Gingerboy

I was excited about this meal but disappointed overall. We had dishes we wanted to try and they had a function so forced all guests to take a set menu. Sent an email confirming the booking and wish they had told us then. We had the $97 set menu and none of the dishes were a highlight to be honest. Started with ceviche (which was nice), son in law eggs, dumplings, chicken ribs, stir fry, cucumber salad, duck curry and milk parfait. Salad and stir fry were below average and rest of the dishes were ok not great. Incredible options in melbourne for Asian fusion cuisine and I was really hoping that I would love food here….I enjoyed it but not going back. I have been to Chin chin maybe 10 times and was hoping to have another option. Overrated.

I was very excited to give Gingerboy a go as our friend had recommended, it was nice but didn’t think it was all that great. The dumplings were the best thing we tasted all night, awesome flavour with good chilli. Pork was nice but again didn’t stand out. Duck red curry was nice but no standout, didn’t have enough chilli or major flavours, needed something to breakthrough the creaminess. Very disappointed with the cocktails, I only had an espresso martini but it only half filled the glass, for $25 was not worth it, didn’t taste like there was any alcohol in there and was too sweet. Nice atmosphere and was cool to sit on the communal table

17 years ago when I first visited, this place was innovative and tough to get into. The only thing that's changed is that reservations are easier to come by. The food is much the same, and others have caught up. Bit what they do here, they do well. Gingerboy lives on, and still has thrills to the palate.

Kudos towards gingerboy's staff in view of the service and work they had done aswell as their attention to detail. Not to forget the chef and their skillful craft with our ribs and dessert. This asian cuisine restaurant has an upstairs seating area where they age wine and where another bar station & bartender happens to be. Gingerboy's upstairs contained an enclosed but lightly alleyway view. To garnish, the area was refreshing and clean.

The son in law egg was quite good but the chicken ribs were average, not bad flavour but were soggy. The greens were pretty meh. Not bad food overall but better most other places and for slightly cheaper too.

We treated ourselves to an early dinner at Gingerboy at the weekend and had a great evening. Nathaniel was the BEST server, nailing the wine, food and cocktail selections. Everyone who came to our table was knowledgable and attentive, so thank you to all. I will certainly be back!

Gingerboy Adventure for the win.. You get to enjoy their degustation menu of their best seller dishes. The food was very yummy. Asian fusion and cooked pretty well. The Kingfish was very fresh and loved the flavours of their dishes. Their duck curry was flavoursome all the way to their dessert. Service was topnotch and it was a very good last dinner meal for me in Melbourne. Thank you 🙏🏼

Some of the best food I have had in Melbourne recently. Cocktails tasted amazing and the staff were the best hospitality staff I have ever had. The vibe was so good and was the perfect night out. Can’t wait to come back

I was excited about this meal but disappointed overall. We had dishes we wanted to try and they had a function so forced all guests to take a set menu. Sent an email confirming the booking and wish they had told us then. We had the $97 set menu and none of the dishes were a highlight to be honest. Started with ceviche (which was nice), son in law eggs, dumplings, chicken ribs, stir fry, cucumber salad, duck curry and milk parfait. Salad and stir fry were below average and rest of the dishes were ok not great. Incredible options in melbourne for Asian fusion cuisine and I was really hoping that I would love food here….I enjoyed it but not going back. I have been to Chin chin maybe 10 times and was hoping to have another option. Overrated.

I was very excited to give Gingerboy a go as our friend had recommended, it was nice but didn’t think it was all that great. The dumplings were the best thing we tasted all night, awesome flavour with good chilli. Pork was nice but again didn’t stand out. Duck red curry was nice but no standout, didn’t have enough chilli or major flavours, needed something to breakthrough the creaminess. Very disappointed with the cocktails, I only had an espresso martini but it only half filled the glass, for $25 was not worth it, didn’t taste like there was any alcohol in there and was too sweet. Nice atmosphere and was cool to sit on the communal table

17 years ago when I first visited, this place was innovative and tough to get into. The only thing that's changed is that reservations are easier to come by. The food is much the same, and others have caught up. Bit what they do here, they do well. Gingerboy lives on, and still has thrills to the palate.

