Shanikas Carrum Downs — Restaurant in Melbourne

Service was sporadic. Must rely heavily on regular customer base, as you could see the difference in how much attention different tables received.

Ordered drinks, very good prices.

Entrees were hit or miss. Garlic bread was overly salty. Char-grilled Cuttlefish was really good, I mean really good.

Chicken risotto was all-round okay. Really basic plating. Saffron risotto was well textured but the chicken was overcooked. Needs more of the jus. Veal tortelloni was very disappointing. Veal was very small and tough. Pasta overcooked. Sauce was salty (almost inedible) with no evidence of mushroom anywhere in the mushroom sauce.

Had henessy as a digestif but was served at room temperature in a cold glass, pretty disappointing.

Dessert was pretty good. Lemon curd had a whole lot of lemon zest, quite punchy. Meringue was crisp. Brownie was well cooked. Sour Cherry sauce was delicious.

Would give 3.5 stars if possible. Would...

I was taken to lunch at Shanika's again the other day after a long interval. As usual it had a bustling atmosphere at this time of the day but wasn't quite as full as before. This always makes me wonder if things have changed. They had in that one or two of the dishes had gone. One of them was their fabulous risotto dish made with blue cheese. I could have cried!

Nevertheless the two risotto dishes we ordered, one with chicken and one with prawns were delicious. The prawns were really large and sweet and juicy. I will go back for that.

The wines are palatable and I was delighted to find I could order champagne by the glass

We were too full for dessert.

All in all it was a pleasant experience which could have been improved by a more prompt acknowledgement of our presence on arrival, and a bit more attention from the waitron who had to be prompted to bring water and who certainly wasn't going to suggest...

Just AMAZING!!! to think we have a restaurant of this calibre less than 5 mins from home is a great find! Our waiter was on the ball from the moment we walked in, we had booked a table for four and it was close to the fire which felt really cozy.

They already had a high chair for our three year old kudos for prepping early!

Iced water with iceblocks as we sat down another tick. Great menu really diverse and not overpriced. Good sized meals everyone enjoyed it. Icy cold Asahi was perfect!

Couldnt fault anything. Staff, service, meals, drinks, atmosphere all spot on! Impressed with the fact that the tables are spaced properly with plenty of room to move so that people are not sitting too close to each other. Definitely a...