Orient East - Seasons Botanic Hotel Melbourne

Influenced by his childhood in Malaysia back in the 1950s, Mr Li has built the Orient East to reflect his animated personality. Orient East brings both classic and contemporary Malaysian food to Australia, and can be found in St Kilda’s Seasons Botanic Hotel. Popular breakfast food includes congee with foo yee tofu, black olive mustard, shredded ham and crispy you tiao (fried Chinese dough sticks).

Other favored dishes for lunch includes the beef cheek rendang, wok charred char kuey teow noodles, and Flinders Island lamb ribs braised in a secret stock and then glazed with rich gula melaka. Mr Li takes no shortcuts when recreating the Malaysian experience, and he goes the extra mile with vintage posters of Penang pin-up girls as well as plenty of Malaysian collectables and his family photos can be found on the menus and walls. A less-than-typical eating house in Melbourne is definitely an opportunity not to be missed, and online reservations at this St Kilda hotspot are highly recommended.