Red Spice Road

Posted by: Hobsonz Choice | 17 February 2011, 2.01pm

I took my partner here as thank you present and had high expectations having heard great things. We had the banquet menu and received a serving of both starters, both entrees, both mains and the dessert (as listed on the banquet menu). The lamb ribs were incredible! And I'm not normally a fan of ribs. The prok belly was also great, but I was disappointed with the beef and the salad served with the pork belly - they were very bland in comparrison.

I thoroughly enjoyed the wine and thought is was reasonably priced. The table staff were genearlly considerate althought the speed at which the meals come out make you feel like they're trying to get you out the door.

I didn't mind the communal seating, but we were there on a quiet night and I can see how annoying it could be if you were in a small group.

In general, I'm looking forward to going back again, but I'll be a little pickier about what dishes I order.

Food:			Visit: Wed 29 December 2010 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: HighlandYetti | 3 June 2010, 4.27pm

I had not heard of this place before I was told I would be going there for dinner and was initially pleasantly surprised. To find a nice place to eat right in the heart of Melbourne is usually challenging. But I found the food here can be something special.
We went for the tasting menu which allowed us to try most dishes. Some we very tasty - the beef cheeks so tender - and full of flavour! only let down with the food was the vegetarian options were limited and generally tasted the same. On a side note every dish is very rich - might not be to everyones taste.
Service is attentive yet discreet. With the communal tables we found that it was quite hard to have a discreet conversation with people right next to and opposite you. Sound also carries in this place so be prepared to raise your volume too...
All in all not bad at all

Food:			Visit: Mon 31 May 2010 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: vy00 | 14 May 2010, 3.31pm

I was very eager to try RSR after hearing fantastic reviews. Unfortunately, I didn t enjoy the experience quite so much as I was anticipating.

While RSR indeed has a fun and friendly (aka communal) dining atmosphere which is largely supported by the heavy wooden tables and chairs, plush crimson and amethyst decor and contemporary light fitting, the food is slightly below par.

We opted for the banquet menu consisting of an appetizer and five share plates. The beef and lamb were both slow roasted dishes that didn t offer much variety. The pork belly was cooked well but largely uninspiring. The barramundi was by far the worst dish lacking in any kind of flavour apart from a very dull cucumber taste. The only stand-out was the beetle leaf with shredded chicken offered as the appetizer and the beautiful black rice sorbet for dessert. Overall the beginning and end where both very good, the middle however was severely disappointing.

Service is not very attentive and it is quite noisy. I would recommend RSR for a lunchtime meal, for large groups or an informal night out.

Food:			Visit: Fri 14 May 2010 Mealtime: lunch
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Posted by: Matt G | 14 December 2009, 11.09am

We dined at RSR on a Sunday evening. It was fairly quiet and a little bit empty for such a big space, which made it lack a bit of atmosphere. That said though I'm not sure I would want it full either as it would be very loud. The communal tables aren't my cup of tea, but it wasn't an issue as there was plenty of room. But it is a nice space, well decorated and my wife loved the toilets!
As for the food, we couldn't fault it. We had the banquet and everything was superb. Neither of us eat oysters and they were happy to swap these for the corn fritters (which were divine). The lamb ribs and pork belly in particular were to die for. It was a lot of food and we were quite full by the time dessert arrived, but the passionfruit cream & ice cream was the perfect finale. One of the nicest meals I've ever had. My wife also loved everything. For $55 a head it is great value, and the winelist was good and not overly expensive.
The service was satisfactory but probably not as attentive as it could have been given it was pretty quiet. Overall though a fantastic meal highly recommended.

Food:			Visit: Sun 13 December 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: rp_51 | 23 September 2009, 1.53pm

A cousin of mine was in town from Sydney so we thought we would check this place out, as being vegetarians's we are well catered for in Asian restaurants. Unfortunately there were only 3 vege mains that were on offer and 2 entrees. We ordered the lot, however the main part of both the entrees' and a main were the same (a lovely green mango & pawpaw salad). Overall the food was really nice, the waiter was a bit slow and even forgot to bring out green tea til we had to ask for it after we were nearly finished.

Food:			Visit: Thu 17 September 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: akeemi | 6 September 2009, 12.04am

went there for my son's 19th bday. we chose this venue since we only live less than a block away and have been meaning to check it out for eons.
first the positives: awesome online booking system!!! wow! im super impressed! got a confirmation and reminder on the day via email AND text message. the service was friendly and professional and quick too! and the signature dish - pork belly! wow - what can i say! DELICIOUS and SINFUL!
ok, now just a few suggestions: on the online booking system, perhaps if we mentioned that we are locals plus that the dinner was for a special occasion (i.e. bday), it would be a good touch to mention it to the front line staff so that they can greet said celebrant.
the other more important bone i have to pick is the communal table setting. i believe this should be prominently mentioned in the booking system and the website so as to warn the diners who want something a bit more intimate (or just doesnt want to feel like their personal space is being invaded). aside from having to share a table with 20 or so other people, the tables were too wide that i felt like we needed an intercom system to actually hear others from across the table!!! either cut em up (say, a foot or so) or give diners their own tables! by the middle of the meal, i gave up yelling at my fellow diner and the meal was finished in silence, altho we were quite entertained by the couple next to us, who were trying belligerently to "whisper" sweet nothings and doing the whole holding hands bit from across the universe (ahemmm table i mean) without success.
once again, the food was exquisite, the decor was awesome plus the staff and online booking system were superb!
but man! something needs to be done about that table...

