Momoda is a modern Chinese restaurant and bar that recently opened in the Melbourne Building, occupying the space that was previously Soju Girl, another incredible Asian restaurant. I really liked Soju Girl so Momoda had big shoes to fill and I was excited to check it out when I was recently invited by the Australian Good Food Guide.
We stopped in for a leisurely lunch on a Saturday. The venue is huge. It’s split up into three main rooms but there’s also lots of bar seats and side tables. A sea of red lanterns occupies light up one of the walls in the front room when you first walk in.
The vibe is casual but trendy and it’s somewhere I can see myself catching up with friends or enjoying a date night on a Friday or Saturday night. Momoda is a slang Chinese word that means kiss-kiss; an expression of affection used at the end of text messages similar to “mwah” in English.
The team behind Momoda are also the team behind the classy Wild Duck restaurant at Kingston Foreshore.
We were the first people to arrive just before the kitchen started cooking at midday. Irean, the owner, told us that they were completely full the night before (Friday) and were expecting another big night ahead.
You could dine at Momoda for lunch or dinner, but it would also be ideal for afternoon or evening drinks with some shared plates, or late night drinks with some nibbles.
If you’re looking for standard Chinese food then you won’t find it on the menu at Momoda. The focus is on traditional Chinese street food with an unexpected and modern twist.
The atmosphere was relaxed and a playlist of great music played in the background. I can imagine the energy is lifted in the evening when the space is filled with happy diners enjoying a night out.
I started with a Watermelon Spritz cocktail. It was a refreshing mix of Aperol, freshly pressed watermelon juice, lime and sparkling wine. It was easy to drink and I can see it being a crowd-pleaser in the warmer months. Mr Eat Canberra started with a Zierholz German Ale. The cocktail selection is fun and interesting with most of them featuring Asian flavours. Anyone for a Penang Curry cocktail? You can get it at Momoda.
You’ll also find a selection of beer, wine, classic cocktails and an array of international spirits on the drinks menu. It was good to see that there’s a selection of local beer, wine and spirits available.
The food menu is versatile, giving you the option of dining in various ways. If you don’t feel like choosing your dishes you can go with the feed me option for $49. If you want to spend a bit more money and sample some of the more expensive dishes then you can choose the deluxe feed me option for $69. They also have a $15 express lunch that gives you two courses plus tea, coffee or soft drink. It’s available from Monday-Friday.
You can also choose your own dishes from the small and shared sections on the menu. We went with the latter and because we were there for lunch, we tried a range of their small plates. The larger shared plates tempted us but we’ll return with friends to try some of these dishes for dinner.
The dishes are unique with some unexpected twists. I have three words. Double cheeseburger dumplings. Yes, you read correctly. This was the dish that I was most excited to try. I absolutely love dumplings and burgers but I had never thought about combining the two. More on them soon.
Crispy lotus chips with Chongqing spicy salt and prune mayo arrived first, followed by the Mongolian kangaroo spring rolls that were served with wombok and ginger salad.
The lotus chips were thin and crispy. They weren’t oily like I was expecting and they were very moreish. The spicy salt on the chips was balanced perfectly with the sweetness of the prune mayo, which was the perfect dipping sauce.
The spring rolls were larger than I expected and they were perfectly crisp on the outside. The filling was sweet and packed with kangaroo mince. The freshness and acidity from the wombok and ginger salad was a welcome side that cut through the sweetness of the spring roll filling.
Next to arrive was the cheeseburger dumplings, the dish that I was excited about the most. I’m the kind of person that peruses a menu days, sometimes weeks in advance. They definitely caught my eye during my pre-lunch menu perusal.
The meat-filled dumplings were topped with diced pickles and they sat beside a smear of thick cheese sauce. The dumplings were accompanied by a side of Asian slaw and more cheese sauce oozed out of some of the dumplings when I broke them open. This made me even more excited about the dish. Each element needs to be eaten together to enjoy the entire cheeseburger flavour in one mouthful. Again, the side salad cut through the richness of the dumplings. A double cheeseburger dumpling is an interesting concept to comprehend and I need to try them again!
We then shared a peking duck bun and a king brown mushroom bun. They are petite but they’re packed with flavour and ingredients that worked perfectly together. Don’t expect a bao because that’s not what you’ll get. The fillings are served in mini brioche buns, which adds a richness to them and differentiates them from buns you’ll find at other Asian restaurants in Canberra.
