rice kitchen

came for lunch with my family today. it took 15mins to bring out 3bowls of pho; then another 15mins for my grilled chicken on rice. by the time i got my food, everyone at the table already finished there food. and thericewasn't that great! they brought out some complimentary springrolls and apologise but still, we will take our hungry tummy elsewhere as there are many other good lunch spots in south melbourne.

my friends and i celebrated the first day of the lunar new year in a vietnamese restaurant located in south melbourne. i was amazed by the foods at @ricekitchen. the menu is not like other restaurants with only vietnamese specialties: banh mi and pho. it also has a variety of dishes to eat as a meal or a snack. one of my favorites is pulled jackfruit, apple salad with aricecracker. 😋

good meal done great . this place serve real bone broth cooked for over 10 hours. you could taste the warm and dedication put in to making it. beef were tender and slice perfectly.

the chickenricewas also well made and taste great.

the dishes are creative but not overdone. i can still find and enjoy the original flavours. i'm not a fan of beef pho even when i was in vietnam. i go toricekitchen for duck noodle salad, youngricepopcorn and  iced coffee.

very impressed with our visit toricekitchen! such a warm and pleasant little restaurant to relax in. 

we ordered:
- fried eggplant bao buns
- chicken spring rolls
- oxtail curry 
- bun cha ha noi

everything tasted fresh and flavoursome. 
the eggplant bao buns were the highlight! couldn't fault the crispy eggplant and pillowy, fresh bao buns. the oxtail curry was also tasty and the serving was generous. would definitely come back to try the other items on the menu (the hashbrowns and pho rolls looked so good!!)

arrived with a groupon - $85 to spend on food and drinks (purchased for $55).

i did not think to check the menu this time so expected dishes to be $20-25 and there would be alcoholic drinks, so it would easy to spend $85. we ordered waay too much food for two people. service was lovely, and food came out quickly. 

definitely come here with a group of friends to try out the different dishes.

drinks came first. 
vietnamese iced coffee - flavours were nice but disappointed that it was not freshly made.

house-made coconut lemonade - refreshing, unique flavour.

beef stew with pho - the meat melts in your mouth and carrot was soft. however, the broth was lacking in flavour.

hanoi crab and pork friedricepaper spring rolls - the filling was missing flavour but tasted alright when dipped in the fish sauce.

bun cha pork bao buns - favourite dish. the baos were soft and fluffy and the cha (pork patty) flavours were balanced with the salad. probably would have tasted better if i had eaten them when they were warm (my fault, there was so much food).

grilled lemongrass duck with banh hoi - the meat was dry but when you wrap it up and dip it in the fish sauce it tasted okay. didn't enjoy the salad. it had pickled ginger (japanese style) which isn't vietnamese-like. it would have been better if it was a vietnamese salad such as goi/nom

by this point i thought everything had arrived but there was still more...

rice flake prawn popcorn with salad - this was different. the popcorn had a slightly chewy texture. did not have a strong prawn flavour or many prawns. again, the salad dressing was too strong and reminded me of japanese flavours.

fresh pho rolls with tender beef with daikon, carrot & thai basil with fish sauce - by the time we got to this dish, we were sooo full. the meat was dry but when dipped in fish sauce, it helped. i don't like having to rely on fish sauce to give a dish its flavour, and this was the case; as the spring rolls.

the restaurant is trying to be creative with their dishes, which is awesome but some dishes are missing the traditional vietnamese flavours. 

also, they have reusable takeaway containers which i've never seen before in a restaurant. you pay a deposit and upon returning your container, it is refunded to you. this should be encouraged, especially if you go past the area or to the restaurant regularly. kudos for trying to reduce your waste!

small, intimate, cozy restaurant serving modern vietnamese dishes. the dishes are of excellent quality although one or two dishes can be improved. the soba is refreshing whereas the hash brown is very unique with glutinousricein it. the sauce condiments that come with most dishes are top notch. pho can be improved though as it is quite plainn

a lovely small restaurant that served great vietnamese food at a perfect location too, right in front of the tram stop and next to the south melbourne market.
went here and had their $32 4-course winter brunch and the portion was generous (definitely could share this between the 2).
so we got the wagyu set menu:
- wagyu beef stew
-riceflake prawn popcorn
- onsen egg
- che desserts
also got the dragon fruit ginger fizz and soursop coco punch which were both nice and refreshing.
totally a good value for money and tasty. definitely recommend this place if you are nearby!