Kudos towards gingerboy's staff in view of the service and work they had done aswell as their attention to detail. Not to forget the chef and their skillful craft with our ribs and dessert. This asian cuisine restaurant has an upstairs seating area where they age wine and where another bar station & bartender happens to be. Gingerboy's upstairs contained an enclosed but lightly alleyway view. To garnish, the area was refreshing and clean.

The son in law egg was quite good but the chicken ribs were average, not bad flavour but were soggy. The greens were pretty meh. Not bad food overall but better most other places and for slightly cheaper too.

We treated ourselves to an early dinner at Gingerboy at the weekend and had a great evening. Nathaniel was the BEST server, nailing the wine, food and cocktail selections. Everyone who came to our table was knowledgable and attentive, so thank you to all. I will certainly be back!

Gingerboy Adventure for the win.. You get to enjoy their degustation menu of their best seller dishes. The food was very yummy. Asian fusion and cooked pretty well. The Kingfish was very fresh and loved the flavours of their dishes. Their duck curry was flavoursome all the way to their dessert. Service was topnotch and it was a very good last dinner meal for me in Melbourne. Thank you 🙏🏼

Some of the best food I have had in Melbourne recently. Cocktails tasted amazing and the staff were the best hospitality staff I have ever had. The vibe was so good and was the perfect night out. Can’t wait to come back

what an unexpected find! Didn't book and the team found us a table for dinner before heading to the theatre - our host Callum was sensational - he took the time to check if we had plans after dinner and suggested and checked in with our menu selections based on the cook time so we would get to our show on time. He really took the time to ensure we had a great meal suggesting to add the Asian greens based on our selections, and im so glad he did as he. was right - The best service I've had in.a very long time.... oh and the food and cocktails were sensational!

Went here at lunchtime on a weekday. East to book via Dimmi with instant confirmation Cuisine is Asian fusion with inspiration from Thai curries and Chinese cuisine. The two of us ordered fried cumin lamb dumplings to start. Crispy large dumplings filled with mince lamb. Could have done with a serving of vinegar for that extra bite. But quite substantial. We got the smaller portion of mapo tofu which consisted or large succulent pieces of tofu with tomatoes. Had a slight tamarind flavour and very sweet. I expected a spicy and sweet combination but it was extremely sweet. We also got the seafood yellow curry that came with two giant clams and mussels. It consisted of thick flat rice noodles. Delicious curry with the creaminess of coconut milk, herbal flavours, also quite sweet. The curry comes with rice and Is substantial. Food can take a bit long to arrive Disappointingly they said they don't do takeaway as they don't have a license. What a pity as we ran out of time and couldn't finish our meal. Is on the entertainment book so use th discount. :)

Dropped in at Gingerboy for lunch on my friends birthday when we were in town a few months ago and surprised her with the dessert tasting plate - wowzers - it was beyond exquisite ( have a squizzle at my pic) and really challenges your perceptions of 'dessert'. My favourite birthday present i've ever gifted, partly because I got to share in it too. The savoury dishes are good but nothing awe-inspiring for me. The desserts really outshone the mains. Make sure you save/make room!

Just called in one Friday night no reservation lucky to get a spot as booked out as usual. Snack of snapper (see photo) and pork belly both superb. Highly recommended but make sure you book.

Gosh, where do I start?? The decor in this place is amazing and the host was such a lovely woman who was impeccably dressed and so friendly. The food is out of this world! We shared a number of dishes and I only managed to take a photo of the first one as I was that keen to start eating!! E tried the Bang Bang Chicken, Duck Bao Buns, Baby Chicken and the Red Duck Curry. All were delicious and so fresh and fragrant. The duck buns were some of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. There are 3 per serve and it was the kind of thing you wish you had ordered another round of after only taking the first bite! The cocktail list was great with quite a few Asian inspired ones. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed!

