Gingerboy

Hands down one of the best Melbourne meals we’ve had. For us, Gingerboy totally lived up to the hype.
We sat at the second level bar and instead of feeling like a lesser client seated there we loved it — we basically had our own personal bartender, which was amazing.
The food was just outstanding. We shared a bunch of smaller/​medium dishes and every one was a winner — just beautifully balanced flavours.
Not much more can be said other than if you haven’t been yet add this to your ‘must visit’ list.

Gosh, where do I start? The décor in this place is amazing and the host was such a lovely woman who was impeccably dressed and so friendly.
The food is out of this world! We shared a number of dishes and I only managed to take a photo of the first one as I was that keen to start eating! E tried the Bang Bang Chicken, Duck Bao Buns, Baby Chicken and the Red Duck Curry. All were delicious and so fresh and fragrant. The duck buns were some of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. There are 3 per serve and it was the kind of thing you wish you had ordered another round of after only taking the first bite!
The cocktail list was great with quite a few Asian inspired ones. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed!

I cant believe this is the first time I am dining at Gingerboy. For some reason, I don’t have the urge to try this place with all the new upcoming restaurants popping up.
We got a tiny table upstairs where the table was low and the seats was not low enough. The snacks/​street food menu really excites me, well more than the bigger dishes. Our waiter was amazing, he is attentive (but not too much), he engaged in conversation and we had a 5 minute conversation about drinking and how it affects us as we go red. Needless to say we left him a nice little tip.
What did we have?
— tempura oysters, shredded iceberg lettuce, prik nam pla (I am a huge fan of oysters, this ones are ok, but I could live without)
— seared hervey bay scallops, ground shrimp and lemongrass relish (delicious)
— steamed red curry salmon dumpling, coconut-​ginger soy (not a fan of, the salmon feels overcooked)
— son in law eggs, chilli jam and asian herbs (delicious, however having to pop the whole thing in your mouth is a bit of a struggle, but the taste of the egg, with the yolk and the chilli jam explode in your mouth)
— satay spiced swordfish tataki, puffed rice noodles, chilli peanut dressing (not impressed)
— salt and pepper chicken spare ribs, tamarind hot sauce (I have had lots of chicken, fried chicken especially and longrain has something similar with the tamarind sauce, I have to say longrain wins hands down)
— Dessert platter (5 mini desserts, not all of them were great, but my fav would be vanilla tofu cheesecake, white chocolate crumb, passionfruit sorbet and watermelon, mango, vietnamese mint, black sticky rice ice cream)
When I looked at my review above, it feels like there were a few dishes that I didn’t quite enjoy. I think I enjoyed the whole experience rather than just the food.

Love these spots tucked away down lanes. Great food and atmosphere. Service was great and responsive but not annoying.

Another modern asian restaurant that has amazing décor. We had the banquet which was 75aud pp for 9 girls. There was so much food that we all had food coma afterwards. My favourite dish would be the son in law eggs with chill jam this place is awesome for dinner parties or if you’re celebrating a birthday. Great service and friendly staff made it even better

This had been on the to-​try list for a long time. The good: excellent cocktails and attentive and friendly service. Fitout cool but not totally comfortable.
Unfortunately the food is lacking, equivalent to a masterchefed/​pan-​asianed 1970s anglo-​chinese: the subtlety of a cricket bat, lack of detail in the flavours and clunky execution. Hard to tell if conception or the cooking or both. Our scallops over-​done and over powered by black bean, dumplings gluggy, son-​in-​law eggs well cooked but lacking the bite and pop this dish has at its best. szechuan eggplant bland and vegetables oily. The swordfish tataki was good and the barramundi flavoursome and well cooked.
Factor in the price and there are many, many options in the city (whether regional Chinese or contemporary pan-​Asian) that I’d try before coming back. However I would go back for a cocktail.

It was good food but not spectacular. Services was solid, but not exceptional.

