Mekong
14 Kensington St
Chippendale, Sydney
There are a few levels to Mekong and we were on the top level. The décor is nicely themed. The ceiling is black industrial with black nets "scalloping" along for the entire length of the roof. There is bamboo - floor to ceiling, at the bar and along the walls of the room. Also adorning the bar is an impressive floral arrangement. Above are lights encased in what was modelled on crab pots. The crab pots have bamboo spiralling around them. This makes for a unique arrangement.
Mekong is described as indochine cuisine and a travelling feast along the river. Head Chef Tiw Rakarin has put together a menu that delights the tastebuds.
We had Little Fish - Thai crisp anchovies with lime, lemongrass, chilli and peanuts. This was AMAZING! The aroma was delish. It was colourful and had such great flavours. The combination of the chilli, the lemongrass, the crunch of the peanuts - this is a "must have" dish. Sir loved this dish - was one of his favourites.
Little crumb - rice-crumbed chicken and lao sausage with avocado puree. Oh yum. Again such a great combination of flavours and textures. Mlady loves sausages and this tantalising lao sausage was a winner with her.
The squid ink dumplings - with crabmeat and prawn Thai stuffing, in broth. There is showmanship with this dish. The pouring of the broth, the steam rising and then - oh my gosh. The best way to eat this is to take it all in one mouthful. How to describe the texture of this delicacy - smooth as silk.
Next we had the Coco and chick - central Burma street - style pancake with chickpea, tomato, coconut strips and fresh chilli chutney. There was plenty of different flavours and textures that all went so well together. Mlady loves chutneys and this chilli chutney was so good - it did not overpower, it complimented.
Mlady had a Mocktail - blushing gibbon. This really was good. So refreshing with a great apple flavour. It was made up of watermelon, green apple and apple juice.
The Full Moon - steamed coconut stuffed with tiger prawn, egg, basil and coconut milk. This was such a wonderful showmanship dish. "Smokin" prawns in a coconut! The tiger prawns were beautifully cooked. they were plump and very tasty. Thecoconut milk was almost like a gravy - it was so good, so mouth watering.
Sweet lemon rumdul - Cambodian beef rib curry, sweet potato and lemongrass paste. Chunks of beef that literally fell apart - lovely. Another beautifully cooked dish with a great flavoured sauce.
We then had - a duck at sunrise - duck confit with red Thai curry, cherry tomato, basil oil and fresh pineapple. We also had a serving of rice with this dish. This dish ticketed all the boxes for both Sir and Mlady. Sir is a huge fan of duck and Mlady loves pineapple. Combine these with all the other aromatic delicacies and it makes a wonderfully tasty meal. The nice crisp skin on the tender duck - yum. The duck was "Holding court" in a vibrant orange sea. The sweetness of the pineapple complimented the rich red Thai curry.
As a river side we had Truffled garden - grilled cabbage and sweet brown mushroom topped with soy sauce and truffle oil. We all know Sir is partial to all things truffle - and this side - he thoroughly enjoyed. Oh this is lovely. A seriously great "salad". This had great flavours. A really good crunch of the grilled cabbage. Was most unlike Sir to rave about it - and he had 3 serves!
For dessert we shared the Bangkok ice cream bowl - coconut ice cream with pomegranate, roasted peanut and palm seed in a coconut shell. With this dessert - just eat the palm seed first, it is quite unique but of course save some to eat with the rest of the dessert as it is meant to be eaten all together. How would we describe the palm seed - sensational! Neither of us had tried palm seed before. Now we know about it, we certainly will be looking out for it. It was such a shame that we had to share this. Mlady wanted to eat the lot. Truly - again - such showmanship. Scooping out the coconut flesh and the coconut ice - cream - YUMMO. Amazing tastes. Simply loved this dessert.
Our other dessert was the rosewater lychee - lychee with rosewater mousse, mango puree and meringue drops. Such a lovely soft combination. The rosewater mousse, mango puree - lovely flavours and the cute meringue dropstopped this dessert off nicely. The sweetness of the meringue drops complimented the mousse and the tartness of the raspberries perfectly.
Mekong serves amazing food. Great flavours with great combinations and wonderful showmanship. Seriously - "Do yourself a favour"!
Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Mekong. Thank you to Boo and Nonie for taking care of us on the night. Big thank you to Ryan for the outstanding service he provided. Special thanks to Lucia Nguyen and Nicky Ginsberg for arranging this visit.