Overview
While so many hospo businesses have been playing it safe in 2024, Mamas Dining Group (Hochi Mama, Straight Outta Saigon, Kiss and Tell) has been executing its growth plans at a rapid rate. In June, the crew opened Windsor Wine Room on Chapel Street, bringing a contemporary sip and snack wine bar to the strip.
And then one month later, Mamas opened two-storey Chinese restaurant Suzie Q on the Prahran stretch of Chapel Street. The 150-seat site is the team's biggest venture to date, and it includes not only an enormous main dining room and bar with double vaulted ceilings, but also a private mezzanine level and karaoke room.
Suzie Q takes its cues from an underground Chinese restaurant in San Francisco in the 1980s that went by the same name — and everything here is inspired by that very diner.
Mitchell and Eades (Beverly, Grill Americano, Hawker Hall) was tasked with designing the space, which the team says embodies "the hedonism and rebellion of the underground nightlife scene in the 80s, re-imagined through a modern lens". Expect plenty of red accents, exposed brickwork, plush booths, laza susan-topped tables, retro furniture, and a striking black marble-topped bar with green leather stools that you can park yourself on for a long boozy feed.
Within these retro surrounds, punters will dine on nostalgic Chinese eats inspired by the food served at the original Suzie Q. Head Chef Michael Stolley (ex-Ish Restaurant, Eazy Peazy) is executing this all with playful contemporary flair, just as he has done with Windsor Wine Room's new menu.
At Suzie Q, this kicks off with a bunch of yum cha bites, including its huge candied pork buns, a fun twist on prawn toast and a selection of dumplings — be sure to get a round of the xiaolongbao. With 12 options available on this side of the menu, you can easily build a sharing feast just out of these.
But it would be a shame to miss larger dishes like Suzie Q's mapo tofu, roast duck, crispy egg noodles with mixed seafood, and fried rice packed with sausages, prawns and spring onions.
A few different banquets are also up for grabs, which we've got to say easily make our list of the best set menus in Melbourne. For a very reasonable $49 per person, you get two yum cha dishes, two larger dishes and a side to share between two people. The portions in the set menu are super generous, and you'll be glad to know the crew will give you plastic containers for the inevitable leftovers.
On the drinks side, you'll find signature cocktails (that are also really reasonably priced), beers on tap, an Australian-leaning wine program and a sizeable back bar that includes a solid selection of sake.
It's clear that the Mamas crew is having plenty of fun with Suzie Q, bringing the San Francisco diner back to life, but this time on Melbourne's own Chapel Street. If you haven't been already, add it to your Melbourne restaurant hit list.
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