Susie Wong

After wandering down the street when being told there was a 2 hour wait for Hawker Hall, we discovered this gem tucked away next to an adult store. Not the best location but it was worth the drop in. No queue, so we got seated immediately.
I started with a cocktail, She’s so fine, which is an Asian version of a mojito, substituting sake for rum. It was delicious with elderberry and lime leaves, very refreshing!
My group decided on the chef’s selection for a 6-​course meal ($ 50/​pp) as we could not decide since everything on the menu looked tasty.
Starting with the spicy pork relish on pineapple, a quick bite, then onto two kinds of dumplings — pork/​chive and veggie. All very good.
We started wondering if we would get more than just nibbles when the main courses arrived. Chargrilled lamb ribs with tender meat that fell off the bone and a flavourful spice. I especially enjoyed the crispy Cambodian chicken wings with srirachi honey (be careful, it bites back). It was accompanied by the warm mushroom salad with sautéed greens and a side of rice. Then came the Massaman beef curry which was a warm, welcome bowl of goodness.
Finally, we ended on a sweet note with two kinds of dessert. The special caramelised ginger flan and the creamy yoghurt with pistachio floss. Amazing! We let none go to waste.
To top it off, we received great service. Friendly, attentive manager and well paced dishes. We were even invited to their big 2-​year anniversary party. What a treat! If you don’t want to wait long for a tasty meal and good service, you can’t go wrong with Susie Wong! :)

Great little place at the Windsor end of Chapel St. Unlike other Asian fusion restaurants on this strip, music is played at a level to add ambience rather than to kill conversation. Friendly professional wait staff.
Tempura rocking with lemon and ginger nuoc cham and Crispy Cambodian chicken wings are two of my favourites, as are their dumplings and Nashi pear, coconut and cabbage salad.

Oh Susie. Susie Wong. I normally judge Asian fusion restaurants, but you were excellent.
Fun fact: this restaurant was named after a novel called ‘The World of Suzie Wong’ by Richard Mason. It’s set in the 50s in colonial Hong Kong and is about the enduring love story of a young British artist and a Chinese prostitute who meet in a Hong Kong brothel. If you love that era, and the descriptions of life in such an environment, you’ll love this book. And if you loved the book — like I did — you may also be inspired to try the restaurant. Not because you think it’s a Hong Kong brothel, but the name and sentiment rocks.
Visualise funky exposed brick, friendly staff and an impressive wine list. I met a friend here for dinner and we go a lot of delicious share plates. Kingfish tartre on betel leaf. Lam ribs with lemongrass flavour — in fact we got two serves of this. Crispy blackened cuttlefish. Noodles. Massaman beef curry. Lots of dumplings. So many dumplings — we were literally busting at the end.
Combined with friendly and efficient service — so nice to meet hospo staff who care and are passionate about good food and wine in Windsor — it was a good night.
Just FYI — they have two settings — one at 6pm and the other at 8pm. After dark it gets filled with Kim Kardashian wannabes so be prepared.

Without fault, great atmosphere, music and décor sets the scene… Good wine list — had the 2010 Salomon Syrah-​Viognier Fleurieu Peninsula, SA Floral tones, dark berries, tobacco & leather, lush, deep & elegant — medium-​light bodied we’ll matches to the food.
Loved everything we are… Well balanced and amazing flavours:
— Kingfish Tartare with Finger Lime & Crispy Betel Leaf — succulent kingfish with the textural betel and the lime carried through beautifully…
— Autumn Mushroom Salad with Papaya, Bitter Melon & Soy Beans — big spicy, sweet flavours with tender mushrooms and some bitterness cutting through. Papaya was great…
— Red Braised Chicken with Kim Chi — my favourite dish of the meal … Crispy skin chicken — best I’ve ever had, no more to say…
— Sour orange snapper — light, tangy and fresh…
Large portions too, in fact too large to squeeze in dessert.
Great meal… Will be back…

Susie Wong is a newbie (just four months old) at the Windsor end of Chapel Street just down from Dandenong Road. The décor us predominantly brown from the dark wood ceiling, exposed brick walls and dark red polished concrete floor, which gives it a subdued yet cozy feel.
I asked my waiter for some recommendations and he suggested the Ma Hor to start. These were two little balls of shredded pork mixed with fried shallots held together by a thick palm sugar sauce and served on squares of pineapple. Normally I dislike pineapple in savoury dishes (what deviant actually thought up the Hawaiian pizza?) but this really worked, with the slight tartness of the fruit offsetting the sweet, sticky pork mix.
Next up was scallop, prawn and goji berry dumplings served in an elegant black bowl on a pool of soy sauce and sliced shallots. Nothing you couldn’t get at any restaurant in Little Bourke Street, by very nice nevertheless.
My waiter confided that the ox tail dumplings were his favourite, so of course I had to give those a try. They were served in the same way as the previous dish, but were much more interesting. The meat was tender — actually, soft is probably a better description — with a texture and taste reminiscent of braised beef cheek. Really, really good and the pick of the plates for me.
Susie Wong serves very good food at very reasonable priced with dishes starting at $ 5 and topping at $ 26, and while the menu isn’t extensive everything I tried was delicious. Add laid back atmosphere and super friendly service and Susie Wong is definitely a keeper. I’ve already got a friend in mind to bring along on my next visit, which I expect will be very, very soon.

