Rice Paper Scissors — Restaurant in Melbourne

Terrible dining experience and the worst customer service I’ve received at a restaurant. we seated early around 5:10pm and ordered within a few minuets and were the very first people to order. We noticed the restaurant filling up quickly and my mocktail (I’m pregnant) hadn’t arrive although about 6 tables around us had their drinks. I queried a waiter and he came back and told us there had been a printer issue and our docket had been lost so they were making it asap. Then our actual waiter came out and repeated the printer issue and said they were hurrying our food along asap. It had been about 40 mins since we had ordered. Then 15 mins passed and food was being served to all the tables around us ans I saw the same dishes we had ordered being dropped to others tables. My drink finally arrived but as it did I saw another steaming hot dish be delivered to a table that seated about half an hour after us and I decided to get up and leave as we had been waiting for nearly an hour by this time with a toddler getting increasingly upset. I spoke to the waitress and she said we could go. As we were walking away we got chased down by another waiter and said we hadn’t paid for our drink. I explained to her I hadn’t even touched it and we were told we could leave, and explained the wait time and docket issue etc. She said because we didn’t order the banquet we needed to wait, and I said that made absolutely no sense and two of her staff had told us their had been a ticketing issue and it was their stuff up. She then said we placed our order at 5:45 and this was a complete lie and I told her yes, that’s because you’re ticketing machine stuffed up and we got told by two of your staff. She continued to argue with us on the street, being relentless, saying we had to pay for the drink. She took no ownership or apologised for how we were treated. If they had made a mistake and then prioritized our food I wouldn’t have cared, but for us to continue to sit there and watch plate after plate being delivered when we had been told our food was being prioritized made me really upset. Then to be chased down the street and yelled at and argued with after we were told it was ok to leave is something I’ve never experienced before. My child was screaming crying and upset so I paid the cocktail and got the lady to leave, but I was honestly shocked at the service and will never ever return or recommend this place. One of the worst dining experiences...

Loved my experience here, in week span I have been there twice already. I’m sure you can make out its really good 😊

Located on a bustling lane of Melbourne. Easy to spot. It’s usually get filled fast so reservations is recommended also mostly if you walk-in you find seats outside(it’s up to you if you prefer to sit outside in winter- they do have heater and blankets to keep you warm)

The staffs are very friendly, welcoming, explaining menu if you are a first timer and listen to your dietary restrictions if any.

Coming to the food, ah it’s yummy. Can’t explain in words the combination of flavours and how it’s spreads and burst when you taken bite. They have a twist to traditional food and a good vegetarian/vegan options as well. Everything I chose blew my mind. ( I chose to both set menu and a-la-carte on different days)

If you choose set menu, you get to chose 5 dishes mix of starters and mains(if you are confused the staff will explain and help you)

Sweet potato bao — this so unique and didn’t expect it to be so yummy soft bun with crunchy sweet potato patty and pickle Le radish that’s tangy and adds crunch when you take a bite! Northern thai Khao soi - yummy curry with friend noodles, best paired with rice. Caramelised tofu betel leaf - this is the start of the dish, fresh, right balance of flavours, juicy, crunchy Thai fried chicken— flavourful friend chicken perfectly paired with Siracha mayo — this is finger licking good 😊 Sticky pork belly — yummy

On the other time, I came here for sweet potato bao band ordered sticky tofu— ah this was good too, your soft tofu deep friend and sautéed with flavourful sauces 😋, it’s heavy - fills your tummy.

Both the times there was no bandwidth for desserts as we were full, would definitely try some other times.

This is great place for dinner date, team lunch/dinner or even of a solo date.

I’ll definitely visit again, a must in Melbourne

Everything was flavourful and perfect. It’s not just food it’s the whole experience that...

After visiting the Stolen Gem which serves Rice Paper Scissors food, we were interested to try the actual restaurants located in Hardware Lane. We tried their $59pp diner menu & chose 5 dishes.

We got: 🍹 That Lychee Drink & Love Your Sister The lychee drink had too much lime that it’s basically a lime juice, skip this 🙅🏻‍♀️

🐟 Coconut Snapper Ceviche Fresh, tasty & good texture contrast between crispy wonton & soft fish. Although we’d appreciate if the fish are cut smaller as the wonton breaks everytime we try to use it to scoop/hold the fish.

🥔 Laughing Cow Croquettes One of the must try item! Served hot, another good texture contrast & a nice mix of sweet, creamy, hint of spice flavors.

🌱 Thai Chive Cakes A nice take on chive cakes, soft & not too oily. Must be eaten with the soy-vinegar dip, otherwise could fall a bit bland.

🐠 Crispy Baramundi Interesting use of watermelon, it was served warm - would be a nice thing on its own as we don’t think it paired well with the fish. Both watermelon & fish textures were soft, and the fish was overpowered by the watermelon too. Still a good dish but each component had to be eaten on its own.

🦆 Balinese Crispy Duck Another must try item! The most flavorful dish out of everything - a mix of all senses. If you only want 1 main, choose this ✨

Although rice was included in the feast, we felt it wasn’t enough for 2 people (only 1 small bowl of rice) - especially with the fish & duck we ordered.

Overall, it was an ok experience. Only 1 lady staff was nice, the rest unfortunately looked like they try to avoid you when they can which was a shame. Hopefully they can improve as they have the potential to be great.

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