sunda

3.5 out of 5
give a try to sunda since a lot of people recommend to me so i have a pretty high expectation from the beginning. the food was actually good, the price is reasonable since their plating is just on point and looks so pretty.
but they charge $5 for the tap water pr sparkling for each person. and the table is not that comfortable to compare with their price since it’s like a communal table so it’s less privacy.
the roti is incredible. it’s a must-try item. the tempe and theotakotak is really delicious too!! i love it.
overall it’s not bad, good place to try. but i would love to spend the same amount on the other place.

came here with a friend and we opted for the chef’s menu. we were starving but ended up being really full, the dishes were delicious and interesting. theotakotak was the dish of the night. would be keen to return and try other dishes such as the rendang bun and w.a. marron.

really enjoyed this place. fit out is a bit too industrial but somehow it manages to be quite and intimate space and not too noisy. we had the chef's menu and everything we tried was good and a couple of dishes were just ouststanding - theotakotak and the pietee. we sat at the bar where you get a great view of the kitchen, the alternative is on one of the two communal tables.definately recommend giving this place a try.

punch line
pricey but a pleasant evening
2ppl $226

setting
husband and wife night out
we sat at a long common table and enjoyed a very pleasant atmosphere
common tables are often a gamble as you might end up sitting next to that loud guy who knows everything or a bitchy princess that just had an argument with her friend
this time we were lucky and managed a tête-à-tête.

service
very friendly / enjoyable
wanting to be very very picky... some dishes could have been delivered with a bit more finesse. but that’s details and it did not impact on our evening

food
we opted for the set without matched drinks: a selection including the following very well presented 8 dishes ... generally small portions but turned out to be a lot of food

1.crispy tempeh = don’t bother
2. pie tee = very pretty crunchy bite size flavourless cupcakes
3. raw scallops with charred betel leaf = wish they were fresh and cold, as a diver that eats a lot of raw scallops i expected more
4.otakotak curry parfet with crab & snapper = now that was something else, truly worthy
5. lamb rump = very tender juicy chunks with robust flavour, excellent
6. charred cucumber = yep...charred cucumber
7. egg noodles = strong dish, matched with the lamb made for a good main
8. vietnamese coffee, chocolate, coconut, wattleseed dessert = excellent way to finish, not too sweet, very nice texture and flavour

wine
given the diversity of our dishes we opted for a 2017 amrit pinot gris on skins mornington peninsula, victoria
this matched our meal well and was a very nice surprise as it is an unusual wine

i would say overall i like this place, we were seated at the bar so that was exciting watching the chef do their thing. we opted for the chef menu. some of their dishes to me were quite spicy, so if you don't have a tolerance for spicy food, let them know. the pickled appetiser was really nice, then came out
1.crispy tempeh = don’t bother
like the below review, felt like easy sugar, had one piece.
2. pie tee = didnt like it, felt like i was biting into a cupcake that exploded with too much oil.
3. raw scallops with charred betel leaf = this was one of the highlight dish for me. yummy!
4.otakotak curry parfet with crab & snapper = surprisingly delicious!
5. lamb rump = to me, lamb smells, so no. 
6. charred cucumber = like dish 1, don't bother, like eating a spoon of salt.
7. egg noodles = one of the more spicier dish, i liked it, something different, matched with the lamb.
8. vietnamese coffee, chocolate, coconut dessert = chocolate wayyyyyy too sweet, if you ate a peasize of the chocolate along with the coconut and condense milk ice cream then it was bomb, but there wasnt enough ice cream/coconut.

2 people spent $210
props to the bartender, he makes mad cocktails!

innovative southeast asian creations
🦀otakotak
🌶 xo sauce chicken crackling egg noodles
🥧 vegemite curry roti
🌾 tempeh
🏚: sunda_
📍: punch lane, melbourne
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————————————————————📝: despite being the new kid on the block, with the kitchen recently opened up just in 2018, sunda dining has won so many awards, be it from the good food guide, opentable, delicious, time out, concrete playground, and much more.

inspired by the flavors of the region it is named after, sunda_ is a modern southeast asian diner, hidden away in one of the city’s busiest laneways.

drawing on asian herbs and spices combined with local australian produce, the menu feature innovative creations of southeast asian dishes.
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❤️: combining the flavors of indonesia, malaysia, and vietnam with high-quality australian ingredients, the sharing style menu ranges from snacks and bites to smaller and larger dishes to give you a unique dining experience.

featured are our favorites of the night. starting off to whet our appetite was the tempeh, tofu curds, palm sugar, and muntries. next off, we had the signature special vegemite roti. yes, yes, it might sound shocking, but omg, this was stunning. the perfect crispiness yet slightly chewiness of the roti, combined with an umami vegemite curry—omg, no words.

