Red Hot Wok

Whenever we feel like some Malaysian Chinese dishes, we head to Red Wok in South Yarra to get our fix. We usually order three dishes to share and this time was no exception. We had:

Sambal kangkung - our go to vegetable dish. Slightly spicy, the water convolvulus is cooked perfectly with just the right amount of seasoning.

Flaky tofu - deliciously soft egg tofu with a light soy dressing.

Salted egg chicken ribs - chicken ribs are popular everywhere right now. The seasoning on this is just right; slight saltiness from the salted egg granules, the taste is reminiscent of butter prawns as there is the addition of curry leaves as well. Juicy, crispy goodness.

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Type of venue: Chinese,  Malaysian

Worth a return visit? Yes

Address: 313 Toorak Road, South Yarra VIC 3141

Laksa King

Laksa King is a popular Malaysian restaurant located in Flemington. We have been here countless times and normally order the noodle dishes like the chicken laksa, char kway teow and fish head noodle soup. Laksa King doesn't disappoint and it is evident by the huge crowds it attracts. Plenty of on street parking makes it an attractive option as well. This time we had:

Fish head noodle soup - very much like the original version you would get in Malaysia, it comes with generous servings of fish head, tofu, pickled cabbage and rice vermicelli noodles. The broth is what makes this a standout; perfectly seasoned, milky and delicious.

Belachan kangkong - again, a very good version of what you would find in Malaysia. The belachan adds a nice flavour and kick to the water convolvulus. Well seasoned, it is crunchy and you definitely won't miss the "wok hei" in this dish.

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Type of venue: Malaysian, Chinese

Worth a return visit? Yes. 

Address: 6-12 Pin Oak Crescent, Flemington VIC 3031

SugarBun

Mr. GastronomicGems grew up in Kuching and Sugarbun was the McDonald's of his childhood.  He was super excited when they opened here in Melbourne and we have been here many times. On our most recent visit, they had a new looking menu and also introduced a loyalty card program. We had:

Dry bak kut teh - sizzling and smoky! Herbal pork ribs, belly, meat-balls, okra and lotus roots. This dish is always delicious. You get a bowl of the bak kut teh soup on the side so the best of both worlds really. The extra pork offal always does the trick. We feel it is the best version of bak kut teh outside of Malaysia.

Oxtail with spicy and sour sauce served with coconut rice - a new menu item, the oxtail is cooked really well, falling off the bone and meltingly soft. The sauce had a little kick and  was very tasty indeed. Good to try for something different especially if you eat here quite often like we do!

Three layer tea - served cold, this is one of our favourite drinks on the menu. Good and strong tea flavour, great to have on a hot day.

Pear and fungus - house-made drink, it is cooling and refreshing. The ingredients are quite generous and can almost be had as a dessert.

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Type of venue: Asian, Sarawakian, Malaysian

Worth a return visit? Yes.

Address: 205 Russell Street, Melbourne 3000