clean restaurant. Decor is cosy and has been well thought out. Food is fresh and delicious. You do need to book. Wait service is friendly. I thought the corkage however was too high for this type of place.
This restaurant is one of my favourites and never fails to dissapoint!
The only problem is the Bo Luc Lac dish is so good that I order it every single time which means I never get to try all the other great dishes I'm sure they make, but that's ok there's nothing wrong with being too goood!
Highly recommend
Yum yum once again. My companion was reluctant to come here i dont know why other than it was more expensive than High St Preston. Anyway we shared the mussels in lemongrass, chilli and ginger. They were delicious i would have loved some steamed rice to mix into the soup. This would have bern a meal in itself. I've been dying to try the pork and prawn pancake it did not disapoint. I dont know i guess you get what you pay for in the end and I'd rather pay more than less and eat a more enjoyable meal.
Definitely worth a visit. Have enjoyed every dish I've tried here .. and there's been many.. Accessibility would be tricky for a wheelchair user.
We had quail, pork fried dumplings and Nasi goreng. Nasi goreng was quite good and perfect in terms of spices, quail was cooked just right was too tender to the point that it was just melting in the mouth, dumplings were deep fried and hence oily however the meat was good. Would come back again to try other dishes. It's a nice looking place in preston and service was great. They sell low carb Asahi which my partner quite enjoyed.
Started with the satay chicken, the satay sauce wasn't too sweet as most places make it, which was good. The other entrée was the chicken ribs, which didn't disappoint either. For mains we had the pork belly and the barramundi. The barramundi was kind of a let down, skin wasn't crispy enough and the watercress came in clusters resembling tree branches. Price to serving size is also good. Overall, worth coming back and maybe try their breakfast too. Annie Lu
I am happy w the dishes I ordered. Satay chicken, the chicken is tasty even without the yummy satay sauce. Fried chicken ribs are better than gami's chicken. The sweet chilli sauce is so good! The pork belly is very tender w the right sweetness, and the only dish that missed the mark is the barramundi, the skin is not that crispy and fish is a little bit over cooked. Victor Cheng
First experience and will defiantly go back. Went for brunch and had the smashed avocado with poached eggs and added feta, it went well with my mimosa! Great atmosphere and can't wait to come back for dinner!
We visited Saturday night and were warmly greeted. Large industrial feel - very funky. After a shaky start - waiters very inattentive (considering there were only was only a handful of diners present) & were advised of an $10 corkage. Food definitely redeemed the night. It was delicious. We had the Steamed Crepe, curry & Pad Thai. Within the hr the place was packed & the service improved...go figure. Would highly recommend :)
Had brunch at Chumanchu with my partner and some friends. Quite a nice little cafe on Gilbert Road. Our friends had a two year old and the cafe was child friendly and accommodating. My skinny latte was very nice, quite creamy. We ordered two sets of bacon and eggs, a zucchini fritters and a smashed avocado. They were totally open to me changing my bacon for mushrooms and my meal was perfect . Food was delicious, although the bacon was a bit too fatty. Efpos was not working, which mean we had to find enough cash to pay our $75 bill. Friendly service. Will be back.
Went here for breakfast and had the smashed avocado eggs which were delicious and a yummy hot chocolate. The pancakes were nice but not great and the service was ok not great!
Fantastic food and service. Was there with a large group of people and every dish that was brought out looked great. Will definitely be back here!
Dinner at Chumanchu Preston last night with friends and my wife, the meal, service and company was fantastic. Hidden gem in an unlikely place. The food was excellent. We will be back!
An flawless night!
Came here for dats nught, and was rewarded with some of the best food I've eaten in Melbourne.
Highlight would have to be the shredded duck rice paper rolls, with the sticky date pudding as a close second.
Staff were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Guaranteed to leave with a full belly and a smile on your face.
You CANNOT go past this dish! Sweet corn and zucchini fritters with avocado mash, spinach and bacon! TO DIE FOR! Wait staff are friendly and helpful too.
This Asian fusion brunch joint is a gem. We lived close by and would always pop around for the great value big breakfast and the tasty homemade beans. A fresh take on traditional breakfast, definitely worth a look.
This place is by far one of my favourite places. The food is outstanding, making it a 5 out of 5 for me. Fumanchu has a quirky nice deco as well as friendly staff. Must try.
Beautiful decor, so much to look at really well done. Love the doors as you enter very art deco. Menu is average. Wine list is pretty good. The fried chicken ribs for entrée are delicious. The duck salad for main is interesting when it's good it's really good but on occasion it can be too sweet. Be prepared it does have jack fruit which I love. Pad Thai is superb. Service is great and wait staff always accommodating and friendly.
