Inspired by hawker-style food of South East Asia, Rice Paper Scissors is a restaurant in Melbourne that adds a modern twist to traditional cuisines. They have a location in the CBD and Fitzroy, with a sister restaurant named Rice Paper Sisters.
We dined at the CBD location with no previous reservation and were seated almost immediately. We ordered the bundle deal of 5 dishes to share for $39 pp, plus an additional 2 dishes.
We dined at the CBD location with no previous reservation and were seated almost immediately. We ordered the bundle deal of 5 dishes to share for $39 pp, plus an additional 2 dishes.
Food
This steamed rice cakes was our favourite of the night 😍. It was a lovely twist on our staple bánh bèo, with caramelised pork, pickled turnip and crispy pork skin all served on a bed of lettuce and herbs.
It was a little messy to hold at first, but after we balanced everything and shoved it in our mouths, it was smooth sailing with a very delicious and compacted one-bite wonder. The savouriness from the pork skin and the earthiness from the herbs exhilarating our tastebuds. On its own, this dish was $16 for 4 pieces.
It was a little messy to hold at first, but after we balanced everything and shoved it in our mouths, it was smooth sailing with a very delicious and compacted one-bite wonder. The savouriness from the pork skin and the earthiness from the herbs exhilarating our tastebuds. On its own, this dish was $16 for 4 pieces.
Next was the sister’s lobster roll pandesal ulang with tempura slipper lobster, pickled mustard greens, Pinoy sauce and krisantemo leaf. The lobster was mildly sweet and chewy, with a slight defrosted taste from the cooking process. The tempura batter had a sticky sweet coating and was not as crispy as we would’ve liked it.
The brioche bun was fluffy but a bit overly sweet, in combination with the tempura and lobster. The touch of earthy, bitter krisantemo leaf helped a little to balance everything. On its own, this was $17 for 2 pieces.
The brioche bun was fluffy but a bit overly sweet, in combination with the tempura and lobster. The touch of earthy, bitter krisantemo leaf helped a little to balance everything. On its own, this was $17 for 2 pieces.
This scallop ceviche goi hoi was delish! 🤤 It was lime cured Harvey bay scallops with green nam jim, served with sesame crackers. We ordered this as an extra dish for $17. The scallops were bouncy and sweet, mixed well with the acidity of the tomatoes and lime. The sesame crackers added a crunchy texture to the bite.
On the other end, this lobster dumpling khanom jeeb was disappointing. It was dumplings filled with lobster, pork ginger and chives, covered with chilli black bean sauce. It didn’t taste unified or amazing in a gastronomy way. Just different components coming together in a mouthful. The chilli was mildly spicy. On its own, this was $16 for 4 pieces.
Ok, back on track with delicious dishes, this BBQ lamb ribs sii krong nuex was finger-licking good 😋. This was Mekong whiskey marinated lamb ribs in a sticky special sauce, covered in a handful of coriander, bean sprouts and saffron.
The lamb ribs were very tender, with the aromatic whiskey marinade coming through in-between the layers of meat. The sauce was a perfect combination of sweet and savoury. It was so satisfying gnawing the lamb off the bone. On its own, this was $17.
The lamb ribs were very tender, with the aromatic whiskey marinade coming through in-between the layers of meat. The sauce was a perfect combination of sweet and savoury. It was so satisfying gnawing the lamb off the bone. On its own, this was $17.
This sticky pork belly muu korb was another delicious one with twice-cooked pork in a tamarind caramel sauce, topped with a fragrant herb salad. The pork belly was buttery, oozing in its own oils and fat. The sauce was the same sticky sweetness used in the tempura. The handful of corianders and beansprouts helped balanced an otherwise rich bite. On its own, this was $17.
The Phuket calamari phat phla muk was average. It was wok-tossed calamari with salted duck egg sauce, snake beans and Chinese celery.
It didn’t taste like a true wok toss because the calamari was more steamed than cooked smokily (a result of a good wok), with the duck egg sauce not being evenly distributed throughout the dish. The salted duck flavour was moderate but the texture was not the crumby egg yolk we were used to. On its own, this was $17.
It didn’t taste like a true wok toss because the calamari was more steamed than cooked smokily (a result of a good wok), with the duck egg sauce not being evenly distributed throughout the dish. The salted duck flavour was moderate but the texture was not the crumby egg yolk we were used to. On its own, this was $17.
We ordered the special-of-the-day dessert to share. It was caramelised nuts, melons, kiwi, vanilla ice cream and mint on top of fresh papaya. It was refreshing and mildly sweet, a perfect end to the night.
Drink
The I’ll be there for yuzu was capi yuzu soda, kaffir lime, dewars Scotch whiskey, lemon and bitters for $16. It was sweet and sour, masking the strong whiskey taste well because I cannot handle my brown 😂.
This Vietnamese espresso martini was good! It was Eristoff vodka, espresso, condensed milk and burnt cinnamon for $21. It tasted exactly like the traditional cà phê sữa đá. The cinnamon stick was woody, enhancing the alcohol taste.
The A great leap forward had lychee liqueur, Eristoff vodka, lime, mint, ginger beer and lychees for $19.50. This was another easy-to-drink cocktail with a refreshing and fruity taste.
Service
The staff were joyful and there was an upbeat, happy vibe in the restaurant. There were moments when we couldn’t get the staff’s attention but that might have been due to how large the restaurant had expanded its outside seating arrangements. The food was moderately paced.
Review
There was a lot of variety of dishes and a lot of unique ingredients. The food itself was about 70% delicious, 30% questionable but we might be bias seeing as we grew up with the traditional versions.
Our final verdict is to give Rice Paper Scissors a try if you want a modern twist on flavourful South-East Asian cuisine.
Happy eating! 😁
Our final verdict is to give Rice Paper Scissors a try if you want a modern twist on flavourful South-East Asian cuisine.
Happy eating! 😁
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