Anchovy

Not cheap but very unique Vietnamese dining experience in Melbourne. It was $130 per person (food only) and initially I was dubious as I had never heard of Anchovy prior to my friend organising our meal. Safe to say that I was very impressed. So much food. The highlight for me was the pippies and the market fish which was so fresh! There was not enough sides to eat this with however - the sauces were delicious. As for the dessert - wow. I had to unbutton my jeans to drive home. A special restaurant and one I recommend.

We went for Pipis Hut night on Wednesday and tried both pipi flavours with all of the sides, handmade egg noodles, Banh mi and Chinese Donuts. We also ordered the prawn papaya salad. Everything was delicious! Our server was so lovely, well timed service, friendly and gave us the perfect little descriptions of the food. The space was also beautiful. Can't wait to come back and try their regular menu.

Had a really nice night at Anchovy. Service was really friendly and I really liked the background of each dish. The lamb ribs and grilled pork were our favourites!

Service was friendly and warm. The delicious food nailed the balance of letting the ingredients speak boldly for themselves without being overwhelming. Elegant but not overly complicated. It is beautifully executed without being high-brow—it’s your classic great quality food. 🤩

An experience we will remember for a long time Restaurant staff (2) were excellent,explained each dish ,right down to how it was cooked. We love Vietnamese food but Anchovie's food was way above the norm. We will be back next time we are in Melbourne.Thank you

Great night, the pipis were unreal, the service was great, super friendly, wines were well researched and interesting. I would love to come one day and try the full menu, everything we had was delicious. Will be back, bravo! Jose

We thoroughly enjoyed our delicious meal at Anchovy to celebrate a happy occasion. Staff were warm, welcoming and accommodating and the atmosphere is cosy. The goat rib was so yummy! Super tender with a zingy topping. The mains of fish and beef curry were beautiful. No room for dessert!

I'm embarrassed it has taken me SO long to have dinner here at Anchovy. I enjoyed their banh mi and takeaway packs during lockdowns but finally enjoying a sit down meal here was one of my favourite meals this year. Every dish is so well thought out and executed, flavours were just spot on. House made sodas were fantastic too. Service was friendly and not in your face. Will return for sure.

Hey, Food was so good look like the menu pics. People where so nice there service was so good. Please go there and try it for you self (not for everybody) Bye (Keep the stuff that i said in mind)

I visited Anchovy for a weekend catch up with a friend. We were seated at the bar and was immediately offered water and a cup of mint tea to start our night. The wine list looks great and there's a good selection of aperitifs and non alcoholic as well. The restaurant is smaller than what I anticipated There are 2 big sharing tables, bar seating and window benches, so most diners would be sharing tables unless you were dining in a group of around 6+ We opted for the Chefs plates for $60per person, with dietary requirement being noted. Our waitstaff was friendly and we were looked after well. I would describe the dishes here as clean Asian inspired. I say this because all the dishes are evidently Asian have inspired ingredients, but cooked in a refined way. Not too oily, strong ingredients do not overpower and much more subtle and paired with other ingredients that balances the flavour. Some dishes have only a small Asian inspired twist that complement the dish. My favourite of the night was a dish of artichoke, and a side dish of Brussel sprouts dressed with silken tofu as a sauce. The fish was cooked in a beautiful tamarind and butter sauce which is delicious. Although I could do without the whole fish and its head on my plate. There is something missing with the chefs plate. To me it is missing a certain element. There was no crispy or deep fried dish in our set which is what I was waiting for. Something like a crispy skin fillet of fish instead of the whole poached style fish might remedy this. I am aware that menu changes regularly so this might be just our luck of the night. For desert we were able to request a preference and my fiend asked for the shiitake ice cream served with apples and crumbles I enjoyed this dessert. My friend didn't think she could taste the shiitake but it was the opposite for me. Although it's a smart and tasty pairing, I can still taste shiitake in my mouth walking out of the restaurant. In some aspect I wished that this pairing was not last course or the last thing I ate. Overall the restaurant was buzzing all night and service was attentive and friendly. I would go back again but might request specific dishes next time if I see particular dishes that I'd like to try.

I truly don't understand how Anchovy has snuck under the 'cool restaurant' radar. Have you ever heard of it? I'm guessing not, but it's a venue you should really know. My other half and I went in for an early Valentine's Day celebration. He'd heard through word of mouth that Anchovy was a dining destination like no other. We walked in on a Friday evening to a busy restaurant. All tables are high seating, and most seemed like shared tables. We were sat at the bar, which I love because I can easily hassle the bartender for more drinks. Speaking of the bartender, ours was SO KNOWLEDGABLE it was almost funny to watch. He seemed to know the back story of every single wine/cocktail/food item on the entire menu, which to be honest, got a touch annoying after a while but I can imagine many people would appreciate the learning. Back to the menu, after a brief perusal we decided to go with the Chef's Selection for $60pp, which we though was very good value. The menu could best be described as modern Australian/Asian fusion. Our waiter/bartender asked if there was anything on the menu that we really wanted to see within the Chef's selection and the only thing we desperately wanted to try (other than everything) was the Vietnamese Blood pudding - it just sounded so damn intriguing! So here's what us lucky ducks got on the chef's selection: + Taro chips with spice salt, + Calamari with lotus stem, scud chilli, herbs, + Vietnamese blood pudding with ginger, herbs, wrapped in cosberg + Rice paper roll with ocean trout, coconut, pomelo + Pan fried whole flounder with curry vinaigrette, dill Plus a dessert of Cherry clafoutis with crème fraiche. I honestly can't pinpoint what my favourite dish was though I do highly recommend the bloody pudding for something completely different. The rice paper rolls were outstanding and the cherry clafoutis was simple yet amazing. The wine menu is also very impressive, with some really great local wines available. The staff, as mentioned, will be very happy to guide you in your choices. Anchovy is absolutely a place you should check out. It is charming, intimate and with absolutely outstanding food and service to boot.

Had the pleasure of a business dinner last evening. The ambience was warm, the food was amazing. From presentation through, the thought put into the dish was clearly seen, and it delivered. This will be my go to when I'm back in Melbourne. Well done to the staff!

Delicious food, interesting fusion, great service, awesome atmosphere. Great to share a meal with friends. Looked after my dietary requirements (fructose intolerant) really well.

Food that is lovingly prepared and beautifully presented but also great subtle flavours, like the Spartan and very understated decor. Happy to try again, very classy modern Asian food. The tea smoked duck was exceptional as were the succulent periwinkles smothered in a delicious mustard velouté with dill.

This place is amazing. We had the chef's selection and couldn't have been happier with the deliciousness of the place, everything was so good we couldn't choose a favourite Thank you for spoiling us with the awesome desserts.