Even on a Monday night it was full, so best to book ahead. The asian-fusion food goes well with the slick decor with red fringe accents. Tables are close, but it's not overwhelmingly loud in there somehow. There are sufficient vegetarian options, though they aren't all marked on the menu so best to check with your waiter. We ordered the mushroom bao, which wasn't a bun but lettuce wraps (no doubt my misunderstanding). The filling was really flavorful. We also got the son-in-law eggs, which is basically a soft-boiled egg, battered and fried served with chili jam. These were good, but messy to eat. (The instructions were to put the whole egg in your mouth at once, but who can do that?!) We shared the green curry, which we were surprised came with a son-in-law egg... wish we had known as we would've ordered a different starter. The curry had a decent kick to it and nice flavour, though there was a hint of sweetness I couldn't quite place. The "corn fritters" are actually corn bread fritters (or hush puppies, as we call them in the south). These were nice for sopping up the curry sauce, but not what I expected (and I even asked the waitress to describe them). They needed a crunchier exterior for my taste. As the dining room filled up, we saw our waitress less and less. We abandoned the idea of dessert as we waited so long for her to come offer the menus we were tired of the A/C and were ready to go. Still, a fun little spot with tasty food and reasonable prices (for the CBD).

We ended up at Gingerboy for my birthday dinner (29 again?!). It's a tight space with a small lower seating area and another bar upstairs. Melbourne has a slight obsession with Asian-fusion, so Korean tacos are a dime a dozen in this town, but Gingerboy kicks the menu up a notch with many truly unique offerings - each better than the last. We mixed and matched some small dishes and shared them. Come hungry because you'll want to try them all.

Had dinner here with a friend (Reservation under 1st sitting). Was shown promptly to our table in a small, 'red' intimate restaurant. Ordered some drinks (which took forever to come). Eventually got someone to take our order. Ordered spring rolls, dumplings and son in law eggs - which were to die for. Through out the evening we had different waiters serving us which made it a little confusing. For main dishes we had signature dish Szechuan pulled pork shoulder and red duck leg curry. The pork was delicious however I wisd they had not included the glutenous rice noodle lumps. All dishes were tasty, loaded with coriander and chilli. However not much ginger as the name of the restaurant suggests. Overall tasty Thai food with an Asian Fusion twist. However if you have a great local, I'd stck to that unlessyou want to venture into the CBD and pay for the 'ambience'. FYI Bookings required as there are 2 sittings: 6pm and 8pm.

Gingerboy is impossible to fault. Teage Ezard's asian affair has firmly placed itself among the top restaurants in Melbourne and features exciting and innovative hawker food. The setting is fabulous with the decoration mirroring the cuisine: spicy and sophisticated. Comfortable and spacious seating and excellent service will set you up for a memorable meal. Gingerboy is the perfect place to get out of your comfort zone and sample some preivously untapped flavours. Before taking a look at the menu be sure to try a cocktail, the calpicomi (earl grey, infused peach, lemon juice and gin) has the perfect tropical notes to set you up for the asian flavours to follow. Crispy chilli salt cuttlefish with lemon and roasted sesame will knock you off your seat, and the roasted pork belly with green prawn relish and coconut salad is one of the best dishes I have ever tried. Gingerboy is one place to make sure you have room for dessert. On my last visit I was fortunate enough to try the cinnamon-sugared apple with rhubarb dumplings and calpico sorbet. It was one of the greatest moments in my culinary life. No exaggeration. Get to Gingerboy. Get cocktails, starters, mains and desserts. You'll thank me.

Whoever Gingerboy is, he must be raking it in. It's packed all the time with peeps who don't mind paying over the odds for small servings of hawker food just so they can sit in a room that has had its interior designed and pawed over to an inch of its life. The food is tasty, and I approve of Gingerboy's enthusiasm for spice and chilli, but it has got designer food written all over it and that's not what hawker food is about. Hawker food is fast, cheap, tasty as hell, casual, completely unpretentious, and fun. Gingerboy is too up himself to be fun enough.

The crispy chilli salt cuttlefish with lemon and roasted sesame is delish! Little coated, soft and subtle flavours. The lemon has a nice little coat on to keep the pips out - love that! The flavours are lovely and we are all happy tucking in! Son in Law eggs with chilli jam and asian herbs - my first time ever! I love that our waiter takes us through the technique of how to eat this properly. Carefully explaining that we need to get lots of jam and herbs and then the whole thing in our mouth and pop the egg against the roof of your mouth with your tongue!!... read more at my blog

Can't say more... Meal was amazing and can't wait to go back. Service was impeccable given they squeezed us in without a reservation.

