Cookie

1/252 Swanston Street

Melbourne VIC 3000

03 9663 7660

open noon to 11pm, 7 days a week

Odds of finding a decent restaurant open on a Monday night is slim, add to that the fact that it was a public holiday and all of a sudden slim becomes practically impossible. Thank goodness for the good folk at Cookie who are happy to make a buck and open when no one else will. 

The last time I visited Cookie it was my faux hens night (I had eloped months prior) and so my memory of the food and night for that matter, is a bit hazy. So I was more than happy to give them another go. 

Cookie can be found on the 1st floor of the ever chic Curtain House on Swanston st, which is also home to Roof top Bar and The Toff in Town. It is by nature a bar, however depending on what time of the day you visit it can also be a disco and restaurant. Now the last time I said the words "I'm going to the disco" I was about 20 and wearing a midriff top, so the restaurant time was just fine with me.

The menu here is huge and it caters for all tastes, as long as all the tastes are Southeast Asian! If you have not been to Thailand and have not tasted the real deal, then you are in for a treat. However if like me and my dinner companions, you have spent a large amount of time and money eating your was through Thailand, then Cookie is a bit of a let down. 

We opted for a shared dining experience and the waitress was gracious enough to let us mix and match from the restaurant and bar menus. Thank you waitress with the Scottish dad-you know who you are.

grilled thai sausage with cucumber & ginger 13.50 

betel bliss bombs-DIY- betel leaves, peanuts, lime, coconut, ginger, onion & dried shrimp with sticky shrimp & coconut sauce 15.50

 deep fried shrimp cocktail with chilli & garlic mayo 17.50

chilli squid with rocket & sweet chilli - large 19.50

drunken prawns with garlic, coriander & Mekong whiskey 19.00

cabbage rolls filled with shitake mushroom & bean curd 14.50
steamed tapioca dumplings filled with pickled turnip, pork & peanuts 13.50

Everything looked fresh and colourful, but unfortunately it was a bit of a hit and miss. The DIY betel leaf is fun and a bit of a novelty factor, the drunken prawns and the shitake mushroom wraps were bland, the calamari was chewy and dull, but the deep fried shrimp and sausage were full of flavour, although the surprising stand out were the little tapioca balls-yum!

Apart from the food, those who are after a tipple will be very pleased here. There are 10 beers on tap to choose from, along with a huge range of local and international beers, and lets not forget the massive amounts of vinos available for you to try. The drinks menu really is impressive and even though I was there with 2 Scots and a Swan Hillean we didn't even make a dent in the selection, and Lord knows we tried.

The venue itself really is beautifully designed, with incredibly high ceilings and huge bar that runs along the wall. So even when it seems beyond packed, you still get the feeling that more people could fit. They even have little balconies for the smokers to sit, unwind and waste money on cigarettes. It almost made me want to take up the habit so I could sit out there with the cool crowd.

Ratings out of 10
Food 4/10
Service 7/10

Atmosphere 7/10

Value 6/10

Cookie 6/10

Would I return? Not for the food, but possibly for a drink.