Dandelion

Touted as a casual Vietnamese restaurant that showcases the contemporary Vietnamese cuisine Dandelion is located in the heart of Elwood village. The dining room is welcoming and relaxed with the large airy space accented by rustic, urban finishes and splashes of greenery. The dining room is welcoming and relaxed with the large airy space accented by rustic, urban finishes and splashes of greenery.

The brainchild of Geoff (Pearl, Richmond) and Jane Lindsay, Dandelion is an award winning Modern Vietnamese restaurant which celebrates the rich and diverse cuisine.

We commenced our culinary journey with the coconut crab dressed with coconut, lime, chilli, black sesame rice paper crackers. A contemporary take on a South East Asian hawker dish, this offered a myriad of bold, but complementary, flavours which still allowed the sweetness of the underlying crab meat to shine through. It was an excellent starter which typified Geoff s multi-faceted style of cooking

The Peking Duck Rice Paper Rolls were similarly delicious. Perfectly cooked duck and fresh salad was wrapped in the most delicate rice paper rolls and dipped in sriracha hoi sin. Just yum!

For mains the Banh Xeo is a must have. In our view it is one of Melbourne’s best rendition of this classic dish – Crispy Saigon turmeric coconut pancake encases pork and prawn salad and bean sprouts is served alongside fragrant herbs and lettuce wraps. This was truly a thing of beauty. Every element was prepared with the utmost care and tasted wonderful.

For something heartier the twice-cooked Beef Short Ribs is sensational. Having been braised in soy, coconut water and mountain spices, the short rib was tender, falling off the bone, juicy and packed with flavour. A memorable dish combining flawless texture with equally superlative flavours, it was particularly noteworthy for its fragrant and complex beefy flavours.

To finish the Single-Origin Marou Chocolate Mousse is a house speciality and it is easy to understand why. We loved the luxurious mousse which went perfectly with the accompanying condensed milk parfait, freeze dried mandarin and Vietnamese coffee crumb.

Dandelion is a longstanding Melbourne favourite and continues to deliver high quality Modern Vietnamese cuisine. In a market where casual dining is in vogue, Dandelion assimilates perfectly. Fortunately, unlike some other restaurants which implement a casual approach to the detriment of the food that they produce, Dandelion adheres to a very high standard – we simply cannot wait to return.

Location: 133 Ormond Road, Elwood

Phone: 03 9531 4900

Link: https://dandelion.ws/