Mekong

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Mekong describes itself as a restaurant serving Indochine cuisine. Indochine captures the area roughly East of India and South of China, spanning which a number of countries but united in spicy, complex, sweetly-savoury characteristics of their cuisines.

Mekong Share Plate, $30
This is the best item on the entire menu, and a must-order in my view. It allows you to sample four of Mekong's signature entrees at an incredible value.

Grilled Scallops
The scallops are lightly grilled in bacon oil to give it a fatty, satisfying flavour, and topped with fresh coconut and drizzled with a yuzu chilli sauce. You can see the fusion nature of Mekong's menu immediately.

Grilled tumeric catfish
Whilst the betel nut is an aphrodisiac linked with oral cancer, the betel leaf is a delightful little vessel to transport flavourful catfish cooked with onion, lime zest and roasted peanuts into one's mouth. Is stuffing the entirety of this parcel of goodness into my mouth something I would wish to part-take on a date? Perhaps not, but one cannot deny that this dish really packs a punch.

Spice chicken satay
The chicken is grilled to tender perfection and topped with house-made chili powder and coconut shreads, It is served with a rich, sweet peanut sauce.

Sizzling seafood crepe
A very street-food-like dish bursting at the seams with juicy, bouncy prawns and packed full of mung bean sprouts, coconut shreds, chili and slightly tossed in an anchovy sauce which gives it a deep, umami flavour.

Amok Curry, $35
Amok curry comes highly recommended by the restaurant. It is a rich, spicy yet oh-so-moreish red curry packed with king prawns, scallops and generous barramundi chunks. The soup is wonderfully fragrant and transforms rice into something quite magical.

Green papaya salace, $12
Green papaya, for those who haven't tried, has a very mild flavour - what's special about it is its crunchy texture and ability to pick up sauce. In this case, a mouth-tingling chili and lime sauce with a hint of fish sauce. The shredded carrots and peanuts add even more crunch. A refreshing companion to the rich curry.

Soy Panna Cotta, $12
Because the panna cotta is made of soy, it has the texture of silken tofu and is a lot less rich than its usual milky cousin. Resting in a pool of sweet ginger soup, it is light, refreshing and a perfect end to a very flavourful meal.

 Score: 4 / 5 
Price: approx $50pp
Address: 2 / 14 Kensington Street, Chippendale
Website: https://www.mekong-restaurant.com.au/

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