Ho Liao offers casual venue for chef’s inventive, heartfelt dishes

Updated September 25, 2026,first published June 19, 2025

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Neon signs and festoon lights jam with Crazy Rich Asians Mandopop in this big and busy diner. It’s a peek into the playful mind of chef Junda Khoo. A snack of pai tee raises the curtain further. Traditionally a tall tartlet, it’s presented with two paths to deliciousness: pile warm stir-fried radish into the tart shell, or go rogue with a lettuce wrap

Either way, funky sambal belachan, one of 10 in the kitchen’s arsenal, is mandatory. The menu lists plenty of textbook Malaysian dishes – Hainanese chicken, salted egg squid – but Khoo always flips the script. Char kway teow is a kaleidoscope of crisped-up fish cake, pleasantly chewy noodles, sweet lap cheong and smoky lard, each element shining.

Dry-aged roast duck brushed with soy and the flavours of Hainanese chicken rice is regally presented with pancakes, five-spice and hoisin sauce: a modern Malay take on Peking duck.

Good to know: Book after 8pm for $13 mains and $9 sides.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.

Light-filled, modern setting for niche favourites.

The Venetian queen of Little Collins winds back the clock in her 30th year.

Where cornerstone dishes get a jolt of creativity.