BUN CHA HIGHETT — Restaurant in Melbourne

Lunch was so good I came back the same day for dinner and it ended up being the best steak I have eaten in all of Australia.

This afternoon, my family and I (kids 5 and 7), were looking for a place to have lunch that we had not tried before. Earlier in the week my wife noticed Bun Cha and it's unassuming store front didn't scream, "this place is super special," but let me tell you, it is. They had 6 beautiful salads with plenty of veggies to meet my wife's appetite for veggies and copious amounts of meat to satiate my love for meat. My kids each had a kid size portion of pho, spring rolls, and prawn crackers. My wife and I split 2 different salads and I had a pork bao. I have not eaten veggies so cold and fresh, meat so tender and full of umami, and sauces and spices that were so complimentary and full of flavor. Each bite felt curated, thought out, and mind blowing. I was in love. I had not known a bao could be that good.

As I wrapped up lunch and walked past the kitchen I saw them preparing steaks. The chef said he was getting wagyu ready for dinner. I knew I needed to try these.

So, tonight I came back for dinner. I ordered the sizzling steak special, which comes with a salad, and broccoli. My wife ordered another different salad. We were both moaning in delight with each bite. Their steak is out of this world good. I have eaten steaks at a number of places and I would choose this one over any other. It was tender, perfectly salty and peppery, and had amazing marbling. I could eat these every night for the rest of my life.

If you haven't tried Bun Cha, this is something that is broken and needs to be fixed. I highly recommend the steak. It is so dangerous how close I live to this place and how good it is. I need to make room in my budget for them this year. My family and I will not only be back but evangelizing how good.

If you go, tell Hung or Vin,...

Enjoyed a lovely meal out lastnight at Bun Cha. Complimentary prawn crackers were nice and crunchy but a bit risky to fill up on! The crab spring rolls were very tasty and so fresh with the mint leaves and dipping sauce. We tried the vermicelli noodle bowl with grilled chicken and the viet beef stew with the dinner roll. Firstly it's no ordinary dinner roll! It's a Viet/french style roll that is crispy on the outside and sweet and soft on the inside. Sooo good dipped into the beef stew! Noodle bowl was fresh and delicious and the smoky flavour from the grilled chicken was great. Service was excellent and the lovely gentleman thoughtfully gave us the table at the back in case our bub got cold from the front door opening. Bub even got his own plate and cup to mess up! Atmosphere was warm, comfortable and inviting. Looking forward to...

Had been a regular at the previous restaurant which unfortunately closed down due to a fire. The new version presents very well, tables were better spaced out, fresh decor and good colour scheme. The restaurant was only opened a week so there was a bit of scrambling around regarding tables etc. and we did wait a while for our meal, others who arrived after us were served before us. The menu seemed to be slightly heavy on pork dishes, very few chicken options and perhaps only one fish dish. The food was good however I think they need to offer more options. I put it down to first week jitters and will...