Great atmosphere and awesome food. We came here for pre-​show snacks before going to Les Miserable at Her Majesty’s Theatre. The proximity and the classy décor and service made it a great place to have a light meal and get in the right mood for the show to follow.
The only complaint would be with the prices. We chose a number of snacks from the list of «Street Foods» on the menu. We eat out well — not averse to spending money for quality dining. But here each mouthful basically cost $ 5 each. It tasted great — but it adds up quickly to make for an expensive meal. That’s ok for a special occasion, but I would have trouble justifying the price generally. Maybe the mains are better value — we did not try those, so check some of the other reviews.

My mom and I decided to let the staff make the decisions for us and boy were we glad that they did! We were going to opt for the banquet menu ($ 80 PP) but our waiter told us it wasn’t great value with just two people and said he’d create our own little tasting menu for the two of us for less money– really appreciate that he told us that instead of just letting us plow ahead with the banquet!
If you go, definitely get the corn fritters as a way to whet the appetite, and follow them up with sesame crusted kingfish and the scallops. I have a feeling you can’t go wrong with any of the dumplings, either! The cod main dish was also a standout.
As far as drinks go, make sure you get a Gingergirl cocktail. The menu said «back by popular demand» and hopefully they don’t take this gem off anytime soon. It’s a refreshing mix of ginger, mint, pineapple juice and vodka. If that isn’t a recipe for heaven, I’m not sure what is and your tastebuds will thank you time and time again!

Oh What a night!
Went on a date here, it was fun, friendly and great food.
The staff sure know what they are talking about. Even if you aren’t seated at a table the bar is just as fine, Bec upstairs was awesome!
Check it out.

We ate here for our anniversary as we wanted somewhere special. I had heard about Gingerboy from quite a few people and being a Melbournian I was embarrassed to have not been here already.
We love Thai food and we love modern twists. We thought the décor was funky but felt it was probably more exciting when the restaurant first opened.
The courses were tasty but unfortunately didn’t live up to the hype.

High-​end Thai food that is consistently good but nothing outstanding.
I honestly can’t come up with dish to say — gee you need to try this.
For example, I saw someone wrote about the dumplings for about ½ the price of 2 here, you can get 8 at Houtong that are to die for. Again, these weren’t bad but I wouldn’t say, come here for some really good dumplings :-)
On the other hand, we didn’t have anything bad.
In general, the price seems a little high for the quality.
If you are the mood to spend $$$ money, might try Chin Chin or Longrain both of which aren’t far from here.
Ambience: imagine a restaurant created by a Russian mobster who moves to Melbourne and opens a Thai restaurant — this is that place.
Customers: men in sports jackets/​suits over 40
Service: prompt, friendly and perfectly attentive.
Presentation: food is to share. Everything is beautifully presented.

Very good, but frankly overrated in my opinion.
I don’t mind opening the ol’ wallet for quality food, but seriously the staff were a bit stand-​offish and the décor wasn’t as great as everyone seems to hype it up — seemed a bit soulless, actually.
So, while I was generally favourably impressed by the meal itself, I don’t think I’ll be back. I can think of one or two similar calibre Asian fusion spots in this town that I like much better.

One of the sexxiest places I’ve eaten food. Chic interior with elaborate cocktails and asian-​fusion cuisine that’s simple in idea, but once again, elaborate in taste/​presentation. I specifically dream about the son in law eggs. Alot.
Definitely a spendy Treat Yo Self kind of place.

