Cookie

252 Swanston St
Melbourne, VIC 3000

http://cookie.net.au/

I love a good nibble. And it’s even better if it comes with drinks and a chilled out ambience. Now that I’ve finished 3 whole weeks of placements (where I worked 57 hours a week), I decided to celebrate my newly regained freedom at Cookie, a wildly popular watering-hole-slash-modern-Thai-restaurant. 

I had tried to call on Monday morning for a dinner booking the same Friday night, but to no avail. So when we went upstairs, instead of turning right into the restaurant area, we forayed into the buzzing bar end instead, and grabbed ourselves a table. Aside from having to order up at the bar, it’s exactly the same as eating at the restaurant. 

If you think the long food menu (divided into small, medium and large dishes) is confusing, wait until you see the drink menus, aka the hulking tomes lurking at the back of my photo. It covered every possible alcoholic beverage from what seemed to be every possible corner of the earth, though there was a strange dearth of ciders. Admittedly I did give up searching about 10 minutes in, however. 

Amulet Moscato Cider ($9.5)

Eventually, I did manage to find a cider that floated my boat, and before long I was chugging down a lovely bottle of Amulet Moscato Cider ($9.5), an especially sweet and smooth brew with just a hint of spritz. This was also when I confirmed that yes, I do indeed have alcohol (or at least cider) intolerance, difficulty breathing and full body rash and all. 

Steamed Mussels with Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime, Ginger, Coriander and Chilli ($19.5, 1/2kg)

I love me a good plate of mussels, and it doesn’t get better than the flavoursome combination of Steamed Mussels with Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime, Ginger, Coriander and Chilli ($19.5, 1/2kg). The flavours soaked into the plump orange morsels were piquant and tangy, a potent mix of bright Asian herbs and a hint of spice.

Fat Rice Noodles with Duck, Cabbage, Green Peppercorns and Basil ($22)

For some carbs to go along with the seafood, we had the much-lauded Fat Rice Noodles with Duck, Cabbage, Green Peppercorns and Basil ($22). The price tag was steep, but was justified by the succulent chunks of duck bursting from the fat, chewy noodles and crunchy pieces of cabbage.  The younger, milder green peppercorns provided a mellow buzz to the smoky wok flavours.

We probably could have fit in one more medium-sized dish, but I was fighting a battle with my thighs that day. Cookie is more about the drinking than the devouring, but that doesn’t mean the food isn’t great. It’s not just Thai food, it’s hipster Thai food – an unusual combination, which is exactly what Melbourne does best. Do visit if you’re sick of having potato wedges with a VB down at the pub, and are looking for something a bit more refined and exotic.

Rating: 15/20 – oreo-stuffed chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies.

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit.