Hwkr Food Centre - Melbourne

The service here is impressively quick and efficient in this cafeteria-style setup. You place your order at individual counters and then collect your food when it's ready. These bao are just what you would hope for: soft, fluffy buns filled with spicy ingredients and tender meat, all made fresh. We were truly satisfied with both the food and the service.

Food: <br/ Service: <br/ Price: <br/ <br/ I quite like eating here, I felt very comfortable and the food was tasty and fresh. <br/ <br/ The food: I ordered a teriyaki salmon don which was cold and I suppose the idea is to eat cold and I kind liked it. The dish was harmonious and taste good! I also ordered a beef bao, which is regular, very similar to others that I’ve tried before. <br/ <br/ The service: soo, the good think about HWKR is that they are a group of restaurants and you can order food from different places, but the bad thing is that they don’t have jug with tap water for you and also the payment only can be done by card (which is a problem if you usually don’t bring a card with yourself) <br/ <br/ The price: Is more expensive then other places around the city, the main dish I paid $16 and the bao I paid 2 for $12.

A wide selection of dishes are available here with the lovely ambiance at HWKR.<br/ <br/ Ordered the deep fried sushi which was fried on the edges. The filling was filled with salmon, cream cheese and drizzled with sweet chilli mayo and teriyaki.<br/ <br/ Expecting the fries to be small portioned, this came on a large plate. Fries have minimal oil and crispy with bbq seasoning dusted on top and served with a side of Kitty Ks aioli.

The yakiniku seemed to cater to an Asian fusion audience, featuring a large salad portion and not much beef. The Katsu Sando was crispy, but the coating was slightly burnt, giving it a bitter taste. The bread was somewhat dry, and the tonkatsu sauce was applied unevenly. I did appreciate the inclusion of cabbage, which isn't always found in similar dishes (like at Saint Dreux). I ended up waiting in front of the stall for several minutes for the lone staff member to stop frying in the back, despite us making eye contact. It would have been nice to be acknowledged a bit sooner. There was also some confusion about the fries' ingredients; when I asked if there was seaweed, she said no, but later confirmed that there was indeed seaweed.

I had the Katsu Sando for lunch and was really impressed with how they prepared it. The outside was perfectly fried, while the inside remained tender and flavorful. However, I think they could enhance the dish by removing the bread crust, which would elevate it from a simple sandwich made with two pieces of white bread. Additionally, the sandwich can be a bit dry, so I was glad to have the miso soup (which is an extra option) to complement the meal. The service was incredibly quick and friendly. I’m looking forward to trying out some of their other offerings on my next visit!