Have been here many times. The menu is incredibly diverse and the staff are very helpful when it comes to recommendations. I'm not usually the biggest fan of fusion cuisine but chumanchu keeps us back for more.
coffee is awesome and great menu with delish options and a reasonable price. love coming here for breaky or dinner! can't say enough good stuff about them.
First time here. Fines sat nite with family. Nice setup. We were greeted and seated straight away without booking.food was of high quality and the service was good. Loved the squid and chicken ribs entree. A lot of colour, flavor and fast. Recommend the pork main. These guys are on the ball
This is a great find with a delicious and tasty modern Vietnamese menu. Some tasty options and loads of great choices. Warm and inviting with friendly service.
Moni | Thoughts Of A Moni
+3.5
This is a great place for breakfast (and they do dinner too!) with some really interesting options. They have the standard breakfast offerings, but they also have a lot of Asian fusion dishes. The mushrooms on toast done Asian style is my favourite!
We got a serve of the pork banh cuon (2 pieces for $11.00) which were as delicious as I remembered them being last time, and every bit as good as the ones I ate in Vietnam. Delicate steamed rice “crepes” nestled on a bed of bean sprouts, filled with tasty pork, and covered in deep fried shallots. Order these, they’re great.
Very consistant!. This little gem has never let us down, always the 'go to' if family comes to visit. The staff are always amazing, except for one loser that thought he was brad pitt and wouldnt stop trying to make eye contact with my girlfriend.
But the chefs speak from the kitchen, and that green curry is seriously out of this world! We have gone across the whole menu and havent been dissapointed
I love coming here. Great service, great food, great coffee.
Great green curry chicken!. We've been to this restaurant a couple of times now and have also ordered takeaway of their green curry chicken, we love it! There are plenty of veggies, a good amount of chicken and the perfect balance of flavours. It's a great big serve so when we eat in and order other things to go with it often don't finish it, if you get it on its own as takeaway it's the perfect size and still quite generous for two people. We also love their chicken satay skewers, the sauce has a real bite to it, I'm also a fan of the inside of their dumplings but wish they were steamed or pan fried as opposed to deep fried, it makes the outside a little dry. We've also had the broken rice with lamb chop before and that was great too! The service is fantastic, the venue really funky, you pay a bit more for it than your cheap and cheerful Thai restaurants but it's worth it for a nice night out!
Taken the mantle from pearl oyster for asian fusion brekky and brunch. Wonderful range on their menu and beautiful presentation of food.
As a fan of this Japanese food, I couldn’t go past the Japanese Okonomiyaki Pancakes ($17, above) from the ‘Something Different’ menu. It comes with shredded cabbage and peas inside the pancakes and is served with house cured salmon and wasabi mayo.
Amazing. Love this place its fresh and service is great. Food is awesome and alternative, great modern twist. My favorite is the Chicken Pad Thai. Owners always remember us and come by to say hi. It's pretty important to be interactive with your clients and these guys are. 4/5 well done guys
New favourite brunch spot...love the fusion of Asian and western cuisine. Generous portions, fresh ingredients and a lovely melody of flavours. My friend enjoyed the candied bacon with poached egg and smashed avocado, while I had the Japanese pancake with smoked salmon and a strong, sweet Vietnamese coffee. Definately want to return to work my way through the menu.
#halal suitable
We just turned-up to this place to satisfy our Vietnamese cravings and gald we did. First of all, the service is top notch. The food is yum. We ordered egg plant, dumplings and pad thai. Portions are big and they serve halal suitable. Look no further if you are into authentic Vietnamese cuisine.
First time to have dine in at Chumanchu…By far the best Wagyu beef pho soup ever ! We enjoyed the soup and best are the Banana Fritters and Dates pudding! Needs to make a booking do avoid disappointment… but I called an hour before we went and still got a table… the waitresses are so kind. I think the owner was there too watching his costumers enjoy their meals!!!
This would have to be one of the best restaurants in the northern suburbs. Their food is consistently incredible. They can accommodate intimate dinning to families and large groups. Wonderful people and service. Their chicken chani is the bomb.
First impressions were great. Great quality Asian inspired quisine. Good wine selection. I had the pad Thai, which was excellent and authentic. The salt and pepper squid was also superb and so very tender. I look forward to returning and trying more dishes.
Great menu of Vietnamese and Thai food. Combination of small and big plates to share or eat individually.
Really good Asian food, good size serves. With brunch options available till 4 pm.
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