mekong, kensington street's newest addition, has given south east asian cuisine a new life. with a modern twist on traditional flavours, the upstairs dining lounge presents an open kitchen and complete bar that disassociates itself from the hustle and bustle of its sister store below; lower mekong.
on arrival, a complimentary snack of baby carrots coated in chilli jam and pork floss placed us in first gear, and there after, accelerated onwards and upwards. squid ink dumplings were mouthfuls of soft lubricious sheets encapsulating a morsel of prawn and crab mix. micro herbs and edible flowers added colour and vibrancy, and was a recurring addition throughout the night. the standout however, was the warm broth. the earthy tones with added sweetness was refreshing yet hearty. justifiably worthy of the $12 price tag as i would definitely be back just to have this dish again.
in comparison, coco and chick was slightly underwhelming as the chickpea filling lacked seasoning and was difficult to eat, with no starchy ingredient to hold the pocket together. accompanying chilli jam was well received with a sweet undertone followed by an unexpected kick.
mains were eagerly anticipated and admittedly did take some time to arrive. when they did, it was everything we imagined and more! full moon was a steamed young coconut egg custard with tiger prawns. the flesh of coconut was tender and translucent and had me nodding like a bobble head. not to be outdone, the royal seafood amok was similarly spectacular. each seafood element was perfectly cooked and the viscous sauce had so much flavour i had goosebumps on my tongue (if that's even possible). on completion of mains my mouth was on fire, and it felt amazing!
so good was our night that we decided to try 3 out of their 4 desserts. to hit 3 for 3 (of coconuts) we made a home run with the bangkok ice cream. the sweet corn, pomegranate and warm sticky rice paired beautifully with the cold coconut ice cream. as an added bonus, we scraped out the flesh of the coconut shell and devoured that too. pure tropical bliss. rose water lychee mousse was very light and fragrant with a refreshing mango purée and fine crumble. although the basil panna cotta lacked the signature wobble, texturally it was not overly gelatinous or firm. to accentuate the flavours of basil, the dessert was not very sweet, however the walnut crumble and drops of meringue really completed the dish.
there was so many drool worthy moments at mekong that i just can't wait to be back! service was also very attentive yet unobtrusive. will definitely be checking out lower mekong too for their take on vietnamese street food as the skewers i saw walking past were calling my name.