Scottish chef creates 'Govanhill' munchie box with over 4,500 calories at his Australian restaurant

A Scottish chef living in Australia has created one of the world's unhealthiest takeaways - to offer Australians what he describes as a 'taste of Scotland'.

Published 8th Jul 2019
Updated 9 th Aug 2023

Chris Orr, 39, has run the Wee Man's Kitchen in Melbourne, Victoria since 2017 after moving to Australia eight years ago.

The big takeaway fan, originally from Mount Florida, Glasgow, has created a deep-fried laden munchie box that he says contains a whopping 4,671 calories.

The 'Govanhill Munchie Box Part Two' contains deep fried pizza crunch, veggie pakora, chips and curry sauce, chicken tikka, two chip shop style sausages, two seekh kebabs, eight hot wings, cheddar coleslaw, and comes with homemade pink sauce and brown sauce.

"It's total heart attack material but I'm there to pleasure people."

The meal, which 'feeds two if starving, four if yir caring', costs $50 - or just under £28.

Chris said: "I opened up a restaurant called Wee Man's Kitchen in 2017 in a pub that makes its own beer.

"I was thinking about an avenue of what food goes with beer.

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"There's quite a lot of fast food here but it's more Chinese, Indian and Thai - not so much deep fried.

"Chip shop food and kebabs all work well and the munchie box seemed to appeal to groups of people drinking.

"At the same time I was making all the deep fried foods like haggis and pakora."

Despite initially hesitant about selling such an unhealthy meal, Chris said the munchie box has become a hit locally - with diners travelling from further afield to try it out.

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The Munchie Box. Picture: SWNS

The calorific breakdown of the Munchiebox 

• Deep fried pizza crunch - 700kcal

• Veggie pakora - 212kcal

• Chips and curry sauce - 1,080kcal

• Chicken tikka - 290kcal

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• Two chip shop style sausages - 620kcal

• Two seekh kebabs 650kcal

• Eight hot wings - 824kcal

• Cheddar coleslaw - 181 calories

• Homemade pink sauce and brown sauce - 114 calories

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Chris has dubbed his calorie rich creation "heart attack material".

He said: "I was quite scared at first because Melbourne's quite a healthy place but it's been very popular with families and some people come in once a week for one.

"It's a fair bit of food and is definitely over 4,000 calories.

"It's total heart attack material but I'm there to pleasure people.

"There's a bit of a pilgrimage. I'm in the north side but a lot come from other parts of the city as well as Sydney and Adelaide.

"A lot of Scots come in and say it tastes like home, especially for people who've been away for a long time.

"At the end of the night you can always take it away and crawl home with it.

Chris, who has been a chef for around 20 years, said he likes to blend traditional Scottish cuisine with a modern twist.

Although his munchie box contains thousands of calories, he has sourced good quality meat to make it.

Chris, who makes his own Scottish favourites like haggis, black pudding and square sausage, said: "All my ingredients are good, like the chicken and lamb are free range.

"I'm also going to do a veggie box.

"I don't want the veggies to miss out and know they would smash one.

"I'd call it something like the 'Byres Road box'."

Other Scottish-themed meals on Chris's menu include the 'Mel Gibson' beef burger; the 'Glasgae Kiss', a deep friend Mars bar dessert; and the bumper breakfast, the 'Great Glasgow Fry Up'.

Chris settled down in Australian after years of cheffing in various Glasgow restaurants and said he "fell in love" with Melbourne.

Since relocating there, he met his wife Tamarin young, 37, and the pair have a two-and-a-half-year-old son called Albie.

He said: "I was travelling the world and fell in love with Melbourne, with all the rich markets and variety.

"I've learned a lot here because it's got such a high standard with cooking.

"There's so many people from around the world and has influenced how I would go about Wee Man's Kitchen in the future.

"I would like to one day open up a more gourmet place to show the classier side of Scottish cuisine but fast food is really big right now.

"I like to mix the traditional stuff in with the modern techniques.

"But I do miss Glasgow, like the chip shops and the curries are the best."

Chris, who also stocks Irn Bru, added: "I'd love to do something with Buckfast.

"I do Burns Night and St Andrew's Day and every Sunday I make a Sunday roast."

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Driven by a passion for all things drinks-related, Sean writes for The Scotsman extensively on the subject. He can also sometimes be found behind the bar at the world famous Potstill bar in Glasgow where he continues to enhance his whisky knowledge built up over 10 years advising customers from all over the world on the wonders of our national drink. Recently, his first book was published. Dubbed Gin Galore, it explores Scotland's best gins and the stories behind those that make them.
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