KANTAN

Seriously, if I could give more stars, I would.
My daughter found this place, she said the Vegan Laksa was the best she had ever had.
The Fried Rice was divine.
We all had different foods, the taste of each meal was absolutely music to our taste buds.
If you ever have to go to one place, this would be it!
The Staff and Chefs were so lovely.
We will definitely be going back, definitely recommend you go pay a visit-you won’t be disappointed.

I’ll give all the stars I can to this AMAZING honest to goodness eatery that has spotlight Malaysian East Coast cuisine in Melbourne.

Even when we’re back in Malaysia, we don’t always get such great quality food. Very nice decor where I’ll be very happy to host my friends & family here. Drinks list is not extensive but they have very reasonable BYO ;)

Now let’s talk bout the food. We LOVE everything we ordered.

💫Fish Curry Rice & Crispy Barramundi (a variation of Nasi Kerabu using local ingredients) - WOW!!! Just one bite and they were burst with so much flavour and so well balanced. I thought that the pickled cucumber/acar is done really well and the addition of mint leaves is simply brilliant.

💫Keropok Lekor (Fish Sausage) - great quality fish used, good texture with a nice chew and yet not too oily

💫Sardine curry puff - one of the better ones I’ve eaten in a a VERY LONG time

💫Fried Chicken - very interesting twist with tamarind. Well fried with a good crisp while ensuring that chicken is still moist

💫Serai Muka (Coconut glutinous rice topped with pandan custard) - good texture but would prefer the pandan to be more fragrant and the colour to be less green💚

Owner/Chef Hisham and his crew deserves all the love. I’m glad Hisham left the Corporate World to create this homely deliciousness for us❤❤❤

I was searching for an Asian restaurant near me and stumbled on this Malaysian restaurant in Fitzroy. Delicious food and fast friendly service, with plenty of well thought out Vegan options, including the kantan vegan laksa. The kantan style chicken ribs were exceptional. Also enjoyed a nice coffee. We also started with sardine curry puffs, which I’d never tried, but that were excellent.

Great relaxed vibe and setting. The staff were friendly and the service brilliant - the chef brought the food out to table as they were really busy. Where do I start with the food - WOW! Crispy Barramundi cooked to perfection and each mouthful of the fish curry had a different flavour. Such an exciting meal - Thank You, can't wait to come back. Would definitely recommend this place to friends

A gem of a restaurant in the heart of hipster Fitzroy. Don’t be fooled by its modern Melbourne cafe look and feel, this place knows authentic Malaysian. Whilst the prices are probably slightly higher than your average Malaysian Chinese restaurant, their service and quality more than makes up for it. Really can’t go wrong with everything on the menu, but the stars appear to be the nasi lemak and laksas. Hot tip: order a few entrees to share with your meal, it’s worth it!

Love the food here. Dishes are clean and fresh tasting and also packed with flavour. Staff are all very friendly. Have visited multiple times since my first visit.
Must try Kantan Fried Chicken (KFC), curry puffs and hainanese chicken rice . Also, the homemade drinks! But really, the whole menu is a must try!. 😋

We had an absolutely amazing experience with Kantan and their owner Hisham. We had our wedding catered by them and the food and service was all incredible. Hisham took the time before the event to meet us at our house and go through all the details, he is an absolute pleasure to deal with. The food is also some of the best malaysian food we've had in Melbourne - all prepared to a very high standard and very delicious. We cannot recommend Kantan enough if you're looking for catering for an event! Thanks so much :)

I’m currently working my way down the menu list but I usually can’t get past dishes such as roti jala and keropok lekor. My current favourite is fish curry rice with crispy barramundi.

So far, everything is pretty yummy and people that are making/serving the food are so lovely.

My family had an enjoyable dinner experience at Kantan. The dishes were delicious. We will definitely be back to try other items on the menu.

The ambiance of the restaurant is warm, modern and comfortable. Staff were very nice.

Kantan is a lovely little Malaysian restaurant in the middle of Fitzroy that has some very tasty dishes. The Roti Jala was a small dish with big flavour, perfect as a starter to share alongside the delicious curry puffs. I also had the fish curry which was robust and balanced. The warm pandan dessert was a nice way to finish off the meal. I would recommend booking as this place is a bit small and can get busy.

Extremely good food, nice ambience and good customer service.. Highly recommend Malaysian restaurant near Fitzroy area. Will visit again

We turn up without a booking but were still given a table as long as we can be done by 7pm we’re happy they didn’t turn us away. Food was delicious we’ll be back again, thanks for the service

Great traditional and fresh Malaysian meals with friendly staff, make sure you reserve a table as its a small cosy restaurant.

KANTAN prepared the best nasi minyak at my wedding, which had my guests coming back for more. The rendang was so flavourful, and the ayam masak merah tasted like the ones from home. Hisham cooks with a lot of love and you can taste it in the food. I totally recommend them for your event catering as they are professional, affordable and considerate.

I was at Kantan recently and I ordered the curry laksa. I was surprised to learn that the soup base was vegetarian, but I couldn't tell! It was so flavorful and delicious. The noodles were perfectly cooked, tofu was tender, eggplant super flavourful and the vegetarian char siu had an amazing texture (you can order chicken laksa but I wanted to be vegetarian for the day). The curry was rich and creamy, and it had a perfect balance of heat and spice. I would definitely recommend this dish to anyone who is looking for a flavorful and satisfying meal.

Sensational food and excellent service. I tried fish curry and I was flattered. Definately coming back to try each items in the manu//
very happy!!

Solid coffee game. Veg curry puff was pretty much perfect - the pastry consistency was faultless and filling flavourful and beautifully spiced. Definitely coming back for the Hainanese chicken rice and nasi lemak - promises to be high quality and legit

I'm hesitant to review KANTAN publicly because it's such an underrated gem and I worry that once people learn about it, I'll have to book months in advance. Alas, they deserve every word of praise they can get!

This place is incredible — it is hands-down the best vegan laksa in town! The staff are lovely and the venue is perfect for a chill catch-up with friends.

Nice and cozy Malaysian food, very home style. The foods come from the owner's family recipes and it feels warm and familiar. We ordered the veg curry and the fish curry both were really good. Veg curry feels healthy with the choice of rice and sprouts! And I would definitely come back again to have the fish curry for myself 😋

We ordered the Nasi Lemak with Beef Rendang, Roti with Red Lentil Dahl, and the Kantan Fried Chicken. Everything was delicious, the staff were lovely and helpful, and the food came out very quickly. Would highly recommend and will be coming back for sure!