Food:			Visit: Wed 2 September 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: LoneDiner | 5 March 2009, 4.41pm

I read about this restaurant in this month's Qantas mag. I hate dining alone when away so hats off to Qantas for finding somewhere for business travellers to go on their own.

To the restaurant I was professionally handled and placed at the large round table, not hidden away in a corner. I had a betel leaf to start and a prawn salad and lamb curry for mains. With rice there was a little too much for me to eat but I did manage to finish the prawns. I had a Pinot Grigio by the glass. I was not rushed, as is so often the case when you are on your own, nor did I feel any of the embarrassing delays that sitting on your own and waiting for your meal to arrive can bring.

The food was superb - loved it all. I will have a hard time choosing something different next time I'm in Melbourne. Highly recommended either in a group or on your lonesome. I'll be back one way or other.

Once again thanks to Qantas for thinking of us lonesome diners, sure beats the room service burger and crappy TV.

Food:			Visit: Wed 4 March 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: casey79 | 2 March 2009, 9.46pm

Amazing experience. Huge place, great vibe, tasty food. But cocktails were exceptional. Over 20 or more including a "spider" with coconut icecream. Have to go back for the list of cocktail jugs to try them all! The Spanish (I think) waiter was awesome fun.

Food:			Visit: Sat 7 February 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: tasteseeker | 23 February 2009, 5.29pm

After reading several positive reviews of this place, I was most disappointed with the meal we had here. We opted for the tasting plate as it seemed a reasonable selection from the menu. Unfortunately none of the dishes tasted like they had been freshly prepared. The texture of the pork belly just wasn't right. To add insult to injury, we were rushed through our courses (adding to the feeling that the owners just want to cram as many people in and make as much $$ as quickly as possible)and had to ask to have our glasses of wine refilled (twice) from the bottle located on the central table.
Needless to say, a return visit is not on the cards.

Food:			Visit: Fri 20 February 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: RissasRules | 21 February 2009, 2.51pm

I had to book a function of 40 people on a budget of $80 per head. After discounting a number of CBD venues I hit upon RSR's Private Dining Room, the Lotus Room.

We started with a drink in the bar before being expertly moved into the function room. We had a $55 tasting menu with $25 for two hours of wine and beer. The food was great and well suited to the size of the function. Wines were ok for the price, overall good value. Service was attentive and at the right level. The private room was crowded which gave it a great atmosphere - it would not be suitable for many more people however.

A number of people stayed at the bar to finish off the night.

The only thing I would change is having an option for a welcome drink in addition to the food and beverage package as the majority of people seemed to do.

Recommended.

Food:			Visit: Thu 19 February 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: gluten gurl | 16 February 2009, 5.08pm

Dined at RSR for Valentine's Day. As a coeliac I was delighted to see so many gluten-free options available on the menu. We ate at the communal table, which was fun and we had high hopes for the Tasting menu. Unfortunately, it was all rich and a tad of an overkill of flavours. I really would have liked to have at least a couple of less complicated dishes. The signature crispy pork belly was definitely the best thing we had. However, the quail was slightly burnt, and everything else pretty much overwhelmed with coriander and lemon grass. When I mentioned to the waiter I felt they could have held back some and not gone so overboard and kept a couple of dishes simple, he actually agreed. That was kind of refreshing actually and I would rate the service and atmosphere well above the food. Also RSR committed the sin of all sins and served two bowls of rice, quite unnecessary as they discard one of them ie chuck it away. You'd think at least they would have asked -- I simply find that practice abhorrent.

Food:			Visit: Mon 16 February 2009 Mealtime: lunch
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Posted by: sporty | 4 July 2008, 1.57pm

We ordered the $20 set lunch special and were delightfully surprised at the quality of the food. The flavours were very fresh and complex and the portion size was more then adequate. The dish of the day was the special of wagyu beef with lotus flower and pumpkin. The beef was so tender it feel apart easily due to the slow cooking.

Food:			Visit: Fri 4 July 2008 Mealtime: lunch
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Posted by: Iluvfood | 7 May 2008, 11.10am

When my friend and I couldn't get a table at Gingerboy we decided to try out RSR and were pleasantly surprised. We dined at the round communal table which had filled up by the time we left.

We ordered the tasting menu consisting of 2 starters, 2 entrees, 2 mains and 1 dessert for $50 each. I especially enjoyed the signature crispy pork belly; snapper curry; and lemongrass pannacotta with peanut brittle and watermelon granita - a perfect end to the meal. Flavours were fresh and defined.

Service was attentive but unobtrusive, friendly and fast. The decor is beautiful, lots of dark wood and a giant red lantern. Overall, a lovely meal.

Food:			Visit: Sat 22 March 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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