i don’t want to sound exaggerated, but all the foods atricekitchen are very tasty!! i love the grilled chicken with any dish. i love the vegan pho as well, i think i have vegan pho most if the time.
a very recommended place if you like asian and vietnamese especially. :)

we loved tasting our way through the bun cha hanoi and vegan set menus.

nothing encapsulates hanoi street food better than bun cha. char-grilled pork in fish sauce broth, pickles, vermicelli and plenty of fresh herbs.ricekitchen’s amazing hanoi crab and pork spring rolls were the perfect accompaniment as was their must-try hai phong style pork floss and liver pate baguette stick.

the vegan set menu was similarly delicious. crispy on the outside, moist and tasty on the inside, with a refreshing taste of the sea, there is so much to love when it comes toricekitchen’s plant-based fish cakes. served with woven banh hoi noodle, fresh herbs, salad, pickles and ginger soy sauce this was one flavoursome dish. we loved that this set menu included stunning pulled jackfruit and apple salad with black sesame cracker and the vegetarian friedricepaper spring roll.

each set menu also features one of che desserts’ newest creations. the flanatastic was a rich and creamy french influenced dessert. the silky smooth flan, baked from premium eggs and fresh milk, simply melted in our mouths. we loved the generous toppings of refreshing jellies, crunchy water chestnut gems, and pearls.

i have to say, this has to be my most favourite vietnamese food restaurant in melbourne! i’ve been to vietnam, and this was definitely the perfect melbourne version. the eggplant bao buns were delicious, thericepaper rolls were a favourite and i could devour all of these! the bun choi hanoi was delicious, with the noodles, yassss!!!! got to drink a really good vietnamese coffee and refreshing side drinks! i’d go back and get the chicken soba salad! would highly recommend coming!

brilliant surprise for people like me who think of vietnami cuisine comprises of only pho andricepaper rolls. we went on a busy thursday night and had so much food 🥰
we had pulled jackfruit onricecracker( my fav.dish here), hash browns reimagined, spicy edamame,ricepaper rolls (not your regular stuff), and sago pudding with tropical fruits. everything was a revelation and i loved the food. will be back soon!

small cosy little restaurant. had the sticky hash brown with chicken and also thericebowl with bun cha patties. we missed out on the pho rolls as they were sold out. the sticky hash browns were the highlight for me. crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. really enjoyable meal. lots of healthy options. not authentic vietnamese flavours but a modern sort of take on it.

no better way to end the week than a vietnamese feast atricekitchen🤤! i’ve always been a critique for vietnamese food and the words i can think of to describericekitchen is; explosive flavors🔥, fresh ingredients and a whole lot of love❤️! the 2 must have dishes has to be the fried chicken and popcorn prawns 🍤😍!

i've had a vietnamese food craving for ages, andricekitchen definitely satisfied it, with their delicious, nourishing dishes. this place is still relatively new, their menu, service, food is all very impressive and they definitely deserve a bigger crowd!

food:
we wanted a bit of variety as the menu was just so diverse, so between the 2 of us, we ordered 4 delectable dishes. first up were the hanoi spring rolls; full of a unique and flavoursome crab and pork filling, fried to perfection. i always like to sample vegetarian alternatives and i can never go past a bao bun, so the tempura eggplant vegan baos were my pick. the bao itself was steamed nicely, soft, white, chewy, however i would have preferred a thicker, or more distinct tempura coating and a tad more flavour with the eggplant within. nonetheless, pickled sweet daikon and carrot never fails to please me. then came once of the most anticipated dishes, sticky hash browns with chicken. now these hash browns are not your ordinary hash brown, they are a standout as their key ingredients include that of taro, glutinous rice, mung bean and coconut, an absolute star of a combination. we adored the chewy inner layer with the first bite of crispy, crunchy goodness. our last pick was the lemongrass duck soba noodle salad, packed with nourishing ingredients. the flavours and ingredients were all so fresh, the duck with a hint of a smoky scent and the ginger soy dressing a winner! forgot to mention the delicious drinks, the must-have perfectly sweet vietnamese coffee and coconut lemonade, absolute favourite drink, infused with lovely sweet pickled lemons and coconut water.

ambience:
it was very quiet when we headed in, as we chose to head in at opening due to later commitments. situated in more of south melbourne's business hub, on australia day, meant that most people would be out and about celebrating at home, or the pub/bar. the interior of the restaurant is lovely, with hanging plants that add a minimal, calming aesthetic. would have loved if a few more customers were in to enjoyricekitchen and add some warmth to the atmosphere, but of course due to the newness and the particular date it is understandable.

service:
the food all arrived quite promptly, and on that day the kitchen was also busy preparing catering items. the waiters were all very lovely and accommodating too.