Luxsmith Restaurant + Bar — Restaurant in Melbourne

NOT FODMAP FRIENDLY. Very disappointed. I made a note of dietary requirements for two of my party when booking and heard nothing back so I was so looking forward to trying out the food here as the menu looks absolutely delicious; to the point that I wanted to try almost everything. I was thinking if this goes well it could be our regular meeting place.

I was impressed with the atmosphere when I walked in and was shown to our table. Our waitress was welcoming and helpful. Unfortunately, when our waitress came to take our food order and I asked if she could point out meals that I could have she stated that I could have the edamame; cucumber salad or the roti. I questioned her and pointed out that I had made a note of my dietary needs at the time of booking. She checked with the kitchen and came back to confirm that all I could have was those three items. Having travelled an hour to catch up with friends for dinner, I was more than shocked and disappointed that I was going to miss out on a nice dinner. I left the table to speak personally with the chef or kitchen staff to see if there was a work around. I simply cannot tolerate garlic. Apparently it was in everything. I wouldn't go as far as to say that the chef was rude but he was resistant and unhelpful. My evening was only saved by the male waiter and our lovely waitress for the night. Thank goodness for dessert. I can highly recommend the White Chocolate and Pandan Cheesecake.

I contrast this to a restaurant that I went to 3 weeks prior and another one 6 weeks earlier to that and I can only say that the treatment was like chalk and cheese. For a restaurant of this calibre and price (it is not cheap at $70 per head without drinks) I would think that they could accommodate most mainstream dietary intolerances. I consider myself to be quite a foodie and have been living with my issue for 10 years now. I eat a very healthy and well balanced diet and am able to work my way around most menus. It is such a shame to write a...

ORDERED: ☘ Betel leaf salad smoked trout, avocado, pomelo, young coconut & chilli (gf) ($25.00) 🥟 5x Mushroom, pea & ginger dumplings, salted black bean, chilli & ginger (ve) ($21.00) 🐟 Kingfish sashimi nahm jim, coconut, chilli & lime (gf) ($27.00)

🐷 Twice cooked pork belly, dry red curry, green peppercorns & kaffir lime (gf) ($42.00) 🍚 Steamed Jasmine rice (ve, gf) ($5.00)

🍮 Coconut & lychee panna cotta, strawberries, basil & sesame crumble (gf) ($15.00)

I paid $75.00 for my portion here which included a mocktail.

REVIEW: 3/5 is a good rating from me! It just means I had an average experience; I walked out satisfied but it was not mind blowing.

📓 Thai food has very distinct flavour and for me, it should incorporate at least 2 of the 4 components: Spicy/Sweet/Sour/Savoury. Although Luxsmith were great at pulling out the coconut flavour in the entree dishes, I felt like it was lacking that extra (typically sour notes or more spice) that would make it more Thai to me. Kingfish sashimi was our favourite entree though! Very refreshing 😊.

Splitting 3 entrees was an EFFORT between two, so my friend was happy to finish more of the mains so that I had room for dessert. The twice cooked pork belly was juicy, with a saltiness they could've held back a touch on. I did appreciate the spiciness though! 🌶 I found the rice was a little bit too dry for my liking.

♥ Dessert was flawless. I appreciated the array of fresh sweet strawberries which added a refreshing bite to every panna cotta spoonful. The sesame crumble was addictive for the nutty flavour and texture crunch as well. I would highly recommend this to leave you feeling lighter after your meal! 🍓🍓

Service was friendly, and the outfit is very modern. They maximise the amount of natural light coming through, which keeps the interior welcoming...

I consider myself to be quite the harsh critic when it comes to restaurants and the experience I had at this restaurant was unfaultable. Atmosphere was calm and not too loud, staff were friendly and nice, service was quick and professional. For our meals we ordered the set menu/banquet and the food was superb. I enjoyed the variety of trying some new foods but also having some more familiar foods. Favourite entree would have to be the soft shell crab bao, sweet but balanced perfectly with the creamy coleslaw. Favourite main was definitely the massaman curry, so flavourful and the beef brisket just fell apart in my mouth, couldnt get enough of this dish. For dessert we had the white chocolate pandan cheesecake which perfectly finished up our meal, light and creamy with a nice balance of crunchy granola. Would highly recommend this place.

Feedback: The only thing that I believe would bring the service that extra notch higher is to have one person serve us through the whole evening instead of 4, just to build up rapport between the waiter and those dining in, and this is if I'm being real nit picky. Other than that my experience was...