Should I book: Ish
10 Feb 2023
10 Feb 2023
Asian Fusion restaurants that Melbournians love
Asian Fusion fans will know that it is characterised by combining flavours and cooking techniques that are distinctly Asian. So whether you are already a fan of Asian Fusion cuisine, or are yet to try but are curious, then these eight venues will provide you with a fabulous culinary experience.
Bang Bang dishes up Hawker-style Asian Street Food.
Their Sydney Rock Oysters get a twist with the addition of lychee granita, and the raw Kingfish combines coconut with Japanese yuzu fruit.
The Crispy Fried Sichaun Eggplant fuses shallots with mixed Asian herbs, and the Tofu comes served with ‘red dragon’ sauce and sesame kewpie.
Bang Bang mixes up some rocking cocktails too. Sample the Green Chilli Margarita for the ultimate Asian Fusion tipple – it’s tequila, cointreau, green chilli, sugar and lime.
What should you have at Bang Bang? Dish Cult recommends the $32 Sticky Korean Beef Short Rib with radish.
At Bambu Asian Eating House, the servings are generous to say the least.
‘Smaller’ plates at Bambu offer their take on Tuna Tartare, combining tuna with lemongrass, lime leaf, and watermelon. For something larger, try the BBQ salmon fillet with coconut chilli marinade and mango salsa.
Bambu’s lunch and dinner menu offers a good choice of dumplings and buns (we like the fried vegetable dumplings with sweet Japanese mayo), plus heaps of rice and noodle dishes, curries (the chickpea curry has a distinctly Indian vibe), and salads.
What should be in your order at Bambu? Dish Cult recommends the Prawn Toast with paratha, sesame, curry leaf and sriracha mayo.
Jamu invites diners to feast on Malay-inspired Asian Fusion dishes.
It would be hard to say no to trying the cheeseburger spring roll, made with Wagyu beef. The fried cauliflower has a sugar glaze and sesame crumb, fusing South-East Asian and Japanese flavours. The roasted free-range chicken is flavored with coriander, cumin, lemon and honey. Dessert lovers will appreciate the sago pudding with its fruity tang (mango, lychee and passionfruit.)
Jamu does a bottomless brunch too, if you can’t wait until dinner time to get your Asian Fusion fix.
What should you order at Jamu? Dish Cult recommends the $22 Seasonal Vegetable Lodeh Curry with coriander salsa.
Seamstress has an a la carte, banquet, light dinner, and canape menu so you can dine here according to appetite.
Their Spring a la carte menu will see you enjoying sweet potato and snake bean poached wontons with a green pea puree and chilli oil, pork and chicken money bag dumplings with chilli oil and vinegar, or scallop sashimi with avocado creme fraiche and shaved fennel orange gel.
From Seamstress’ cocktail list, order the intriguingly named ‘Blood & Thorn’ – it has a little bit of everything.
Seamstress’s $20 Crispy Pork Belly with red dragon sauce, peanuts, cashews and mint salad (medium-sized serve) gets Dish Cult’s recommendation.
Rice Paper Scissors
Asian Fusion
Image credit Rice Paper Scissors
Two Aussie blokes started Rice Paper Scissors after going on a foodie’s journey throughout Asia. The result is a fusion of Thai, Vietnamese and Singaporean flavours.
For $45 per person, you can order five dishes (lunch or dinner) to share. For this price you get rice in the house.
You could split the Thai fried chicken, the suckling pig steamed buns, the sugar cane prawns, the Kingfish crackers, or the prawn and green mango salad, to name a few.
You’ll want to check out the $17 Crying Tiger (chargrilled beef brisket with a spicy citrus dipping sauce) at Rice Paper Scissors.
This Oriental diner and bar has a great vegan tasting menu, which for $55 per person will see you enjoying six dishes of Asian Fusion goodness.
Things start off with a vegan salmon dish with Nam Jim, coconut yoghurt and Thai basil. The next course is ‘KFCF’, which is Rice Queen’s cauliflowered take on fried chicken. Things move on to some sweet and sour eggplant, Saigon noodle salad (with vegan chicken), and a Thai yellow curry with roti and rice. Then there is a housemade sorbet to finish your vegan feast.
If you are on the wagon, order the No-Jito (apple, mint, lime and blueberry pearls), or an Escape (pineapple, coconut cream and black sesame.)
Diners will find South-East Asian Street Food on the menu at Gingerboy, which has been creating Asian Fusion dishes since 2006.
You and your friends can go for the Banquet menu here, otherwise order dishes from the cold bar, snacks and street food list, shared dishes, or vegetarian offerings.
The cold bar features fresh chilled oysters, Kingfish sashimi, spanner crab and cuttlefish buns, and spiced beef tartare. Snacks and street foods here include tempura soft shell crab with spiced honey, kewpie and Vietnamese mint, oyster mushroom, tofu and garlic chive wontons in Bang Bang sauce, or salt and pepper chicken spare ribs. Or, a tasty shared plate of barramundi and prawn sambal, Burmese style, is sure to please.
Check out Gingerboy’s $49 Thai Red Duck Leg Curry with shallots, hot and sour salad and coconut cream at your next trip there.
The seasonal menu at Lucy Liu’s wants diners to experience a kaleidoscope of cultures and flavours when they order from their seasonal menu.
Try the drunken chicken with Chinese wine and green onion, the short rib Rendang with turmeric pickles and Jasmine rice, the pork hock with apple kimchi pancakes and hoisin, or for vegetarians, the Sri Lankan dhal with pickle and coconut sambal.
From Lucy’s drinks menu, you could try the Haku Ringo, a cocktail which blends Japanese rice vodka, dry sherry, Grand Marnier, apple and honey. The Floating Market will entice vodka lovers, with its mix of rosemary-infused vodka, apple, pear, lemon and lime.
Lucy Liu’s $39 Steamed Cod with Water Spinach and Sesame Oil is an impressive dish to check out.
