So what is "jerk"? I wasn't quite sure myself till last night. The guys from The Voodoo Jerk Truck…read moreexplained to a few Yelpers and myself. Basically, jerk refers to jerk spice either dry-rubbed or web marinated onto meat (or tofu if you're a vegetarian or "not a jerk") relevant to The Voodoo Jerk Truck's cooking style. This is my first real experience to trying Caribbean-Jamaican style food, so definitely not an expert in this style of cooking or food. The Voodoo Jerk Truck guys gave us a little taste test of their signature "Jerk Spice" and "Jerk BBQ sauce". Make sure you ask to taste of their jerk before you try their food, as this will help make more sense of how the jerk is incorporated into their food. The Jerk Spice has a natural earthy flavour with a bit of spice with no sweetness, and slight grainy texture to it. It's not spicy like Indian or Thai flavours, more of a garlic spice. I tend to like spices with a sweet note, so I had to think about this Jerk Spice for a few seconds before deciding whether I liked it or not. I actually didn't mind this flavour. If you like spices (in general) or an earthy (less sweet) flavour, then this Jerk Spice will probably be for you. Unlike the Jerk Spice, Jerk BBQ sauce has a smooth texture and slightly sweet texture. It's a lot runnier in texture than your usual supermarket BBQ sauce, and sweeter too. It's definitely not strong in flavour as the American BBQ sauce typically used in ribs. If you're a BBQ connoisseur, then you will probably appreciate this unique flavour. Mel P bought two Rude Boy Chips for a group of six, which came in a little basket. The Rude Boy Chips is a "beer battered chips with rude boy salt & bombastic sauce). These chips are amazing. Let's be honest, we all love hot crispy chips on it's own. Good sauce is a bonus. The Voodoo Jerk Truck boys got it right with the crispy beer battered chips and the sauce. Definitely a good dish to share in a group. Following the chips, I had the The Voodoo Beef Burger which was made of "braised rib, jerk BBQ sauce, garlic aoili, carrot & cabbage slaw)". The braised rib is very tender which is how I love my braised beef. The combination of the braised rib, Jerk BBQ sauce, garlic aoili and carrot/cabbage slaw gave a very wet feeling (probably intended) so expect your fingers get slightly greasy if you get your hands on this burger. If you can overlook the "wet" texture between the buns, then it's worth a try particularly if you're a Burger lover. Personally, I would of preferred the braised rib with just the BBQ sauce and lettuce. I found the garlic aoili, carrot and cabbage slaw let down the BBQ jerk sauce. But hey, that's just me. My partner enjoyed the burger, and usually he tends to complain about burgers being too messy, big or overload with ingredients or juices. The Jerk Pork Ribs was made up of "grilled jerk spice ribs with mint yoghurt" was delicious. The combination of the grilled jerk spice ribs dipped into mint yoghurt was match made in heaven. If you can eat pork or appreciate ribs as more than just meat on bones, then you'll enjoy this because my partner and I certainly did. This is a great dish to eat at a camp fire, festival or party. The food is similarly priced to other popular food trucks. If you feel like getting your jerk on, grab a few of your friends along to try the Jerk Spice and BBQ Jerk sauce flavours at The Voodoo Jerk Truck. The menu also caters for vegetarians but The Rude Boy Chips and Jerk Pork Ribs is a must try. I want to go back and try their other dishes particularly the Bermuda Bread, Caribbean Salad and Blazed pineapple.

Los Barbudos has a new permanent food-truck set up out the back in the way of Voodoo Jerk Truck. I…read morewas going to make a crack about introducing some jerks, but the guys we met from the kitchen were really lovely, so I'm not gunna do that. The menu is split in two: Jerk and Not a Jerk. Anything in the 'Not a Jerk' section doesn't have their jerk spice seasoning - however if you order from this menu, I do recommend grabbing that big bottle of their own Jerk BBQ sauce because it is delicious and was a big hit with our group. Tastes just like the jerk spice only with a bit of extra sweetness. I had the cauliflower salad and some rude boy chips to share with the group. The chips were excellent - covered in spices and mayo with great crunch. I may have gotten stuck into more than one serve of these... The cauliflower salad was tasty, although it was a tad soggy. I like my veggies crunchy, so I found the cauliflower itself was a bit overcooked and dressing-soaked. Flavours were good though. Other dishes like the pork ribs and jerk burger were being hungrily devoured by others and the noticible lull in conversation suggested everyone was into it. If you come early, you can take advantage of the Los Barbudos Happy Hour which has $8 mojitios until 7pm (although really...the full price of $10 is still decent!). A good bar-food option if you're stopping by for some rum downstairs.

