Nicole Q.

Excellent food and good service but only after you're seated. When you're waiting for a table things can get frustrating. We came a little over an hour before closing and the restaurant was packed. After waiting for an inordinate period to be acknowledged by the hostess, we were seated at a small and crowded communal table. The ambiance was casual but I couldn't help feeling claustrophobic. The servers are all incredibly friendly. I don't fault them too much about the wait because the restaurant is popular and they have a lot to worry about. We pretend the 5 dishes for $59 option. The pork belly centric dishes were my favorite - the sticky pork belly, pork buns, and betel leaf were some of the best things to touch my tongue ever. The galloping horses and wagyu beef were not terrible but I wouldn't necessarily recommend them.

Angel C.

This restaurant is the perfect place for lunch! They have an amazing deal during lunch time- 35pp for 5 sharing dishes, definitely a bang for your buck! Despite its reasonable pricing, the food did not lack in its taste or quality. We often take our clients here for lunch and meetings. The place is always buzzing but it's not too loud, so it's perfect for a client meet-up or just a casual catch-up with some friends. We've never been here at night but we're confident that they can impress us with their dinner menu, since their lunch offerings are spectacular.

Jennifer K.

Rice Paper Scissors, I am just glad that we came here for our first meal during my weekend in Melbourne! Arrived on a weekday around 6 pm and got seated right away! And the place was packed till we left. So always good idea to arrive early to beat the rush. Love the friendly and cozy vibe of the restaurant. We enjoyed everything we ordered. Our waiter was really helpful and gave us good recommendation. I suggest ordering the $59/5 dish for 2 people if you are here for a full dinner. We were still jetlagged and decide to go a la carte. Galloping Horses ($12) caramelised pork, prawn and peanut on sour pineapple BBQ King Prawns ($14) Crying Tiger ($14) char-grilled wagyu beef with a spicy citrus dipping sauce Duck Salad ($13) Coconut Sago ($12) Vietnamese Iced Coffee/Mango Crush Every dish has bold and bright flavour. Nothing too spicy but tasty. Make sure to save room for dessert! Highly recommended!

Andrew T.

A great little place for a lovely lunch or dinner. It's down an alley in the CBD of Melbourne and I have wanted to go here for a while but just hadn't had the opportunity. You can book for lunch as they have several sitting with a time limit of 1:30 hrs. But this is plenty of time to sit and relax and eat there amazing food. We chose the 5 dishes for $59 and picked a couple of meat dishes and salad dishes also. It's a tapas style menu and the serve although not all that big it was enough to satisfy us. Some of the stand out dishes were the lamb ribs they were slow cooked and the meat fell off the bone and melted in your mouth. The pork belly was to die for and was soft and sticky and ticked all the boxes for being great. The staff were friendly and very helpful explaining the menu and the dishes. We got there just before and just as well as there was a line up not long after we started eating. I highly recommend this place and will be back for more soon.

Dori N.

Really good food at a tiny but cozy spot in Melbourne. Near the theater district. The 4 of us did the 5 course for $34pp. You choose any 5 dishes and they bring enough based on your party size. Thai Sangria was yummy!

Hansel B.

Pretty good spot for some small plates Asian/Thai fusion. It's located in CBD in one of the alleys. The wait for dinner can be pretty long as they don't take reservations. They seem to have a good selection of drinks, but I didn't partake as I just arrived from 20hrs+ of travel. Food: I recommend ordering the special of 5 plates as everything is pretty small and you will want to try a few dishes. Crying tiger - beef with spicy dipping sauce Thai Fried chicken - too much bone, not enough meat pork buns - the pork belly was a little too fatty for me, that's more my preference than anything wrong with the dish filipino bbq pork I would say the food is good, but they seem to use pretty much the same seasoning/sauces in a lot of the dishes so you don't get the sense that they have unique favor profiles. If you have not been to southeast asia, this is a good place to sample some flavors... however dont expect the authentic flavors you will find in those countries and recognize you will be paying a lot more for the same food.

Mar L.

Had late lunch here, was pretty hard to find when we were following the Yelp map and the signage was easy to miss. We were curious of the high ratings and referrals from friends. We got the Malaysian charred roti, Chinese Chive cakes and the Thai Ceviche. My faves were the rotinand the ceviche. Nice hip place and friendly staff.

Eric E.

I was a little annoyed after walking all the way there on a Sunday evening to be told there was a 40min wait for me as a single person. In the end I was rewarded. Staff and service were great. They've got a real bartender making real cocktails. They care that you order some delicious (easy when everything is). They also care that you enjoyed it. This little gem of Melbourne is hidden away but well worth the hunt. The line says it all.

Chantee F.