I'm sad to say I'd forgotten how great Gingerboy is. Came for a work lunch today. The food was nothing short of outstanding. Beautiful delicate spicy flavours. Richly satisfying and quality modern Asian fare. There's a lot of great dishes here. The favourite today was the while baby snapper which was extraordinary. And, for the quality I thought the cost of the meal ($50 a head) was very reasonable although we eschewed alcohol on this occasion. Service was brisk, friendly and efficient. The surroundings are lovely here. Certainly much to like. Overall, it's a 4.5. I shall definitely return.

Great atmosphere and awesome food. We came here for pre-show snacks before going to Les Miserable at Her Majesty's Theatre. The proximity and the classy decor and service made it a great place to have a light meal and get in the right mood for the show to follow. The only complaint would be with the prices. We chose a number of snacks from the list of "Street Foods" on the menu. We eat out well - not averse to spending money for quality dining. But here each mouthful basically cost $5 each. It tasted great - but it adds up quickly to make for an expensive meal. That's ok for a special occasion, but I would have trouble justifying the price generally. Maybe the mains are better value - we did not try those, so check some of the other reviews.

Hands down one of the best Melbourne meals we've had. For us, Gingerboy totally lived up to the hype. We sat at the second level bar and instead of feeling like a lesser client seated there we loved it - we basically had our own personal bartender, which was amazing. The food was just outstanding. We shared a bunch of smaller/medium dishes and every one was a winner - just beautifully balanced flavours. Not much more can be said other than if you haven't been yet add this to your 'must visit' list.

Food at Gingerboy was delicious and full of flavour! We ordered the barramundi dumplings with yellow curry, son in laws eggs, salt and pepper chicken spare ribs and the whole fried baby snapper. That was plenty of food for 2 people! For the dumplings and eggs, they give you the option of adding or reducing the quantity you would like to order. The salt and pepper chicken spare ribs and the whole fried baby snapper were my favourite dishes for the night. So fresh and tasty. The dumplings were a bit too salty for me but interesting flavours. Service was ok. They got our order wrong a few times and we were charged incorrectly. But no biggie. It was a great start to the week and great way to overcome Monday blues. Gingerboy was pretty busy for a Monday night. Make sure you make a booking before you go.

I get why people love Gingerboy - it's all neon and flashy, and it's got a reputation for being cool. And I think maybe those are the exact reasons I'm not such a big fan. It feels more like a place you eat at simply for the pleasure of casually mentioning you went there when at work the next day, rather than to just enjoy yourself. I've been to Gingerboy twice now, and both times the food has been good. Good, but when compared to nearby Longrain, I don't think it's 'best' like many Gingerboy fans claim it to be. The other major problem I have is the lighting. Yes, it looks like you're inside a highly stylized space craft, but it's too difficult to negotiate the stairs! On my two visits I've had vastly different experiences with the service - the first time the waitress was rushed and had a bit of an attitude, but the second time I had lovely service. The waiter seemed knowledgeable and keen to make sure we had a good night. Because of this I'd happily go again if invited, but it's still not my first pick for a night out.

Disappointing to say the least. This placed used to be a destination worth booking ahead for but after our experience last Saturday night (and now reading the reviews I've read on OpenTable & Yelp) I'm realising it has fallen far from its old standard. I will never go back. Food = overcooked and charred Special occasion = you won't leave feeling special Service = Just the worst! Ushered throughout meal with the clear intention of getting us out as quickly as possible, different waitresses, wiping the table down while we were still finishing our wine, talking us out of our selection ("don't get the Wagyu, you can get a good Wagyu anywhere!")...to name just a few examples out of many. There are SO MANY great Melbourne modern Asian restaurants - best to go somewhere else than pay for that rubbish.

Tucked in a Melbourne laneway Gingerboy oozes cool. The food is delightful but lacks the punch of other players in the market. The Sunday bubbles and food offer is incredibly good value - the dumplings a personal favourite. This used to be my go to venue for asian style street food but it has been superseded by other, more flavourful Melbourne options.