After living in the UK which has a rich Caribbean community, I've been waiting for an authentic…read more Caribbean restaurant in Melbourne. Firstly the service was great and personable, we felt at home as soon as we centered the restaurant. Unfortunately we did not enjoy the food as much. The jerk chicken was not smokey and did not taste as having the scotch bonnet chill rub flavour you would expect. Also the Jerk chicken had a mango puree as part of the dish which did not compliment it. The Seafood gumbo lacked flavour, and was very watery. The fish in the gumbo tasted like Basa. I really wanted to like the food but can't recommend it. This would be a good place to have a casual drink, unfortunately the food lacks real Caribbean flavour and finesse.

Having spent a bit of time in the Caribbean - I returned and went in search of this place I heard…read moreabout which opened up in my neighbourhood since I left ... However I arrived before they opened and they were about to launch a new menu that night ... Online their opening hours were listed differently - so I missed out on sampling their food but the way they handled us was a bit snooty and short off - so not really digging their first impression at this stage ...in terms of being welcoming - actually not sure if I will go again / regardless of cuisine ... It's also very much about personality, service and vibes too !

The food here is amazing. Have been here a couple of times and have loved every bite. We stopped…read morefor lunch and had the 5 selection deal for $32 per person. You get to choose 5 plates from the menu and they come out tapas style so a share plate. There are so many great choices on the menu to choose from. But sharing the 5 plates is enough for you to feel satisfied with out being overly full. Every plate was a delight and the accompanying salads were light and refreshing. I especially lives the tempura eggplant dish with the green mango salad with chilli it was delicious. The crying Tiger was also amazing with the wagyu and the spicy citrus dipping sauce. It's to die for as is the sticky pork belly The staff were great they were attentive and happy to explain any part of the menu we were unsure about. Also very friendly and made sure we were happy with everything. I will be back here for sure pity it's so far away for us but it's a good place to look forward to coming back for a great feed.

Enjoyed a nice meal at the bar. Sampled 4-5 small dishes that the bartender recommended. I really…read moreenjoyed my cocktail but the food was a little on the salty side for my taste. Overall, a decent Asian fusion restaurant and very trendy atmosphere.

The staff were nice and accommodating, but the flavors weren't impressive. Reservations needed I'd…read moresay if more than 2 people or eating after 6p

Great ambiance, vibe, and decor. A visual and audible treat. I especially liked the 80's music…read moreplaying throughout the dining room. Service is quick, friendly, and attentive. Good menu with a lot of interesting options. Tried three different appetizers and the winner was the sashimi. Wonderful flavors with king fish. The butter chicken with curry was excellent. Just wish it came with some naan to soak up that wonderful sauce. Cocktails are creative and great. Just a bit measured and small, but I get it. Would dine here again and again.

The ambience was very social. Seemed like everyone wanted to be here as there was a wait list and…read morevery limited seats for walk ins. Make reservations! They also have a downstairs bar too with seating that was also booked and packed. Nice variety of dishes, chef curated plates that were visually pleasing to the eye. The drinks while good and unique were carefully measured and extremely small for the price points. 3 cocktails and I didn't feel buzzed. I feel like Australia is very big on preventing intoxication. One of the few places that had knowledgeable staff and to my surprise actually nice and welcoming. I tried the BBQ Salmon wrapped in a banana leaf, braised beef curry, and a couple of drinks. Rather your traveling or a local who hasn't tried this place, it definitely should be on your radar. I was traveling from California and ChinChin was by far the most memorable dining experience I had.

We were visiting Melbourne and wanted to visit a more unique kind of place. Supernormal fit the…read morebill! Here's what we noticed: - You'll definitely want a reservation as the place gets packed. For our party of two we were seated at the bar, which is a really long bar and appears to be the primary area where parties of two get seated. It was nice, fun to be able to watch the action behind the bar. - They had a great cocktail menu and so we ordered some unique drinks. Both were really good. - The menu is pretty broad with small plates to share and larger entrées too. We end up starting with the Korean Rice Cakes, which was probably a highlight of the meal. It was also a pretty generous size. Then they brought out the Lobster Roll, which was good, but probably a poor ordering choice for us since it really wasn't that unique...although it was very yummy. And finally, we had the Duck Bao, and it was excellent. There were so many other things we would've liked to order from the menu, but this was a lot of food for just two of us, although we saw other parties of two order so much more. But, we wanted to save room for the peanut butter parfait. It was worth the weight/wait! - Service was good. At first, it seemed like they were rushing to move us along, but then as more people came into the restaurant, it calmed down a bit. - The place has a great vibe, but it's a little bit loud as you would expect with a place like this. Bottom line: This was one of the best meals we've had so far during our trip to Australia.

