Khao Melbourne — Restaurant in Melbourne

Short version (for the top): I used to enjoy this place, but after today I won’t be coming back. Poor service, forgotten orders, and chaotic management during a large group booking ruined the whole experience.

Full review: I’ve been here a few times before, but after today I won’t be coming back.

The restaurant accepted a massive group reservation, but clearly didn’t have enough staff to handle it. Either they should have brought in more staff or simply not taken such a large booking.

I even brought my friends today and recommended the place, telling them the food was good and the service was nice and quick ( we only have an hour break for lunch). We arrived around 12:10 PM.

Here’s what happened: right after we sat down, a waitress asked us to move because of the group booking. We ordered our food before the large group even arrived.

My Thai-style sausage came out around 12:20 PM—it was only room temperature instead of hot, which was disappointing because I could imagine it being delicious if served properly. Still, I was “lucky,” because it was the very first dish served in the whole restaurant.

From there, things went downhill. Some tables who ordered before us still hadn’t received their food, while others who arrived later than us were already eating—very inconsistent. We were given two plates of Kra Pao Pork Belly when we only ordered one.

By 12:50 PM, the noodle station had stopped, and my friend’s dish wasn’t even cooked yet. When we asked, the staff admitted they had simply forgotten. Other tables which came earlier than me had similar problems, and my friend and several others ended up asking for refunds.

As a regular customer, this was extremely disappointing—especially since I had recommended the restaurant to my friends. Today’s service was chaotic and embarrassing. If a group reservation is made days in advance, more staff should be arranged or the kitchen should start earlier. If it’s booked on the day, you should either decline the booking or limit walk-ins. With only two people at the bar, one waitress, and maybe one or two in the kitchen, it was impossible to manage. It felt like the restaurant prioritized earning money from the large group, but in doing so, sacrificed the service and trust of regular customers. A very...

🐂Khao Soi Wagyu Beef After some research, I found out that Khao Soi is known as "Golden Noodles" in Thailand, a famous noodle dish from the Northern region. The soup base blends curry with a flavor similar to Tom Yum, resulting in a rich and intense taste. The Wagyu beef is tender, and it comes with crispy fried noodles on the side to add texture. Topped with cilantro and onions, the aroma becomes even more rich. If you enjoy curry soup bases, you should give this a try.

🐷🌶️Kra Pao Crispy Pork This is a common Thai dish made with the "Pad Kra Pao" method. The first bite delivers a spicy and slightly salty flavor. The pork is crispy with a hint of oiliness, but not overly greasy. It pairs well with rice. If you prefer a stronger taste, you can opt for "extra hot," which is satisfyingly spicy.

🦐Pad Thai This stir-fried noodle dish is a classic Thai street food. The shrimp are large and succulent, and the noodles are well-seasoned. Crushed peanuts and bean sprouts add layers of texture. The overall flavor is close to the local Thai style, so Pad Thai enthusiasts should find it quite authentic.

🐷Northern Thai Pork Sausage This Northern Thai sausage is infused with lemongrass and other Thai spices. After grilling, it has a crispy exterior while maintaining a juicy interior.

🇹🇭Thai Milk Tea A classic Thai milk tea that is sweet and smooth, a safe bet.

🥥Coconut Smoothie This is a frozen version of coconut water, refreshing and not too sweet, making it suitable for those who prefer low sugar or love coconut flavor.

🥭Mango Sticky Rice Bingsu The shaved ice is infused with coconut milk, giving it a very fine texture. The mango chunks are fresh, and the sticky rice has a slightly glutinous texture with a hint of pandan leaf flavor. The overall sweetness is moderate, making this a perfect dessert after...

We came here because one of us saw this place highly recommended on Little Red Book (小红书) and thought it worth checking out. Unfortunately, the experience here was disappointing and we left the restaurant thinking whatever was mentioned on 小红书 must be paid advertisements and not authentic/genuine recommendations. We won’t be recommending this place to friends and others due to food poisoning experienced, small food portions and other reasons. We ordered Khao Soi Wagyu beef, Kra Pao crispy pork and Northern Thai pork sausage. The Khao Soi portion is very small and to hear this coming from two girls, you know how small the portion must be. It was also too salty. The lime wedge that came with it is not fresh and hardly any juice came out when squeezed. Flavour is so so only, the restaurant seems to try and be Thai-Jap fusion (?) but the flavours only come out as confused 🤷‍♀️ The Kra Pao is nothing to rave about; we have had plenty of Kra Pao in other places including home cooked, all much tastier than what was served. The crispy pork was also hard as rock and not fresh. Pricing is expensive, given the portion sizes and not 💯 % fresh food. To top it all off, getting food poisoning afterwards is definitely not something anyone would like after a planned Saturday night out. The service staff were all very friendly and nice and the decor in the restaurant is pretty fresh and interesting so that is a plus, but not enough to give the restaurant more stars unfortunately. Overall, would not recommend...