She may have worked in the kitchen of a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Singapore, but when she’s in her hometown, chef Alicia Cheong likes to eat somewhere less fancy. “Hawker food is my favourite food back home. When I go back, all I eat is street food, I don’t go to nice restaurants that much,” she tells SBS Food.
She arrived in Melbourne a few years ago to study and work as a chef, and did a stint with barbecue restaurant Fancy Hank’s, before going back to Singapore. She has now returned to open Heroes with the Fancy Hank’s team.
You get into Heroes by going in a lift at the back of CBD ice-cream shop Nitro Lab. The first level is home to multiple karaoke rooms, the second a Singaporean-Malaysian barbecue restaurant and the third a rooftop bar. And if you head down to the basement, there's a private dining room and function space, too. “It’s a whole night for you. You come out for dinner, you get drinks upstairs and you go to karaoke downstairs. You come in here and you forget what time it is,” says Cheong. “It’s kinda like in Hong Kong or Tokyo where everything is in high buildings and you have to go up and down and find your way around.”
When the lift drops you on level two, you’ll know you’re in the right spot. Red lanterns, old Malaysian posters, a Chinese dragon and plastics fruits are hanging from the walls and ceiling. “We went over to Malaysia over Christmas last year and got a 30-feet shipping container to bring back all that furniture, the decor, the posters, the statues, knick-knacks and stuff like that. We went to junkyards and second-hand shops,” says Cheong. “The vibe we’re going for is a dive bar with really good bar food.”
Dragons and lanterns are part of the decorating scheme at Heroes. (Eugene Hyland) Source: Eugene Hyland
It’s a whole night for you. You come out for dinner, you get drinks upstairs and you go to karaoke downstairs. You come in here and you forget what time it is.
Heroes doesn’t take itself too seriously, but what they call “bar food” is definitely not the stuff you’re used to. The menu is inspired by Singaporean and Malaysian cuisine, with some fusion dishes. Pretty much everything is done on two grills, one imported from Singapore, and the other, custom-made for the restaurant.
The first grill is dedicated solely to the barbecue chicken wings served with lime and chilli vinegar, a fixture of hawker centres in Singapore.
On the menu: barbecue chicken wings with lime and chilli vinegar. (Eugene Hyland) Source: Eugene Hyland
“We cook them for 45 minutes to render the fat out and make the skin really crispy. Without this barbecue, you can’t do that,” explains Cheong.
The other grill is for skewers (chicken satay, teriyaki duck hearts, black bean eggplant, etc) and share plates. If you’re after something larger, Cheong recommends the crispy soy pork belly and the Szechuan beef brisket (smoked at Fancy Hank’s, then deep-fried and served with a garlic puree).
She also has a soft spot for the butternut squash dish.
“We roast the butternut squash overnight in the ember of the charcoal and it stays firm but soft in the middle. We chargrill it to order with a miso glaze and curry leaves powder. It’s one of my favourite dishes here that’s not meat. It’s amazing how the barbecue can make everything tastes so much better,” she says. 
Once you’re fed, move up to the rooftop overlooking Bourke Street for a beer or a cocktail, and then down to the karaoke room to belt out your favourite tunes.
Oscar Eastman (Eau de Vie, Loretta’s) has put together Heroes’ cocktail list. (Eugene Hyland) Source: Eugene Hyland
188 Bourke Street, Melbourne Vic, (03) 8639 0630
Tue – Wed 4 pm – 11 pm
Thu 4 pm – midnight
Fri – Sat midday – midnight
Sun midday – 10 pm