sunda’s take onotakotak is as insane, with spanner crab curry, finger lime, and rice crisps. we savored every single bite, hoping for it to last as long as possible. lastly, we had the egg noodles in xo sauce, chicken crackling, and pepper berry. another impressive dish.
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outstanding, delicious and daring. the classics menu takes mostly indonesian/malaysian dishes and jazzes them up with australian ingredients. nguyen’s take onotakotak is something i’ll remember for years - a simple snack transformed into gourmet cuisine. the vegemite roti is the signature dish, and deserves its reputation - finally, someone has found the right balance of an otherwise overpowering flavour. and the main (which i’d interpret as a wildly creative version of pork in plum sauce with dan dan noodles) was a fabulously fiery finale before our palates were cooled by the accompanying salad and desserts. memorable, wonderful, delightful

to try:
- roti bread with vegemite curry; i honestly could've polished that off with twice the amount of vegemite. the roti was soo buttery and flakey. an off menu must have.
-otakotak; the curry has a parfait like texture and you spread it over the rice crisps. this is absolutely delicious and packs such a flavour punch
- marron; the marron was perfectly cooked, covered in a delicious curry sauce and already sliced in the shell so you could eat it with ease. accompanied with some cute bao buns to soak up the delicious sauce
- rangers valley wagyu; this was cooked to perfection and truly melted in your mouth. the carrots were a bit strange but the lime satay paired perfectly.

to skip:
- the set menu; i think it skips some of the more exciting items off the menu. create your own!

overall sunda was a fantastic meal. i love that it is a combination of indonesian, malaysian and vietnamese cuisine using australian ingredients, it made for the best sort of fusion experience.

sunda's become one of my favourite restaurants in melb! it's always the first restaurant i recommend to anyone looking for a great meal. the vegemite roti, oysters, andotakotak are my top three favourites, along with the little serving of pickled veggies. great service and drinks, along with a bustling yet comfortable atmosphere make this place even more amazing. can't wait for my next visit.

it’s interesting but hype can sometimes, depending who is taking it on board, be a blessing or a hindrance. for me it turned out to be the latter. so much hype and expectation yet i left feeling flat and underwhelmed.

the roti and curry was one dimensional
theotakwas pasty and underwhelming
the pork chop was confused
the noodles and xo sauce lacked depth.

the service was good although no understanding of timed seating allotments when booking or being seated meant when the tea was served with a bill and a firm nudge to get out it was way too abruptly delivered.

female waitress was on point as was another male waiter but our main waiter delivered his craft with flair but it was whimsical at best.

a solid 3, but hardly more than that on today’s experience. i can see what makes people like being here but i just wasn’t made into a fan, a shame considering all i’d heard.

interesting minimal industrial look. food was good, although the ‘sharing’ menu is a little inaccurate when you’re encouraged to order 3 or 4 of each item for a group of 8. dishes are presented beautifully, but in terms of taste there is not much subtlety. everything is bold in flavour or salt, and you miss any layers of flavours. theotakotak was delicious, where you get sweet morsels of spanner crab with curry and texture from the puffed rice cracker. the octopus was cooked well but salty. couldn’t really taste the marron because the sauce was overpowering and couldn’t taste the pork because the herbs were overpowering. the noodles were great, reminiscent of packet mee goreng, in a good way. and fried rice was way too smoky.

i love indonesian food! so this was a great modern twist to indonesian food. the wagyu beef rendang pies were fantastic and so was the spanner crabotakotak. this place definitely stayed on my mind for days, the food so damn tasty!!!
the lamb rump with cashews and the wa marron are also a must to try.

wow! sunda is amazing... i think i love... almost everything?! 😂 i love the egg noodles w xo sauce and the rice with salmon roe is soooooo moreish!theotakotak tasted very unique and i love it. i think the marron was so-so though... there weren’t much meat in it... and we didn’t get to try the vegemite curry special. :(. and this is the reason why i only gave sunda a 4 stars. the service was a bit... weird?! we didn’t get told about any specials... and the waiter kept topping up my glass of water (good), and not topping up my friends’ (bad). he did it about 3 times!

amazing food and flavours that were generously served. i couldn’t fault anything and can’t wait to return to try the rest of the menu!

we had:
- roti with vegemite jungle curry
- wagyu rendang pie
-otakotak with rice crisps
- marron with belacan butter
- cabbage with nashi pear
- egg noodles with xo sauce and chicken crackle

this place was amazing.

from the moment i walked in, i was excited. perhaps it was the modern, open plan decor, but i think it was the ambience which was lively and not too noisy - the perfect balance.

the service by sai was fantastic as well. our family and friends loved the meal. sunda is a great place for romantic meals to group dinners.

we ordered pretty much everything on the menu. the must have dish is the buttermilk roti with vegemite curry. having grown up overseas, i have eaten lots of rotis, but this is the best roti i’ve ever had, hands down. this was hubby’s fav too.

he also liked the black truffle congee, the lamb rump which was so tender and juicy, and the fried xo noodles with the pork crackling. he pretty much liked everything. when we asked for truffle +++, they delivered.

theotakotak was paired beautifully with crispy rice puffs, with a rich curry flavour, and the marron came with mantou puffs to soak up the juicy sauce

we were all blown away, and we loved the place, the food, just everything about sunda. we will be back!