Jing Jing Dandenong

The walls are colourful, the repurposed furniture sleek and cool, corrugated iron and washed timber abound and altogether Jing Jing Dandenong has a cool vibe that in itself warrants a visit to Dandenong South. However, the real attraction here is not the decor but the dinner, with an impressive procession of tasty Thai dishes rolling out of Jing Jing Dandenong’s kitchen at all times. If you’re heading to or from Melbourne along Princes Highway (or living in Dandenong), Jing Jing Dandenong makes for a slick, satisfying pitstop for anybody with an interest in modern Thai food.

Starting with established Thai favourites (it’s hard to argue that tiger prawn spring rolls with ‘Grandmar’ sauce and Jing Jing’s famous middle fish cakes are not the perfect beginning to any meal) and pulling some off a lot better than the vast majority of Melbourne Thai joints – their traditional beef boat noodle is the prime example here – Jing Jing in Dandenong South also show off a few lesser-known offerings, like their pulled chicken dry rice noodles and slow-cooked (for 48 hours) chicken on the bone that just, well, falls off the bone, quite frankly. They’re right on Princes Highway and attract a lot of passers-by, so it’s always wise to reserve a table first, just in case.