Ho Liao

In 2014, Junda Khoo launched his groundbreaking Sydney restaurant Ho Jiak with no formal culinary training – just a vision to introduce diners to the dishes he grew up with in Penang.

Over a decade later, with a cookbook and a stable of Sydney venues under his belt, he opened his first Melbourne venue: Ho Liao. It’s a beer hall with Malaysian dishes, set in a room inspired by beer halls he visited in Indonesia and Taiwan. It’s part of Ho Jiak Melbourne – a trio of venues across three storeys in Tivoli Arcade that includes ground-floor takeaway spot Da Bao and Ho Jiak: Junda’s Playground.

Be sure to order the loh bak. The Hokkien dish, found commonly in Penang, is traditionally made with marinated, five-spice-seasoned minced pork that’s wrapped in bean curd skin and deep-fried. Khoo’s version adds prawn and prawn mousse to the pork mix. While there’s satay and beef rendang, distinctive twists on classic dishes are woven throughout the menu.

As a beer hall, Ho Liao has a selection of Southeast Asian beers. Wines are predominantly Victorian and French, and cocktails incorporate Malaysian flavours like mandarin and chrysanthemum.