Where Chefs Eat: The Best Suburban Yum Cha Spot, According to Juni’s Hendri Budiman

Chef Hendri Budiman worked at Flinders Lane restaurant Coda from 2009 until 2024, when he joined the opening team as head chef at Michael Lambie’s Exhibition Street spot Juni. The menu Lambie and Budiman put together has Asian classics including Thai papaya salad and Japanese tuna tataki, as well as fusion dishes such as house-made burrata with chilli oil and grilled Chinese doughnuts. 

We caught up with Budiman to find out where (and what) he’s been eating in Melbourne lately.

Favourite bakery
“Akkar Pastry in Reservoir. It’s a great locally-owned business – they make an amazing manakish.”

Go-to breakfast spot
“Elka Bakery in Heidelberg for pastries and coffee. My favourite is the mango sticky rice danish. It’s something different and it’s not too sweet. I love that they make it with fresh mango and always use in-season produce.”

Best place for a drink and snacks
“Rin Sura. It’s great for Thai-inspired drinks. Definitely get the spring rolls.”

Date night spot
“Enoteca Boccaccio. It’s an intimate 60-seater restaurant in the suburbs. Simple Italian done right with an amazing wine list. A good place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.”

Favourite ice-cream or gelato spot
“It is a hard battle. I love Kori and Cono. Kori leans towards modern Asian-inspired flavours (I get the Dassai saké and the fuji apple), while Cono satisfies cravings for more basic flavours (I get the pistachio and the passionfruit)”

Special occasion spot
“Gimlet. It always has great service and a great vibe, especially when you get the stage seats and can watch the kitchen and bar come to life. Go for lunch!”

Best place to eat with a big group
“Go for yum cha at Phoenix Kitchen in Box Hill. Classic flavours done right without breaking the bank.”

Favourite dessert
“Kunefe at Cuppa Turca in Northcote. I love the idea of kunefe being made to order (with lots of clarified butter) at the front counter with the custom rotating stove. Ask for pistachio ice-cream on top. They’re also open until late, which is great.”

Best place for a late-night feed
“Supper Inn. It’s an old classic that’s been around in Melbourne hospitality scene for as long as I can remember. They make the best sweet-and-sour pork ribs, in my opinion.”

Best bread
“Baker Bleu. I always go for the standard country loaf when I get a craving for sourdough. A thick spread of butter, sea salt and honey for the first slice.”

Best coffee
“Contraband at Preston Market. It’s always consistent and busy during the market days. They always pick the best coffee beans for the hot brew.”

Venue you’ve visited the most over the years
“Half Moon Cafe in Coburg. Egyptian falafel that is made and fried to order, all wraps are vegetarian and super delicious.”

Most underrated restaurant
“Fitzroy Town Hall Hotel. They have a take on Pierre Koffmann’s three-Michelin-star restaurant’s signature dish: pig’s trotter stuffed with sweet bread and chicken, with mash and on-point demi-glace. In a pub? Get out of town!”

Favourite regional restaurant
Mahob at Moo’s in Meeniyan. It’s a family-owned and -run restaurant. Woody [Chet] and Thida [Penh] showcase their Cambodian roots and bring it to such a small town.

Restaurant you wish could come back for one night
“Chotto by Brendan Liew and Caryn Ng. I define them as the one of the very first to bring Japanese breakfast to Melbourne. No one else was doing it as well as they were. The attention to detail, even just for the asagohan, was amazing.”

Bucket-list restaurant
“Firedoor in Sydney. The art of cooking with fire intrigues me as a chef, because we are so used to cooking with gas. Lennox Hastie’s ethos of using fire as a medium to cook and flavour dishes is a mystery to me, so it is on the top of my bucket list.”