Let’s do some maths… for a table of 4, we had 1 entrée, 3 mains, 2 sides + 1 bottle of wine that all together came to less than $ 40 a head.
Considering everyone at the table enjoyed every dish, this was a serious win! Think Asian fusion dishes — Som Lor goat curry, amok red snapper, interesting dumplings combinations and crab fried rice as a side (delicious). If you’re keen or perhaps feeling indecisive, there’s a chef selection banquet offer too.
The staff are charming and attentive, but still have personality and a sense of humor which makes for some enjoyable banter. There’s no rush, it’s very genuine service. With wooden lanterns and exposed brick walls, this is somewhere to enjoy your food and the company of your table without feeling pretentious. It’s perfect for a Friday night, exciting food that won’t break your budget for the weekend.
Susie Wong’s has a great vibe, accepts bookings (yay!) and has an ace but affordable winelist. Bring some friends, share a few dishes and then bar-​hop the Windsor end of Chapel St

Right across from Windsor station a new Asian sensation has arrived. Susie wong’s has left me with a fantastic first impression. We looked through the menu and ordered 3 mains which consisted of some beautiful fish, succulent chicken and some surprisingly tasty goat! As an entrée we had some mud crab with a delicious aioli that left us all craving more. We shared all the meals and had a few sides, which they catered for divinely. All their bottles of wine were very reasonably priced, and their staff were very knowledgable and happy to help match some wines with our foods. I think that the thing that surprised us most was the bill, I mean when you pay $ 35 each and walk away full, satisfied and had a bit to drink I’ll always be happy! Great food, good service and good drinks it’s a good addition to chapel street!

Came here last week for our usual Wednesday night date dinner after reading a few good reviews. I thought it was ideal as it’s very close to where I live.
Food was wonderful and the service I can’t rave enough about.
I liked that we were able to see the chefs at work in the kitchen. I liked the cosy feel of the venue and yes, again the food was amazing.
I think you Unilocalers need to get on board to Susie Wongs ASAP — this place is a winner.

Was super excited to try Susie Wong’s and my excitement was definitely valid.
It was a fairly busy evening and the first thing I noticed was how lovely the staff were. Our waiter was cheeky and lovely and attended to our every need.
We decided to go the sharing plate route, wanting to try as many dishes as possible. First up was Ma Hor and excellent start with lots of flavours, Red Curry Lamb Ribs were absolutely amazing with the lamb falling off the bone and so ridiculously tender and with a mouth-​watering sauce.
I love the no BS wine list very easy to read and a champion at matching your food.
Next was the Cheung fun with prawns and the in my opinion blue ribbon winning Oxtail dumplings — YOU MUST TRY THESE!
I loved how we had a view of the kitchen and it was certainly a treat to see the very talented Daniel Sullivan at work.
The interior has a warm feel and makes you want to be there all night eating, drinking and talking.
I don’t often do desserts but when I find a place where in my opinion every dish we ate was as stunning as our’s, I felt dessert was warranted.
We had the Durian Tart with Jasmine Sorbet, yes again delicious and our waiter matched the dessert with L’armangia Moscato d’Asti from Italy and was a perfect way to end our dining experience at Susie Wong’s.
Next time we go I’ll be trying the mains for sure. Loved Susie Wong’s and I advise that you arrange a visitation here very soon!

I had a lovely Friday night dinner here with some friends.
The staff here are pretty amazing. Very experienced. Casual, yet professional. Accommodating. It’s a really nice space with exposed brick walls and an open kitchen.
I arrived 10 minutes late and already the rest of my group were tasting wines to go with dinner. It’s so nice when people are indecisive to give them a taste. Not all places offer. Your crowd is guaranteed to leave pleased, rather than wondering ‘what if’. Curiosity is satisfied.
We chose the banquet and we had 1 vegetarian with us. We were all catered to beautifully and the staff made sure our vego friend was full and pleased.
It’s not from the menu, but from my memory and we had:
sweet chilli pork served a top a small piece of pineapple
mushroom and soybean salad
squid in a cuttlefish ink batter
oxtail and chilli dumplings
lily bud dumplings
stirfired string bean salad with seared beef
mushroom ma po tofu
pickled veg
milawa fried chicken
goat curry
kohlrabi and greens
dessert was a trio of sorbet (jasmine, coconut and dragonfruit) and a couple of cakey things (Portuguese tarts and coconut cake).
As you can see it’s a kinda pan-​asian menu. Not exclusively Chinese, Vietnamese, Malay or Thai, but a bit of everything with a twist to suit Melbourne’s expectations.
Sorry there’s no pics — I was enjoying my friends’ company and forgot.
Basically, everything was yum. My dish of the night was the cuttlefish battered squid. Others loved the oxtail dumplings.