Sunda

18 Punch Lane
Melbourne, VIC 3000
https://sunda.com.au/

K and I celebrated his birthday last year at the amazing Aru, so it only made sense to go to Sunda this year. The first restaurant in chef Khanh Nguyen’s impressive portfolio, Sunda has gone through multiple iterations since 2018, the most controversial of which is the removal of the beloved roti and vegemite curry from the menu. But by all accounts, Sunda has held up spectacularly with its innovative take on bold South-East Asian flavours. I do have a couple quibbles however. Though the rough industrial decor is tres cool, the internal aluminium scaffolding (in my opinion) takes it too far, leaving the space feeling incomplete and transient, even with a veneer of soft lighting. A less petty complaint would be the price. Yes, times are no doubt tough, but some of the smaller items on the menu feel like blatant gouging, no matter how much I tried to check my privilege and to convince myself that $18 for a bite-sized morsel of pate is a reasonable amount to pay. Aru and Antara may be similarly pricy, but they’ve at least stopped short of making me feel like a chump.

Rating: 14/20 – good food, poor value.
Best dishes: pork cutlet.

These are the aforementioned $18 morsels. To be fair, they’re both very tasty and exquisitely-crafted; the Duck Liver Pate ($18) was rich and smooth, and boasted a robust sweetness from the little dollops of medjool date puree. Meanwhile, the Tuna Tartare Donut ($16) was a mouthful of indulgence, the buttery fish highlighted with pops of briny caviar. But was it worth it? Yeah, nah. There are better things to have for that price.

The Crispy Tempeh ($12) was unexciting; basically just a more interesting variation on the typical crunchy chip snack, though at least you get a good-sized portion for the price.

The larger dishes are where things start to get more exciting. The buttered Tiger Prawns ($36) were lightly charred, and then drenched with nutty brown butter swirled through with jungle curry sauce so densely flavoured it’s more of a sambal. Make sure to get in an order of Crispy Idli ($10) to mop up all the sauces.

The presentation alone of the Braised Duck Puff ($28) was enough to win me over. But unlike the classic taro puffs these are modelled after, this flaky, ethereal pastry contained a hearty, saucy filling of duck slow-cooked in five-spice. It still gives yum cha vibes, but with an unexpectedly luxurious twist.

The Scottsdale Pork Cutlet ($57) was the easy highlight for me of the night. Despite being quite a hefty cut, it was cooked to juicy perfection, highlighting the rich flavour of the meat, and the succulent texture. The cutlet is coated in a slick egg gravy, flecked with finely chopped black fungus for just a hint of crunch, and spiked with a warm, earthy spice that builds on the palate. It’s a modern take on traditional Chinese flavours, and it works wonderfully.

Just like Aru and Antara, Sunda has a great collection of non-alcoholics. My fancy alighted on the Promontory ($15), which was… nothing like I expected, to say the least. Based on the list of ingredients – mango and coconut curd, amaretti, bitters – I was expecting a sweet, smooth tropical treat with a balancing bitterness. Instead, this was incredibly sour, without much of the fruity elements at all. I also didn’t love the slightly grainy mouthfeel of the curd, which felt like it was about to split any second. When slowly sipped, it made for a decent aperitif, but it was certainly far from what I had hoped for, especially given how good the non-alcoholic drinks were at the other venues.