One of the sexxiest places I've eaten food. Chic interior with elaborate cocktails and asian-fusion cuisine that's simple in idea, but once again, elaborate in taste/presentation. I specifically dream about the son in law eggs. Alot. Definitely a spendy Treat Yo Self kind of place.

My mom and I decided to let the staff make the decisions for us and boy were we glad that they did! We were going to opt for the banquet menu ($80 PP) but our waiter told us it wasn't great value with just two people and said he'd create our own little tasting menu for the two of us for less money-- really appreciate that he told us that instead of just letting us plow ahead with the banquet! If you go, definitely get the corn fritters as a way to whet the appetite, and follow them up with sesame crusted kingfish and the scallops. I have a feeling you can't go wrong with any of the dumplings, either! The cod main dish was also a standout. As far as drinks go, make sure you get a Gingergirl cocktail. The menu said "back by popular demand" and hopefully they don't take this gem off anytime soon. It's a refreshing mix of ginger, mint, pineapple juice and vodka. If that isn't a recipe for heaven, I'm not sure what is and your tastebuds will thank you time and time again!

We ate here for our anniversary as we wanted somewhere special. I had heard about Gingerboy from quite a few people and being a Melbournian I was embarrassed to have not been here already. We love Thai food and we love modern twists. We thought the decor was funky but felt it was probably more exciting when the restaurant first opened. The courses were tasty but unfortunately didn't live up to the hype.

This was the first restaurant we ate at in Australia on my husband's business trip, and it did not disappoint! We ate with colleagues and ordered some sort of sampler meal, where they brought plate after plate of different items for us to sample and share. It was an abundance of food and every single item was outstanding. I repeat: everything was delicious - and I am not a huge fan of Asian food. I highly recommend this restaurant if you are ever in Melbourne.

Oh What a night!. Went on a date here, it was fun, friendly and great food. The staff sure know what they are talking about. Even if you aren't seated at a table the bar is just as fine, Bec upstairs was awesome! Check it out.

I cant believe this is the first time I am dining at Gingerboy. For some reason, I don't have the urge to try this place with all the new upcoming restaurants popping up. We got a tiny table upstairs where the table was low and the seats was not low enough. The snacks/street food menu really excites me, well more than the bigger dishes. Our waiter was amazing, he is attentive (but not too much), he engaged in conversation and we had a 5 minute conversation about drinking and how it affects us as we go red. Needless to say we left him a nice little tip. What did we have? - tempura oysters, shredded iceberg lettuce, prik nam pla (I am a huge fan of oysters, this ones are ok, but I could live without) - seared hervey bay scallops, ground shrimp and lemongrass relish (delicious) - steamed red curry salmon dumpling, coconut-ginger soy (not a fan of, the salmon feels overcooked) - son in law eggs, chilli jam and asian herbs (delicious, however having to pop the whole thing in your mouth is a bit of a struggle, but the taste of the egg, with the yolk and the chilli jam explode in your mouth) - satay spiced swordfish tataki, puffed rice noodles, chilli peanut dressing (not impressed) - salt and pepper chicken spare ribs, tamarind hot sauce (I have had lots of chicken, fried chicken especially and longrain has something similar with the tamarind sauce, I have to say longrain wins hands down) - Dessert platter (5 mini desserts, not all of them were great, but my fav would be vanilla tofu cheesecake, white chocolate crumb, passionfruit sorbet and watermelon, mango, vietnamese mint, black sticky rice ice cream) When I looked at my review above, it feels like there were a few dishes that I didn't quite enjoy. I think I enjoyed the whole experience rather than just the food.

