Chilli Padi, Melbourne CBD by Bureaucrat

For an impromptu work lunch, we picked a place that's close to work - Chilli Padi.  While everyone else in my team had eaten there a few times before, I had yet do so.  For years, I've eaten at the restaurants right next to it (e.g., Chilli India), and heck, I've even been to its sibling restaurant, Chilli Padi Mamak in Docklands), but never at Chilli Padi itself.

The guys at work seem to think Chilli Padi to be pretty good - in their view, anything that's cheap (less than $12) and has big serves has their tick of approval.

On this balmy day, we got to sit upstairs, which has a slightly nicer vibe than the seats on the ground floor/lane way dining areas.

CP has quite an extensive menu.  So much so that despite initially knowing what I wanted to order (wat dan hor), I then quickly became indecisive because there were so many dishes that I wanted to try.  Eating with my team means that we don't really share our dishes, so I can only give you photos of what we ordered.

Mr P went for the cashew nut chicken on rice ($12.90).

I went for the chicken nasi lemak ($11.90).  I have to say that I did regret not ordering my first choice (wat dan hor).  This was an okay nasi lemak - I've had better, and I've had worse before.  My main complaint was that this was all a bit spicy for me to eat, which meant that I couldn't really appreciate the dish as my mouth was on fire.  Pleasingly, there was a big serve of pickled veg (but was a bit 'meh' in flavour) and lots of crunchy ikan bilis and peanuts.  I didn't finish this as it was too spicy and also it had a pretty big serve of coconut rice.

Mr G went for the chicken pad Thai  ($13.90), which came with fairly generous sides of fried shallots, chili and peanuts.

Mr G went for the beef rendang w rice ($9.90).  This was also a bit spicy than what Mr G would have liked.  He seemed a bit underwhelmed about the dish, as he was expecting something more tasty for a dish that was listed as a specialty of the place.

Last but not least, Mr A went for the Kampong fried rice ($11.90).  Quite a big dish, this was.  A big mound of eggy fried rice with nuggets of chicken, ikan bilis, peanuts and shallots.  It's served with a chicken satay.  

Verdict

Food - 7

Ambiance - 7

Service - 7

Price - 7

Overall
I don't mind Chilli Padi.  While I didn't quite enjoy my dish, I would go back again just to see what other dishes are like.  The serves are fairly generous and the place is clean and comfortable.  It's also conveniently close to work.

The general vibe that I got from my team was that the food's alright as is the price.  Worth trying if you want a reasonable meal, but there's nothing exceptional about the place.

Address
Chilli Padi
Little Lonsdale St
Menzies Alley
Melbourne 3000
Telephone: 9663 5688