[invite] Bianca: Going on almost 6 weeks of trade, Honkas with an emphasis on Pan Asian street food. The menu encompasses Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Japanese… to name a few. Myself and gal pal Joyce visited early on a Thursday afternoon. Having ordered 7 dishes between us, we made a sizeable dent in the food without leaving gross and heavy. Portion sizes are reasonable for the price. And it’s a great place for some light food and drinks or go all out and hit the menu hard!
On the lighter side are the Cured Salmon Rice Paper Rolls $9. Wonderfully fresh, the salmon tender and the crisp raw veg adding texture.
Mushroom & Vegetable Dumplings $9 were wonderfully plump and amply filled.
I did find myself gravitating more towards the Pork & Lemongrass dumplings $9. Seasoned perfectly, these were great little morsels. The soy and chilli oil sauce, a fantastically rich accompaniment.
I wasn’t really expecting to enjoy the Kale -w/ Chilli & sesame $14 as much as I did. Having cooked out all the bitterness, the combination with the toasted sesame seeds and chilli was a delicious mix.
A must order is the Karaage Chicken -w/ wasabi sauce $17.Karaage is done to death but when it’s done well, there’s no denying the allure. This was one of the better versions I’ve had. Incredibly juicy, with a crispy outer coating. That wasabi sauce was out of this world!
Korean Fried Rice -w/ Bacon $15 was delightfully moreish, generous pieces of bacon and an abundance of veg really lifting this typical staple.
Pork Belly -w/ chilli & Chinese broccoli $25 has all the makings for a winning dish. The caramelisation on the pork was out of this world, there was a predominant honey flavour that added some wonderful sweetness. If I had any feedback was that the pork fat really needed to cook down a lot further, as it was a little tough to eat.
And the dessert that’s apparently all the rage in Japan and China, the Messy Bun – Croissant w/ chocolate ganache $8. I mean the flavours can’t really be denied, buttery flaky croissant and rich chocolate ganache, what’s not to like?
I can easily see this as the ‘place to be’ once it starts warming up, the outside courtyard is cosy and throw in some good food and drinks, what more could you want?
Bianca
*For Food’s Sake dined as guests of Honka’s.
Looks good! I’m always a bit sceptical of these restaurants that have ‘every type of Asian food ever’, but the dumplings in particular look legit!
I keep meaning to go here but I just run out of time and I can never park there!
oh boy I could really go for some karaage right now!