I love peking duck so I was happy to see a succulent piece of duck with crisp skin sitting on top of pickled fennel, Lebanese cucumber and black plum. It was tasty and I could have easily eaten another one.
The mushroom bun was filled with a slice of king brown mushroom, carrot, worcestershire and a wonton crisp. It was another tasty bun and they were both beautifully presented. Simplicity with a few quality ingredients is sometimes best.
We were ready for another drink and without asking, Irean delivered a Leng Lui (beautiful lady) to our table. “For the beautiful lady,” she said. Thanks Irean, you know how to make a girl feel special!
The Leng Lui tastes as beautiful as it looks, check out that shade of purple. Vodka, lavender and rose water, lychee liqueur and elderflower are mixed together to create this fragrant cocktail. I love lychee but I’ve never tried anything quite like the Leng Lui. I really enjoyed it and I know I’ll be back for a few more at Momoda in the future.
Next to arrive was the smoked scallop croquettes with kimchi and water chestnuts. I was expecting them to be heavy but they were crispy on the outside and the filling was light, creamy and subtle. The kimchi was disguised as a sauce that the croquettes sat on. The croquettes were probably my least favourite dish that I tried. They weren’t as flavoursome as the other dishes but they weren’t bad, they just weren’t my favourite.
The last savoury dish we had was the beef short ribs platter. It was served with shallot pancakes and chinese mustard. The beef was cooked perfectly. It was juicy and tender. I liked that it was served with the shallot pancakes, giving you a few options to enjoy the dish. We topped the pieces of shallot pancake with the tender beef, finishing it off with some sauce and ate it all together. You could also eat the beef and pancake separately, dipping them in the sauce. I was expecting the sauce to be really spicy and I was surprised that it wasn’t. I was impressed with this dish and I think it would be really nice enjoyed with one of the shared vegetable dishes.
We were getting really full by this stage and I was feeling a little disappointed that we didn’t try any of the larger shared plates. Check out the menu, they sound really good. Unfortunately we couldn’t fit in any more savoury dishes but I’m looking forward to another visit with a bigger group so we can try more food.
Ok so we were full but if you’re like me, you always have room for dessert. We ordered one of each of the two desserts on the menu.
The boba milk tea panna cotta is an interesting and well executed take on a deconstructed bubble tea. The panna cotta tasted exactly like tea and turned to liquid as soon as I put it in my mouth. It wasn’t as gelatinous as other panna cottas I’ve had. It was served with okinawa black sugar custard, pearls, walnut praline and milk crumb. It wasn’t a very sweet dish and the flavours were quite subtle. It was a great way to finish a meal after some of the heavier savoury options.
The fried ice cream with black sesame, charcoal bamboo and strawberry was beautifully presented and another interesting dish. I love fried ice cream and black sesame. Combining both worked perfectly and I wouldn’t have known it was fried if I didn’t read it on the menu because there was no sign of oil. The outside of the ice cream was coated in a soft, thick cake-like crumb. Pieces of freeze-dried strawberries were scattered on top, which gave the dish added colour and another interesting twist. I really enjoyed this dessert and I would definitely order it again.
Each dish arrived at our table at a good pace and we didn’t feel rushed. I don’t like it when everything arrives at once because the food is usually cold by the time you get to eat it. We were also left with some time in between the dishes which meant we didn’t get full really quickly.
We left at about 2pm and were very content after enjoying a 2-hour leisurely lunch.
Details:
Address: 39-47 Melbourne Building, Northbourne Ave
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday, 12-2:30pm & 5pm-late
Enjoy happy hour at Momoda on Thursday and Friday nights from 3-6pm. You can get $5 schooners, basics and house wine.
Eat Canberra dined as a guest of Momoda but all opinions are the author’s own.
Amelia Bidgood
Amelia is the Founder and Editor of Eat Canberra and the Founder and Managing Director of Eat Canberra Food Tours. She's a qualified journalist, presenter, freelance writer and also runs a boutique communications agency working with small business owners on all things social media, content creation and marketing. She's taught cheesemaking classes, judged hospitality and tourism awards, completed the WSET Level 1 Award In Wines, loves to cook and has travelled to 23 countries. She's also passionate about mental health and has recently started studying to become a Counsellor.