Last night was my wife's and I first trip to Gingerboy, at the suggestion of both some of her work colleagues and some of mine - and WOW were we impressed. Reservations are more or less mandatory, but the staff will try to seat you at the bar (downstairs or upstairs) if you show up without. We didn't risk it and had a 2030 seating. That's a bit later than we normally like to eat, we're not night-owls, but we had heard such good things we thought we'd give it a go. Before dinner, we stopped around the corner at Double Happiness for a few pre-meal cocktails (review to follow) .. highly recommended location, great drinks, but that's another story. We arrived six minutes early at Gingerboy but our table was ready and we sat down right away. It was the first time that I've ever been asked by wait staff if there were any food allergies they should know about, or things we really didn't like. I said I was allergic to not enough alcohol, but, it turns out the waitress was as well, so we got along just fine. We started with the smoked trout tartare with a red chilly mayo - fantastic! My wife is NOT a fan of coriander, and there was a tiny bit present in this, which didn't make it her favourite, but she did enjoy it anyway. Next up was the crispy chilli salt cuttlefish with lemon and roasted sesame. Fantastic! Crispy, light, delicious. It's like calamari for those who haven't had it before, but a slightly more delicate flavour and rarely rubbery. Gingerboy did a fantastic job here, I could have had an entire meal of just this easily (but am glad I didn't). For mains, we went with the roasted ocean trout with smoked ginger lemongrass dressing. Perfect. Fantastic flavours and textures (the skin of the trout is a highlight here, people, don't be shy!) -- we were amazed. Finally we ended up with the grilled wagyu, oyster mushrooms, snake beans and garlic jam. Oh my gosh. I took a bite and the world stopped - a serious "food moment" - like all Wagyu, it just melted in my mouth, but this was a cut above. Delicious. Truly wonderful. Fried yellow jasmine rice with prawns and chilly as a side went along with all of this, which was also delicious. There were flakes of garlic in it that were a joy to find (and devour). One downside to our experience: A lot of people who came in AFTER us were getting served BEFORE us. This didn't go unnoticed by the staff, and the manager actually came over to personally apologise for the delay and give us an update. Attentive and polite, perfect. By way of a "sorry it took so long" we received an order of the creamed coconut rice with the compliments of the chef. WOW. That went along with the Wagyu in an unexpectedly fantabulous way. Yum yum yum yum. We were too full for dessert, but the meal was hit. One thing to know about: It's very loud in Gingerboy. The acoustics are not conducive to talking, and the size of the restaurant mean that you can hear everything your neighbours are saying. This can be a bit off-putting if you're wanting a private chat along with your meal.

High-end Thai food that is consistently good but nothing outstanding. I honestly can't come up with dish to say - gee you need to try this. For example, I saw someone wrote about the dumplings for about 1/2 the price of 2 here, you can get 8 at Houtong that are to die for. Again, these weren't bad but I wouldn't say, come here for some really good dumplings :-) On the other hand, we didn't have anything bad. In general, the price seems a little high for the quality. If you are the mood to spend $$$ money, might try Chin Chin or Longrain both of which aren't far from here. Ambience: imagine a restaurant created by a Russian mobster who moves to Melbourne and opens a Thai restaurant - this is that place. Customers: men in sports jackets/suits over 40 Service: prompt, friendly and perfectly attentive. Presentation: food is to share. Everything is beautifully presented.

Very good, but frankly overrated in my opinion. I don't mind opening the ol' wallet for quality food, but seriously the staff were a bit stand-offish and the decor wasn't as great as everyone seems to hype it up - seemed a bit soulless, actually. So, while I was generally favourably impressed by the meal itself, I don't think I'll be back. I can think of one or two similar calibre Asian fusion spots in this town that I like much better.

Some very tasty, and well-presented food. I'm not sure that Gingerboy is as brilliant as it may have been in the past, though. The servicescape felt a little bit tired, and the noise made the experience a little less pleasant than it could have been. That said, the service was very attentive, and helpful (when the waiter found out that one of our party was vego, he raced to get a much more substantial vegetarian menu, which made us all feel very good). The barramundi was pretty spectacular, and you can't fault the Chinese Pork Buns (which are so much less calorific than traditional pork buns, and so much yummier). Try them, and you'll see what I mean.