I booked ahead for lunch and sure glad I did. There were a handful of people waiting outside for it to open right at noon. It's also a small place and fills up fast. You can expect to share a table and have the noise carry, so probably not the best spot for an intimate date. However, this was the perfect spot for lunch with a small group. We were able to get two share meals which were $59 for two people with five dishes. The serves were perfect and since you are not allowed any take away, we ate it all! Abundant flavours and colours graced our palettes. Spicy cucumber salad with green beans and peanuts were yum! Asian veggies were also a delight. I thoroughly enjoyed the crispy chicken which came piping hot with a mayo-ish dipping sauce. The betel leaves were presented artfully and even the lamb salad was nice and refreshing. We also opted for dessert with a yummy upside down ice cream cone with condensed milk and yuzu sorbet. Sweet and tasty! This is a fun, casual spot to grab a bite and they offer cocktails that looked tempting. I would definitely venture back as there were many other dishes vying for a spot in my belly! :)

Adina P.

Rice, Paper, Scissors is a pretty good lunch spot, especially on a slower weekend in the CBD. Situated between Burke and Lt. Burke on Liverpool, it's a great central location; but with a great location comes super small accommodations and limited seating. The restaurant does offer a lunch sitting (reservation) but it may be a prix fixe menu-- I couldn't tell from the website. There are no dinner reservations, and given the small size and following, I would suspect waits over 1-1.5 hours are common (and it's just not good enough to warrant that type of wait). The menu is a host of Asian fusion small plates so popular with hipster foodies, and me someone who cannot just order 1 dish. There is good value for the money if you choose the special pick 5 items for $59 which comfortably feeds two people. The drink options are creative and most are served in a nice sized mason jar- which I appreciate for the cost. Individually the food is tasty and there is a nice variety of options with prawns, lamb, pork belly, pork neck, chicken, duck, fish, etc. In SW Asian style the meals all come with some tangy (limey) salad/ pickled veggies; but everyone looks exactly the same. There is flavor in every dish, but after 5 dishes you begin to realize it's all the same flavor. The pork belly was nice, but having just had out of this world pork belly a few days ago, I was less impressed than I should/ could have been. Finally they don't have rice. At all. No rice. And despite only having been only 1.5 hours they ran out of the one rice substitute that they had, Roti bread. All in all, I'd probably go back, but just for lunch and definitely not alone. Kervin was right.

Cecilia S.

I think this was my favorite restaurant during my month-long travel in Australia. We stayed at a hotel nearby (Ovolo Laneways, best hotel EVER!!!!!), and our lovely bartender/guest relations person (I have no idea what to call them.. not quite a server and not quite a host) suggested we check out Rice Paper Scissors on our first night in Melbourne. What a fantastic recommendation! We ordered 5 dishes for AU$59 (for two people), which is only about US$45! We ordered: - (Special of the day) Fresh crab and peanut salad - Sticky Pork Belly (probably one of the best pork belly dishes I have EVER had) - Crying Tiger - Duck Salad - BBQ Lamb Ribs (perfectly done and exquisitely delicious) There wasn't a single item we disliked. My friend and I were utterly in love with Rice Paper Scissors. To top it all off, we also had the Mum, I dropped my ice cream. I feel like I still dream about this ice cream. YUM! Note: - They do not take reservations. - Average wait time is probably about an hour, but you can wait in the bar next door, or they can call you when your table is ready. It is totally worth the wait, in my opinion. - Service was excellent. - Great ambience. Kinda rustic. Kind artistic. Totally awesome. Highly recommended!

J M.

This place was awesome! We had the five plates meal for $59. The crispy duck salad was phenomenal; and the cucumber som tom salad with prawns was also excellent. The mini Vietnamese baguette with soft shell crab was very good too, as well as the crying tiger, which is Wagyu beef with dipping sauce and rice. The fifth item was a special, not on the regular menu. It was a flathead fish (can't remember the name). The fish was fried whole and served ala carte. It was also very good. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Meng L.

First Kiss. Everybody remembers their first kiss, whether it was a joyous success or an embarrassing flop. But no matter what the experience, that first touch of your own lips with that of another human being is something that stays with you forever. My first meal after landing in Melbourne was at Rice Paper Scissors (RPS). And I will never forget it. From the very first moment that I tasted those Lamb Ribs, I knew I had just experienced something extraordinary. The Galloping Horses made my heart race, the Steamed Pork Buns had me begging for more, and the gentle caress of the soft shell crab in the Mini Banh Mi had me falling off my stool. And then the Pork Belly came. Let me tell you something about myself. I haven't cried in years. Some people have stipulated that it's because I'm emotionally retarded, others that I have somehow secretly sealed shut my tear ducts. But when I put that pork belly in my mouth... I had to stop myself. I could feel myself being overcome with a wave of emotions, the best way to describe it would be like... experiencing your first kiss... if it was with Melanie Iglesias. While Ariana Grande was whispering sweet nothings in your ear and tugging on your earlobe with her adorable mouth. That scenario is actually so beautiful I'm actually tearing up right now. So yes, if you have the chance, go to RPS. Relive that magical first kiss experience, without the embarrassment and awkwardness. I guarantee you'll walk away with your tongue satisfied beyond measure and a memory you'll never forget.