Dahon
My friend Cherrie and her brother Ed own Dahon, a tea lounge in South Melbourne.
Yup – tea lounge. They serve tea and there’s no coffee, which is a bit unusual for an eatery in coffee obsessed Melbourne. Also unusual – the food there draws from Cherrie and Ed’s Filipino backgrounds.
As to be expected for a tea lounge, there’s many different options of teas available, including iced and ice blended ones, such as this coconut and pineapple tea.
(Why is it red? Because the colour of the tea they use for it brews red. I asked that question too!)
I liked the flavour, though it was too sweet for my tastes. They do also serve plain teas if you’re like me and don’t have a major sweet tooth.
As for the food, it ranges from baquettes to rice dishes to Filipino noodles, spring rolls and BBQ skewers.
When Alastair and I had lunch there recently, we were with several other food bloggers. That’s the only explanation for why we ordered two big share plates of deep fried pork belly ($17.20) in addition to other food.
The pork belly was good – each slice had been deep fried (!), but two serves was way too much because it was quite rich… and I’m sure that’s the only time you’ll ever hear me say that we had too much pork belly.
Apart from pork belly overload, Alastair and I also shared two empanadas. The pork and chicken fillings were encased in a lightish, flakey pastry.
I ordered us one of each of the BBQ skewers available: chicken inasal, chicken adobo, pork tocino and BBQ pork ($2 each or 2 for $3.80).
They were nicely tender and smokey. Definitely worth ordering.
Alastair also had one of the rice dishes: bistek – marinated seared steak with onion ($10.20).
And we finished with a slice of purple ube cake filled with fresh coconut. Purple cake is purple! I loved the soft, fluffy cake and the fresh coconut filling.
What’s not to like about Dahon? They make tasty, comforting food that’s inexpensive, and it’s owned by a really lovely person (yeah, yeah I’m totally biased). The skewers were particularly good, and purple cake is purple so get it in you.
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Dahon Tea Lounge
111 Cecil Street
South Melbourne VIC 3205
Phone: 03 9696 5704
Web: facebook.com/dahontealounge
Sarah
March 29, 2013 @ 5:38 pm
Omg looks so awesome! I totally want that bistek!! 🙂
Ashley
March 29, 2013 @ 6:11 pm
Man, I looove Ube. Need purple cake!
leaf (the indolent cook)
March 29, 2013 @ 7:12 pm
I really must pop by one day for lunch! I’ve seen quite a few delicious Dahon dishes over a few blogs now.
Winnie @ Eat.Play.Shop.
March 29, 2013 @ 7:25 pm
I must visit soon. Already have what I want to eat picked out from the blog posts i’ve seen!
msihua
March 30, 2013 @ 9:11 am
Mmmmm Lechon Kawali! Get in my belly!!
Hannah
March 30, 2013 @ 10:59 am
Purple cake!! Yes.
Jo
March 31, 2013 @ 12:03 am
Need to go back for them skewers and baguette! Have you tried the cashew slice? it is so good!
GourmetGetaways
March 31, 2013 @ 8:36 am
What a great place, I love the look of all the food and it is really well priced. The purple cake is bizarre :0!
Libby
March 31, 2013 @ 6:21 pm
I love the baguettes and iced teas here! The skewers are also fantastic, but need to come back to try the rice and noodle dishes 🙂
Iron Chef Shellie
April 5, 2013 @ 2:31 pm
Pork, pork, pork, pork. That’s all you need to know when it comes to Dahon!
Daisy@Nevertoosweet
April 8, 2013 @ 3:32 pm
I love the Ube cake!!! So glad Dahon is pretty close to my work and I can sometimes sneak out and have lunch there 🙂
Awww you guys didn’t get the Halo Halo! my all time fave! Hmmm I think I might go back this week!