Sunda

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

Incredible fine dining experience. Great flavors of south East Asian foods and local Australian cuisine. Oysters were really good as part of appetizer. Highly recommend if you’re thinking about going there.

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.

What a great dining experience in Melbourne! Like the other reviews have stated, all the snacks were delicious but the oysters are a must. We got the egg noodles as an addition which complimented the barramundi and chicken well. The staff were very friendly and provided excellent service. They also serve a really smooth margarita.Recommended dishesRock Oyster Coconut Curry Vinaigrette Shallot Tasmanian Pepper Leaf, Otak Otak Spanner Crab Curry Finger Lime Rice Crisps

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

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 don't write reviews, I've been lucky enough to eat at all the best restaurants in Melbourne over the years pre lockdown, but I felt this is worthy.....Little sister was in town so I got an invite, 7 of us the biggest group, food was just amazing, we had everything on the menu and the service was impeccable. Highly recommend this establishment, it's not pretentious, the architecture is something to see. Added a few pics no specific order but an indicator of how refined our 4+ hrs of being spoilt was. I don't feel the need to say anything negative as alot of reviewers do, because it's about positives IMO.

ORDERED: Sunda $130pp 4 courses SNACKS   Oyster, coconut curry cinaigreete, shallot, pepperleaf   Carrot, macadamia satay, sunflower, kakadu plum Caramelised trout, green papaya, muntries, prawn cracker   'Otak Otak', spanner crab curry, finger lime, rice crisp +   Buttermilk roti, our vegemite curry $20.00 ENTREE Cassava congee, roasted chicken, pepperberry, smoked yolk, caviar Hiramasa kingfish, green apple, river mint, starfruit MAIN   Humpty doo barramundi, pumpkin, sunrise lime, red grapes Bannockburn chicken, thai sausage, gai lan, lemon aspen with   gem lettuce, blood lime, shallot, nasturtium DESSERT Our take on pavlova, lychee, pandan, pepperberry icecream REVIEW: Entrees were definitely my favourite. It features my favourite dish from the night: otak otak, spanner crab curry which can be spread on the rice crisp which as sprinkles of nori at the bottom. Spanner crab is usually a muted flavour, and to get it with such depth and with a refreshing bite is a joy. Extremely enjoyed this. Cassava congee was my least favourite. Instead of the rice grains that I'm used to, it's more of a congealed glutinous flour form which my brain interprets as sloppy. Although the savoury flavours and crunchy texture is there, it wasn't enough for me to get past that mental hurdle. My friend loved it though! The Hiramasa kingfish I kept and enjoyed. Really refreshing flavour and great fun to mix it all up. Mains were the most disappointing for me. Don't get me wrong - it's still great but just a let down compared all the amazing food we had earlier. The humpty doo barramundi I would love, if the skin was crispier. For the finale, the dessert was great. We both love the overflowing sweet pandan flavour, and the subtle neutral taste of the pepperberry icecream. We both agreed that we could've gone without the pavlova aspect - but I think that's just our personal preference haha. Service was friendly, and were timely in serving our food. The tables are communal, but there's enough space between you and the diners next to you so it doesn't feel like they're intruding on your space. Khanh Nguyen does it again - so far I've enjoyed both his works in Sunda and Aru.