Ped's Kafé

On a cold Melbourne winter night, our spontaneous Friday dinner date meant a rather late booking. Having just parked, I rang in to ask if they could squeeze in two hungry girls in the next two minutes. Escaping the gustling winds and endless downpour of rain, my friend and I were warmly welcomed into Ped's Kafe.

Golden calamari 

Served on a delicate rice crisp were four perfect pieces of golden calamari. The fresh calamari was sweet, juicy and encased in a crunchy well seasoned batter. A sweet peanut sauce accompanied the dish, however I was happy to just gobble down the calamari on it's own.  My friend enjoyed the sauce though, and with quick hands transferred the sauce dish onto the table so she could have it with her mains. A Thai-riffic appe-Thai-ser !

 Spicy Lamb

The first to our mains was the lamb backstrap, button mushrooms, basil and chilli stir-fry. Dissapointingly, the flavours of this dish was a little too boring for my tastebuds. That is, the flavours that we could taste that was hidden under the excessive use of salt. Maybe there was a mistake in measurements, spillage of condiments or whatever may have happened, however we found this dish far too salty.

Soft Shell Crab Dry Curry

Next up was the soft shell crab curry wok tossed in a dry curry. Four generous halves of soft shell crab were found to be wonderfully deep fried and lathered in a dry curry sauce that had just the kick and spice a curry should have. Topped off with a fresh salad of carrot and cucumber provided a refreshing contrast to the strong curry. I could see this dish having a lot of potential, however the over use of salt was also present in this dish. Again, much too salty.

The restaurant had a really nice vibe to it - warm, friendly and inviting. However,  the use of too much salt was just too much. Something endless glasses of water and spoonfuls of rice could not save. On a positive note, sneaking glances and other diners' meals and of course observing our own, we did notice that a lot of thought and creativity had gone into the dishes as they were presented magnificently. 

Ped's Kafé

319 Waverley Road 
Malvern East