Gingerboy
27-29 Crossley St, Melbourne, 3000. (03) 9662 4200
Score: 30/40.
Does Gingerboy live up to the hype? Not quite, but almost. It impressed me enough to make a return visit.
As I slipped into Ginger Boy for dinner one wintery Wednesday, I was keen to see what Melbourne’s food elite had worked themselves into a lather about. The first thing I noticed about GB is the sleek yet cosy vibe of the dining room. Lights peek out from the bamboo-covered walls to create a feeling of being surrounded by stars.
To get things started we couldn’t go past cocktails ($17). I opted for an ‘it takes 2 to julep’ with fresh mint, pink grapefruit, honey water and pisco, while my dinner buddy had a ‘harro vera’ with fresh thai basil, zubrowka vodka, aloe vera and peach tea. Both cocktails were beautifully fresh.
To eat, we began with the steamed prawn and ginger dumplings with peanut chilli soy ($13.5), green papaya salad with sticky rice ($13.5) and crispy duck salad with banana flower (15.50). The dumplings were not too heavy or greasy and the zesty salad perfectly complemented the crispy goodness of the duck. But the green papaya salad was extremely spicy, so hot I couldn’t eat it. It would have been useful if there was a warning on the menu that this dish packs a punch.
For main, we shared kingfish with lemongrass, ginger and cocunut cream curry ($34.5). The fish was juicy and the curry was tasty but not too overpowering. It was beautifully presented but not as impressive as the baby fried snapper, mandarin caramel and young coconut salad ($32.5) fellow diners were having on the nearby table.
For dessert, pandan battered banana fritters with Bailey’s ice-cream ($13) looked slightly odd, but tasted sensational. At only one small scoop, I would have liked a slightly larger serve of icecream to balance out the heaviness of the fritters but apart from that I couldn’t fault the dish.
Service at GB was mixed. Food was delivered to our table at a nice pace and the waiters were not too instrusive. A friendly waiter greeted me, took my large bag to set aside and offered me water (including tap without me having to ask) within seconds of seating me - gold star. But after my companion arrived we were pressured to order quite quickly and reminded we had to be out by 8.30pm – information that was already given to her twice on the telephone – black cross.
There is enough to excite on the GB menu to have me wanting more. Our bill came to $128.50 for two, which considering the quality of the food and the fact we had cocktails too was not cheap but good value. Does GB live up to the hype? Not quite, but almost. It impressed me enough to make a return visit.
Service: 7/10
Food: 8/10
Value for money: 7/10
Ambience: 8/10
Website: www.gingerboy.com.au
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