Much hyped by friends, I made sure to check out this restaurant on a recent trip to Melbourne. Service we great, one guest dining with us has sever life threatening allergies, and after explaining what they were to one waitress, she went to the kitchen, and came back with a list of things that could and couldnt be ordered. From then on, with each dish that came out, regardless of the different wait staff, they addressed him individually and advised if he could or couldnt eat the dish, really well done and thoughtful. Onto the food! First off, the dishes are HUGE. Between 4 we had 3 entres and 2 mains, and were not able to finish them all. The dumplings were amazing, a little doughy, but the beef filling was delicious. The pork buns were great, but I've had better in my years of eating them, but the highlight was the chicken fried ribs. Think KFC, without all the oil and grease, but loads of chilli and a light batter over the chicken. I could eat this all day. The red duck lychee curry was the stand out though, a must try. Even the members of our group that claimed they dont eat spicy things, or duck, really enjoyed this. The lychee balances out the spice really well. Cocktails were all amazing, even if a little slow to come to the table. Ambience was perfect for the 4 of us, great for a date (or double date as it were), probably wouldnt come here with a group though.

The menu reads really cool but then when the food actually comes out, it's average at best. Like the "tempura chilli salt cuttlefish"... sounds amazing, right?! But when it was brought to our table we realised "Oh... This is just deep fried salt and pepper calamari that you can get at any restaurant..." and it was rather overpriced for what it was. Not terrible food, just very overpriced and generic.

Vegetable green curry dish absolutely rocks. Everything else is pretty good too. I give it 4 out of 5 because the wagyu beef rendang was a bit overcooked and dry, but it was still pretty tasty.

The first time I visited Gingerboy I thought it was gorgeous. But in all fairness, it was amongst my first dates with my then boyfriend, now husband. Each subsequent visit has left me feeling more and more underwhelmed. The setting is gorgeous, but the service seems to have overtones of "you're so lucky, I'm talking to you!" and the menu just seems to be more of the same. Again and again and again. Month after month. Moreover, given soy sauce literally makes me vomit and my hair fall out in chunks, I'm pretty particular about not eating it. The chefs (or perhaps the waitstaff) at Gingerboy are of the 'awwww, a little bit won't hurt' type mentality which is frankly nothing short of irresponsible. Uncool, dudes. For a venue that takes bookings too, Gingerboy is unusually packed. Crammed to the brim on a Friday or Saturday night with people sitting at the bar and perched in walkways, presumably awaiting a sneaky table. Sort of detracts from the specialness of it all, really. I appreciate I'm on my own for this one... Gingerboy is consistently amongst Melbourne's most loved restaurants. But for the price, I think I expect more - from the staff, from the menu and from the space.

Agreed its not your everyday cheap eat, but it's sleek, sexy and stylish atmosphere make it so hard to resist. Set in one of Melbourne's iconic laneway's Ginger boy is combines modern South East Asian cuisine with modern design. The dim lighting and gentle hum on the crowd set the mood for the entire night and you are instantly transported to a dining experience that's anything but mundane.

Amazing! Loved everything we ate. The service was great, and the food was well presented and full of flavour. Will definitely go again.

What I love most about Gingerboy is being able to place your trust in the staff so you can concentrate on having a great time with great company (especially good when the menu has a lot of words you can't pronounce). Recently, I had lunch with a work colleague who was feeling weight-conscious. We were in a rush and rather than losing precious time choosing our food, we asked our waitress to choose some lower-fat, girl-friendly options for us. And boy did she deliver: prawn betel leaf, steamed dumplings and whole baby snapper (plus a glass of wine). Easy and delicious. And we were in and out in an hour. On a previous visit, I was lucky enough to try the beef massaman curry and boy was it amazing. Watch out for it if you visit. Friendly staff, reasonable prices for an upmrket venue and groovy interior. Worth a try or three.

Disappointed. It is rare that I feel strong enough to negatively review a restaurant. Whilst food was lovely we did not have a chance to complete our food as mid main meal we were informed our table had been booked for 5 min ago and could we please quickly finish and leave!! We had not been pre-informed of the limited time we had for our booking and when we raised our concerns with another wait staff her response "it's Saturday night". We shall not return!

Love these spots tucked away down lanes. Great food and atmosphere. Service was great and responsive but not annoying.

A very fun place to eat. We did not have reservations and sat at the bar. Different twists of things that we have had. Loved the unusual house drinks. Great service. The garlic sauce on the beef was amazing. Tried the chicken ribs to see what that was. Turned out to be an amputated partial wing! Ok if you like fried stuff. The desert sampler was incredible. The sweet rice was really the best. I am going to have to search for a recipe!