Supernormal is an Asian fusion restaurant owned by famous Australian restauranteur Andrew…read moreMcConnell. The place is widely popular so I suggest making reservations if you want to give it a try. Overall, I thought the food was solid with a nice modern atmosphere, and efficient service. You start off with complimentary roasted pumpkins seeds which were a nice touch. They are highly addictive as I couldn't stop eating them! They offer a number of small plates for you to try various dishes so we ordered the shrimp cakes and selection of seafood on ice. We were here for lunch so didn't want to eat too much. The sesame crust on the shrimp cakes made for a nice crunch. The seafood on ice included a sampling of octopus, tuna sashimi, Australian abalone, etc. The seafoods were all OK. Nothing really stood out. For entree, we shared the slow cooked lamb shoulder. It's braised and cooked in what they called Yu Xiang Sauce. I have not had this type of preparation before so it was an interesting flavor. The lamb shoulder was a large portion and the meat was tender. The sauce is slightly spicy and is similar to Sichuan spices. It's really savory and probably best eaten with rice. Portion is large enough to be shared.

The food was killer (in a good way). I went with my family--five people--which includes three…read morevegetarians. They were quite happy with the availability of vegetarian/vegan food on the menu. I (not one of the vegetarians) would highly recommend the "Crispy Coconut Cups" (a seafood appetizer) and the "Crying Tiger" (beef flank with a spicy sauce). Make sure you get an order of the roti too. The rice was bottomless with our banquet meals--so while I tried to keep room for the meals--the rice was quite good! Our server was nice and funny, not shy of cracking jokes. The seating is quite spacious and there are outside seats too--many of them covered by space heaters and under a shelter during the winter. Overall, I'd definitely recommend stopping here for dinner. Their "banquet style dining" worked well for us, and the portions ended up being exactly right for somebody who walked in on the slightly hungry side--which also makes their fast service and speedy kitchen helpful!

Absolutely fantastic! We had dinner as a group of 9 (reservation needed) on a Saturday night and it…read morewas so good. Great service and stunning food. I love the banquet style of ordering that feeds everyone at the table. We had 5 different dishes as well as some spring rolls and everything was delicious.

Melbourne is dense with excellent restaurants, and this was no exception. We chose this place…read morebased on the reviews on a different website. This is a Filipino fusion restaurant, which is a fairly uncommon entity, and we were intrigued by the menu. The restaurant is located at the southern end of Hardware Lane, across the street from the string of restaurants line the narrow alley. It's fun to walk down Hardware Lane, as long as you don't mind being waylaid by the hosts and hostesses of each restaurant trying to convince you to come in. It kind of reminds me of Belden Place in San Francisco. We didn't make a reservation, and we were concerned that we would be turned away because the place was packed to the gills. Lucky for us, there was some open space at a shared table that we were just able to squeeze into. We weren't especially hungry during this visit, so we got a small sampling of dishes, all of which were well-made and delicious. Kingfish sashimi with passionfruit and caviar - really interesting flavors here. The sashimi itself was tasty, and I thought it looked at tasted a bit like the hamachi (yellowtail) that I love. In fact, I looked it up later and found out that this is the same fish. BBQ duck with mandarin jam and thin pancakes - pretty messy to eat, and the mandarin jam made it sweeter than expected, but again this was an interesting twist on an otherwise familiar food. Lamb rump with enoki mushrooms, kampot pepper, and a burnt eggplant mash - I guess you can't be in a restaurant in Australia without finding lamb on the menu (sheep do outnumber humans here by a 3:1 ratio). I loved the lamb and the enoki, but really disliked the flavor and texture of the eggplant concoction. Other at the table also found it unappealing and kind of out of place. Short ribs lettuce wraps - boneless pieces of meat, just slightly spicy, with large leaves of lettuce. Very delicious. On the side we got an order of coconut jasmine rice and something called "kangkung", which he hadn't heard of before. It seemed like something we call hollow-heart vegetable, but apparently it's also known as water spinach. This was also pretty good. Service was prompt, and the food came out at a reasonably leisurely pace, such that we neither felt rushed nor did we wait very long between courses. The total cost for our meal (not including drinks) was just over AUD106, which seemed quite reasonable to us.

This is a gorgeous restaurant. The menu is creative and all dishes were tasty. Some of the small…read moreplates (eg abalone) were, well they were very small, like two bites. We arrived early and were lucky to get our own booth, they also have long communal tables w wooden uncomfortable looking chairs which you might get, so heads up uf that could be an issue. Would eat here again in a heartbeat if the place wasnt half way around the world.

From the moment you walk in, the atmosphere is warm and inviting, with friendly staff eager to help…read moreyou find the perfect dish to suit your taste buds. The portions are generous and the prices are reasonable. Highly recommended!