Dahon a Gourmet Tea Lounge in Melbourne

Watermelon Tea Blend
Dahon a Gourmet Tea Lounge in Melbourne. Looking for a Pilipino restaurant in Australia? And I mean a truly good one. During my more than a year stay in Australia I have already visited almost all the major Australian Cities except Darwin. I also have traveled to some of the mining, coal, oil and gas outbacks. I travelled a lot because that is the nature of my work. During those travels to this date I am still searching for Pilipino restaurants in Australia, and I think that is what every Pinoy in Australia have been looking for, or I may not be looking hard please correct me if I am wrong. To those who have been in Australia for some time or have been here for good please do share if you know some good Pilipino restaurant in Australia or at your location in particular.

Dahon at South Melbourne Central
Dahon at South Melbourne Central

Finally I have found and visited one Pilipino restaurant in Melbourne and I may check the second one sometime this week. Yesterday it was my free day so I took long taxi drive to Melbourne to this restaurant simply called Dahon a gourmet tea lounge. I have already done some Google search on Dahon and have found some good reviews from fellow Pinoy food bloggers base in Australia and I also found out that the place is in fact owned by a food blogger her self Cherrie of Sweet Cherrie Pie. That added more enthusiasm to visit Dahon, I did not mind shelling out some good bucks for a 20 minutes taxi ride to the place, off I go. 
South Melbourne Market
South Melbourne Market

Overseas Pinoy Cooking does not give restaurant reviews, however I could not help it but I have to write the good things that I had during my visit to Dahon. I have to mention also that this is not a paid post, it is part of my Food Trip series aimed at helping our kababayans find good Pinoy food.

First of all I just want to talk about the place. Dahon is located at South Melbourne at South Melbourne Central opposite the famous South Melbourne Market at Cecil Street, make sense? I guess most of you never heard of a place with all the common name. It is just about AU$10 to AU$12 taxi ride away from the City center, that's what I spend anyway. I could not tell you how to go there by trams where the City of Melbourne is known for, I do not know how to ride those trams, I wish Manila have similar trams instead of jeepneys. Oh yeah I am going out of topic.
Melbourne's Famous Trams
Melbourne's Famous Trams

The truth is I was expecting the usual Pilipino restaurant with a turu-turo counter which is common on most overseas Pinoy restaurant that I’ve been to. Dahon is a teashop or a teabar it offers an array of tea drink mixes I suppose that's how the name Dahon may have come, dahon in Pilipino is leaf.
Dahon's Relaxing Décor
Dahon's Relaxing Décor
The place has a relaxing décor and a choice of seats they have chairs and tables if you go there to dine or if you elect to just to relax with your favourite tea drink they have several couch and if you go there in large group they do have high and low stool seats and tables.
Stool seats and Tables for the Large Group
Stool seats and Tables for the Large Group

I would say their food is excellent judging from the food that I have tried and from the reviews that I have read. I have an order of my personal all time favourite  pancit canton noodles. It was great as expected the noodles are not overcooked and with generous amount of vegetable, meat and seafood toppings. It was served with a yellow kalamansi how about that?
All time Favorite Pancit Canton Noodles
All time Favorite Pancit Canton Noodles
Fried Vegetables Lumpia
Fried Vegetables Lumpia
Pork Barbeque on Skewer
Pork Barbeque on Skewer

The pork barbeque was excellent perfectly marinated and grilled just right. Their fried vegetable lumpia was equally good served with soy sauce, I would have prepared it served with a vinegar and a lot of garlic and chili but that didn’t matter because they do have a really beautiful bottle of vinegar with chili and garlic on each table. I had one of their tea blends, I tried the watermelon, I could not say bad about it.
Chips and Spring Rolls

Pinoy Classics
Pinoy Classics

On their menu you can order other the Pinoy classic steamed or java rice with pork barbeque or chicken adobo barbeque and chicken inasal. If you are not into rice try their barbeque baguettes. These are in addition to their tea drink mixes and blends.
Final word excellent place, if you are looking for a Pinoy restaurant something different from those turo-turo style restaurant or just unwind with a refreshing drink of tea then this is the place to go. 

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 3, 2011 at 3:52 PM

    Is that only their menu? just wondering, it's nice to go in Melbourne, but it's too far from Perth, but maybe someday we can go there so it's a big help, now i know there's a good pinoy resto at melbourne ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  2. ut-manNovember 4, 2011 at 6:35 AM

    They do have more selections on their menu.

    Yes Perth and Melbourne are miles apart.

    May be you can share to us any Pilipino restaurant that you know in Perth. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Warrior MommaDecember 2, 2011 at 1:50 PM

    here in Perth,there's Manila Restaurant. It's an old one but still they offer 'authentic' Filipino dishes and they've got enough meals to choose from.

    Here's the address:
    The Manila Restaurant
    1236 Albany Highway
    Cannington,WA

    ReplyDelete
  4. ut-manDecember 3, 2011 at 4:33 PM

    Hi dominie,
    Thanks for sharing I will definitely visit the place on my next trip to Perth.

    ReplyDelete
  5. jack sondomDecember 1, 2022 at 11:38 PM

    You've posted a fantastic and useful piece of information here. I am grateful that you simply shared this helpful information with us. Thank you so Much if you finding italian restaurants in Sydney click here.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Chathlys KitchenDecember 6, 2022 at 4:32 PM

    Amazingly helpful which you have shared here. I am impressed by the details and also it is a significant article for us. Continue imparting this sort of info about Restaurants In Officer, Thank you.

    ReplyDelete

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