Another modern asian restaurant that has amazing decor. We had the banquet which was 75aud pp for 9 girls. There was so much food that we all had food coma afterwards. My favourite dish would be the son in law eggs with chill jam this place is awesome for dinner parties or if you're celebrating a birthday. Great service and friendly staff made it even better

This had been on the to-try list for a long time. The good: excellent cocktails and attentive and friendly service. Fitout cool but not totally comfortable. Unfortunately the food is lacking, equivalent to a masterchefed/pan-asianed 1970s anglo-chinese: the subtlety of a cricket bat, lack of detail in the flavours and clunky execution. Hard to tell if conception or the cooking or both. Our scallops over-done and over powered by black bean, dumplings gluggy, son-in-law eggs well cooked but lacking the bite and pop this dish has at its best. szechuan eggplant bland and vegetables oily. The swordfish tataki was good and the barramundi flavoursome and well cooked. Factor in the price and there are many, many options in the city (whether regional Chinese or contemporary pan-Asian) that I'd try before coming back. However I would go back for a cocktail.

It was good food but not spectacular. Services was solid, but not exceptional.

Cool place, and the food was gorgeous and delicious. We just stumbled across the place; it was two blocks from our hotel. What a great find! Turns out it's the same well-known chef that opened Black in Darling Harbour in Sydney, but the Gingerboy menu is more Asian Fusion. I love asian fusion, and go to some the best examples of this favourite cuisine: the Nobu and Matsuhisa restaurants in the US and London, Jimmy Liks in Sydney and the Slanted Door in San Francisco. Gingerboy is right up there in that class, and it surely has the craziest energy and decor of them all. The service was prompt and attentive, something I've learned to value highly when I'm lucky enough to find it in Australia. (We were back there on a 5 month holiday, and discovered that what we used to smile and call "low key Aussie service" has become a near-universal plague of simply dreadful service in restaurants and hotels... so "prompt and attentive" is high praise from an out-of-country visitor.) Never having been here or read the reviews we simply asked our server to recommend selections for us. We were pleased with everything he brought out, and there were a couple of plates that were so exceptional we ordered second portions. As I recall, our favourites were a peppered swordfish tataki, seared prawns with a cashew and citrus salad, and the duck curry. We usually order wine with meals and they had a decent wine list, but the drinks were so unique and tasty that we stuck with drinks and ordered a couple each. The bill was every bit as impressive as the food, but you won't hear me complaining. Gingerboy is great food and great fun. Don't miss giving them a try!

Our first meal in Melbourne set the tone for a great trip. Listen to the recommendations given by the staff and make sure you try the unusual cocktails.

Loved everything about it. Our waitress asked how hungry we were and then advised how many dishes to order and she was spot on!

How can you go wrong with a neon sign down a dimly lit laneway? We had some sort of grilled kingfish with lemongrass etc and some shared stuff. It was really good, high-end, and the atmosphere is awesome.

Gingerboy was a highly recommended stop during our visit to Melbourne. It's in a great setting - a walkable alley in a busy CBD - and ticks all the boxes for decor, ambiance and service. Then you get to the food: We had the son-in-law eggs, as recommended by other reviewers, scallops, pork lettuce wraps, cod (in coriander sauce with cilantro) and the fried corn fritter things. The scallops and corn fritters were fine.The son-in-law eggs were a big let down: They're basically poached eggs with some sort of textured coating and sauce, not terrible but not remarkable in any way either - they tasted like eggs. The pork lettuce wraps were sort of an Asian twist on Sloppy Joes, not bad, but again nothing to write home about. The cod was presented well but completely overcooked and not enjoyable at all. We got the sense that the food had been staged for quite a while - it came out really fast and the couple next to us sent one of their dishes back as it was cold. This would explain the overcooked fish. Overall, a completely underwhelming food experience in a nice setting. To disclaim a few things: (1) We travel frequently and have eaten at nice(r) places all over the States and in Europe. Based on our experiences, this place is amateur. (2) The Tokyo Rose cocktail my wife had was extremely good, as well. (3) The service was top-notch, much better than is typical in such a hip/busy restaurant. If you're not experienced with food and want to try something new, Gingerboy may suit your needs. If you've got a more sophisticated palate, pass.