SAADI at SUNDA

lovely atmosphere and service. the tuna tartare donuts weren’t as flavourful as i hoped and the little tarts (scallop, i think?) were slightly too spicy, to the extent that the socie overpowers the other beautiful flavours. nice to experience once, but wouldn’t return immediately

The place is simply amazing! The food and service was immaculate. We sat at the chef’s table next to the service window. It was great seeing chef Nabil plate up and interact with his team. The set menu was worth it. We recommend adding the scallop snack. We went here to celebrate my wife’s birthday and they served us a cute birthday plate with dessert on top of our set menu.

Dined here to celebrate our Anniversary and my partner's graduation as well. We came 15 minutes early for our reservation and was welcomed and shown our seats right away. I read some reviews about the service being slow, but this was not the case in our experience. The food was excellent. Everything we had was really good. Flavour was great and presentation as well. Only minor issue was the tiger prawns were really hard to remove from the shell. But the peanut parfait was amazing. Salty coconut cream is my kind of thing. My 3 star rating was because of the service and pest control. For the service, there was 1 server in the first level that just didn't seem like they wanted to be there. They seemed bored and lacked energy and enthusiasm. The tall big blonde person is who I'm talking about. We just couldn't understand when they explained the dishes and there was just no enthusiasm and finesse in the way they moved. Also, when they asked how the food was, I mentioned everything was good but the prawns were hard to eat. They just ignored and didn't say anything. Everyone else were great. Which brings me to the next part. There was a huge cockroach roaming around. Yes. A huge cockroach in this kind of restaurant. As soon as our mains arrived, we saw a huge cockroach in the floor running around near us. Me being disgusted by them, had to stand up and just felt out of it. We were asked if wanted to move upstairs, which I agreed to. They moved our food upstairs, but this ruined the whole dining experience. The ambiance upstairs was also just not as good as downstairs. Noah, the server upstairs was great. He also assisted well when I saw the cockroach. Kudos to him. They also offered a complimentary dessert for the experience. Overall, the whole dining experience was ruined because of the initial service and the cockroach issue. Would have been 5 stars if not for that. As mentioned, food was amazing.

Really cool pop up. Food was delicious. Wine menu was not great but overall everything was good

Innovative Dining at Its Best – Sunda Delivers! Sunda is truly a standout in Melbourne’s dining scene. From the moment you walk in, the modern yet warm ambiance sets the tone for an exceptional meal. The menu is a creative fusion of Southeast Asian flavors, with a contemporary twist that adds a unique flair to every dish. Each plate was a work of art, beautifully presented and bursting with flavor. The balance of textures and tastes was extraordinary – from the delicate starters to the bold, flavorful mains. The use of fresh, high-quality ingredients was evident in every bite. What really made the experience special was the impeccable service. The staff were knowledgeable, attentive, and genuinely passionate about the food, making thoughtful recommendations and ensuring every need was met. Sunda is perfect for anyone looking to enjoy innovative and exciting cuisine. It exceeded all my expectations, and I can’t wait to return to explore more of the menu. Kudos to the chef and I Highly recommend it!

Asian Confusion It broke my heart to be so critical about an elevated Asian food, but it has to be done to warn my fellow Asians about this restaurant. Sunda elevated the classic Southeast Asian cuisines into a beautifully crafted piece of art, especially the appetizers. While it was visually stunning to look at, all the authentic flavours were lost in translation. For example, the rojak had the wrong ingredients, nasi liwet that tasted more like plain coconut rice, and very poor execution of Nasi Lemak-inspired chicken wings. Since I tasted the authentic version and had to compare it to Sunda’s creation, I will always take the original form compared to Sunda’s take; as the new form did not offer any significant new experience to overcome the lack of flavour. A few highlights that caught me by surprise were the oysters that packed an amazing Soto flavour and that amazing Wagyu Tongue carpacio that tasted like Thailand’s papaya salad. Overall, I left feeling disappointed to see a menu that uses “nasi lemak”, “rojak”, “nasi liwet” naming scheme but failed to match even the most standard version of the original form.

The restaurant has an industrial feel and design but does not keep warm very well in winter. We had a booking for dinner at 8.15 pm and had our entree and cocktails arrived within 20 minutes after ordering. However our mains took more than 50 minutes to arrive after we finished our entree. We didn't get the main dishes until 9.45 pm and the lamp, pork and rice dishes were no longer hot. We had to ask for water to be topped up and our wine to be open because the main took too long to come to the table. The food was good but some of them would be better hot and if the wait between the entree and main didn't take almost an hour.

Although the intention was good, the food was average. We had the set menu and most of the meals were over complicated with conflicting flavours. This was exacerbated when considering the various meals that were served together. Although the waiter was very friendly, the service was slow. 10 minutes before we saw a menu; we ordered wine and then it was suggested we could pair wines after we were half way through a glass of wine. The wine is not left on the table and on two occasions I had to seek out the waiter to get some wine. That being said, the lamb was perfect.