I was pretty certain we were going to be looked after well at Blue Chillies when I rang up to make the reservation. As I spoke with the gentleman who answered, I asked if we could sit near a window and I missed the first part of his next sentence as he obviously turned his head away to look at the floor and where he could best put us.
“Not there…” he said to himself, before coming back to me saying, “Wait, I have a nice place for you! See you then.”
And so it was to this rather unassuming looking restaurant that we travelled today. Unassuming from outside, at least.
The inside was bright and pleasant to be in (and empty – we ate early!)
The major hurdle for any sort of dining experience we have as a family is Riley. He is extremely fussy – he doesn’t even eat rice. Luckily our waitress was able to help us figure out what was spicy or not on the menu and made some very helpful suggestions.
For starters:
Riley ate all of the Roti… and basically nothing else until dessert… so I can’t comment on how it tasted. The curry puffs were heavy on vegetables and very moreish. Adam loved them.
For mains:
Keira and I shared these king prawns wrapped in rice noodles and fried, served with a tomato-based sauce, flavoured with fish sauce and coconut milk (the menu said chillies, but if there were any, it was negligible). The prawns were big and plump – yummy. It was the perfect, milder alternative to the following dish.
This was the meal we were suggested to order for Riley. I can see why. This thrice cooked duck has a sweet sauce (almost a syrup) comprised of ginger, lemongrass, a hint of chili. It was wonderful; run your finger along the plate to get it all good. The duck was perfect too. And yes, Eureka, Riley did take a bite. This is Blue Chillies signature dish.
Dessert:
But the crowning glory for all of us – typically – was the dessert. They were out of what we wanted to order (a busy Saturday night) so instead made up especially for us a tasting platter. From the top left we have: sticky date pudding, ginger icecream, sago gula melaka (tapioca pearls in coconut milk), vanilla icecream (for the pudding), and pandan crepes.
The crepes were my favourite (reminiscent of baklava texture, but toasted coconut instead of walnuts/almonds) but the ginger icecream got everyone else’s vote. Make no mistake however – there was nothing left on the plate at the end!
A terrific day, capping off a lovely wander down Brunswick Street, going in and out of vintage clothing stores and staring through the windows of bicycle shops.
Blue Chillies Restaurant
182 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy VIC 3065
(03) 9417 0071
www.bluechillies.com.au
We dined as part of the Malaysia Kitchen Blogger Ambassador Program.
