The Best Dishes Everyone Should Try in Melbourne Best Dishes Everyone Should Try in Melbourne | Page 11

So whoosh, number one with a rocket, but hang on what about the dead heat, oh yes. Wait for it;
Chinta Ria
You may or may not be interested to know, that I went to the original Chinta Ria in Prahran (which is still
there I think), 30 years ago. Chinta Ria was fantastic back then, it was one of the few, if not the only
Malaysian restaurant in Melbourne. They made a beautiful Malaysian curry, and they were the first I
reckon, to introduce roti bread to Melbourne. They may not even have had laksa in those days, it may
have been a little scary for the Aussie pallet, mine included.
These Malaysian restaurants I've noticed all have something in common (most of the classy ones any way)
that is, they have a lovely array of wooden shelving the wood stained in wonderful hues. With dark and
stormy tones surrounding us on the walls. They'd fit right into the pages of any interior decorating
magazine. What do they fill the shelves with? The larder? It's strange, it's almost as if they had to clean
out the larder and temporarily left it all out on these shelves? One thing though, you can get a few clues
as to what ingredients they use, if you are trying to recreate their food yourself.
I'm waffling on, I should get back to the food, it's what we're all here for after all. What about the laksa?
It's a photo finish as you know, the taste, the texture, the whole melting pot, has the magic. My partner,
when pressed, as to what exactly is better about these two, her words were, "creamy," "spicy," "big tofu
bits" (her favourite) and "just the right hint of mint."
The ambience here is a bit like a cafeteria, which suits me, but everyone is shouting louder to be heard,
so be prepared for that. I read somewhere once, that this is a place when you are eating on the run to go
somewhere else, rather than this as the destination. Keep that in mind, it's good advice.
You want to try one of these, and can't decide, which to try first? I should mention that not only are the
laksas line ball, in my opinion, all the food is top notch in both of these establishments. It is really hard to
separate them (number 2, which is really number 3, is in the same boat in my mind too). Which one should