Much hyped by friends, I made sure to check out this restaurant on a recent trip to Melbourne.
Service we great, one guest dining with us has sever life threatening allergies, and after explaining what they were to one waitress, she went to the kitchen, and came back with a list of things that could and couldnt be ordered. From then on, with each dish that came out, regardless of the different wait staff, they addressed him individually and advised if he could or couldnt eat the dish, really well done and thoughtful.
Onto the food!
First off, the dishes are HUGE. Between 4 we had 3 entres and 2 mains, and were not able to finish them all.
The dumplings were amazing, a little doughy, but the beef filling was delicious. The pork buns were great, but I’ve had better in my years of eating them, but the highlight was the chicken fried ribs. Think KFC, without all the oil and grease, but loads of chilli and a light batter over the chicken. I could eat this all day.
The red duck lychee curry was the stand out though, a must try. Even the members of our group that claimed they dont eat spicy things, or duck, really enjoyed this. The lychee balances out the spice really well.
Cocktails were all amazing, even if a little slow to come to the table.
Ambience was perfect for the 4 of us, great for a date (or double date as it were), probably wouldnt come here with a group though.

Some very tasty, and well-​presented food. I’m not sure that Gingerboy is as brilliant as it may have been in the past, though. The servicescape felt a little bit tired, and the noise made the experience a little less pleasant than it could have been.
That said, the service was very attentive, and helpful (when the waiter found out that one of our party was vego, he raced to get a much more substantial vegetarian menu, which made us all feel very good).
The barramundi was pretty spectacular, and you can’t fault the Chinese Pork Buns (which are so much less calorific than traditional pork buns, and so much yummier). Try them, and you’ll see what I mean.

This restaurant is the kind of place James Bond might take you to. It’s sleek, but tacky all at the same time, not to mention a little overrated in my opinion.
You’ll find this Asian hawker-​style (not so hawker) restaurant down Crossley St, and if you’re concerned about what to wear, then get dressed up for this one, because otherwise you’ll feel out of place amongst the flashy interior.
The menu is designed for sharing, changes with the seasons with lots of mouth-​watering options to choose from. All seven dishes that we ordered were undeniably fresh and presented beautifully, whilst the cocktail list deserves a big round of applause.
Order the ‘son-​in-​law eggs’ with chilli jam and Asian herbs to get you started, because they are superb.
It’s on the expensive side, but worth it if you’re over eating Asian food at your local food court, because life is too short not to treat yourself.

Dropped in at Gingerboy for lunch on my friends birthday when we were in town a few months ago and surprised her with the dessert tasting plate — wowzers — it was beyond exquisite (have a squizzle at my pic) and really challenges your perceptions of ‘dessert’. My favourite birthday present i’ve ever gifted, partly because I got to share in it too.
The savoury dishes are good but nothing awe-​inspiring for me. The desserts really outshone the mains. Make sure you save/​make room!

The crispy chilli salt cuttlefish with lemon and roasted sesame is delish! Little coated, soft and subtle flavours. The lemon has a nice little coat on to keep the pips out — love that! The flavours are lovely and we are all happy tucking in!
Son in Law eggs with chilli jam and asian herbs — my first time ever! I love that our waiter takes us through the technique of how to eat this properly. Carefully explaining that we need to get lots of jam and herbs and then the whole thing in our mouth and pop the egg against the roof of your mouth with your tongue… read more at my blog

Gingerboy is impossible to fault.
Teage Ezard’s asian affair has firmly placed itself among the top restaurants in Melbourne and features exciting and innovative hawker food.
The setting is fabulous with the decoration mirroring the cuisine: spicy and sophisticated. Comfortable and spacious seating and excellent service will set you up for a memorable meal.
Gingerboy is the perfect place to get out of your comfort zone and sample some preivously untapped flavours. Before taking a look at the menu be sure to try a cocktail, the calpicomi (earl grey, infused peach, lemon juice and gin) has the perfect tropical notes to set you up for the asian flavours to follow.
Crispy chilli salt cuttlefish with lemon and roasted sesame will knock you off your seat, and the roasted pork belly with green prawn relish and coconut salad is one of the best dishes I have ever tried.
Gingerboy is one place to make sure you have room for dessert. On my last visit I was fortunate enough to try the cinnamon-​sugared apple with rhubarb dumplings and calpico sorbet.
It was one of the greatest moments in my culinary life. No exaggeration.
Get to Gingerboy. Get cocktails, starters, mains and desserts.
You’ll thank me.