mekong

the food was a solid 4/5 but the service was absolutely disappointing - so poor i have to give it a 2/5. we were ignored and eye rolled at by both waiters of the night. one of them started taking away our plates even though we clearly still had food on them. when we asked for themenuto see the desserts, the waiter eyerolled and walked away - we were never given themenuin the end. on a more positive note, the pork hocks and pork ribs were definitely the highlights of the night.

one word to describe this restaurant—- perfect!!!!!!! i love the flavours & all the spice that went with it! the shared mekong plate that consisted of banh xeo, scallops and the chicken satay was so delicious! i also got to love their cocktailmenu!

serving indochinese cuisine in the busy & competitive kensington street. doesn't standout from the outside being on the second floor on top of the viet restaurant, but their food definitely did. we got there at 6:30 to an almost empty restaurant, but it soon fill up. the beauty of indochinese cuisine is that if you like thai & vietnamese, but can't decide which one to have for dinner, you can do both here. we got the mix entree (kudos for making extra serving so everyone on the table get one of each), confit red duck curry, cambodian chargrilled pork ribs & cabbage with king brown mushrooms in truffle oil. loved all of the food, particularly the mains, the red curry was really moorish. minor let down was the attention to detail on their service, the duck & pork ribs needed breaking down & cutting to share, but no knife or even extra fork to do it with, the cocktails were ok, nothing special for the price, and the short dessertmenudidn't appeal at all. overall a pretty enjoyable meal.

have i been living under a rock or something?...as i only first heard about kensington street at the beginning of this week, and after further investigation i cleared all of our previous weekend dining plans to check out this new entertainment district in the city!

located just before the central park shopping centre opposite uts (when walking down george st away from the city) is a pedestrianised walkway filled with restaurants and shops, firstly with the reconfigured ‘old rum store’, followed by ‘spice alley’ a curving narrow street with eatery and alfresco dining on both sides  (picture an outdoor food court), before looping back around to kensington st east and west sides. we completed the loop, poking our heads into a few stores before deciding on mekong, located on the upper floor (east side) above viet.

welcomed by the sounds of the chefs grinding up spices in a stone mortar and pestle, and the melody of a top 50 pop-music track, i think the first impression perfectly captured the east-west fusion vibe mekong is aiming for.

studying the menu, you know it’s going to be a unique experience when nothing on it was stock-standard or typical (so we didn’t really know what to expect), and seeing the prices next to the dishes it was also going to be a bit on the pricier side, for example an average entree was the same price as a main down in spice alley.  we ended up ordering the mekong entree sharing plate (which was made up of half of the entrees on the menu). and we ended up only choosing one main to go with our $30 entree plate.

when we placed our order the friendly waiter was prepared to offer his assistance, as perhaps themenucould have been a little more descriptive than just listing out the ingredients of the dish. but he seemed pleased with our choices, and we waited with anticipation as we took in the interior and table setting; the  cutlery was modern and up-market and the proper linen napkin easily scored a 5-out-of-5 stars on the napkin test. the walls were painted in a textured green finish, and the other fixtures of bamboo pillars, large green leafy pot plants, and dark wooden floors collectively gave off a jungle vibe. the simple wooden chairs reminded me of the original mekong restaurant from the 80’s which used to be located in bondi junction (but i’m sure there is no linkage between the old and the current name-sake restaurants).

when the food arrived, the fragrance of the food wafted up to meet us. yum! the shared plate had:
-pork belly wrapped in betel leaf- picture a tiny dark-green spring-roll filled with mince pork (hard to tell if it was really pork belly).
-soft shell crab taco- a canapé sized mouthful of shredded fresh coconut, inside of a paper thin fold of crispy shell (hard to taste the crab though).
-steamed scallop served on its shell with various greens/herbs/spices, a spicy tangy sauce, and slithers of young coconut (although the toppings overshadowed the smallish piece of scallop)
-and last of the entree quartet was the crispy seafood crape which was pan-fried to a smoky crisp on one side, while still a little bit chewy (a good chewy) on the other. the crepe was the most substantial of the four, with 2 prawns each and a nice spicy sauce to drizzle on top.

all in all, all of the tastes and flavours were added with thought to maximise the affect in your mouth and i think mekong should be categorised as a ‘fine dining’ restaurant, not what it is currently classified as (casual dining), as with the attention to detail and the price, there is nothing casual about this place.

and being a fine establishment like it is, the waiter waited until he collected our entrée plates before indicating to the kitchen to start preparing our single main dish. by this time we were already evaluating the meal thus far, and we had agreed on 4.5, the main could lift the meal to a 5, if it surpassed the high bar from the entrée.

our main was smoked duck which was served in a sweet-tangy broth. and it was a little bit disappointing, as the totality of duck we received for a main size portion was only one duck leg, to be shared between two. i’m not sure how you’d manage it if you had a few more people to dinner, i guess you’d need to order two plates (at $28 each), or literally have a bite each?

any smoky flavour from the cooking process was unfortunately lost on the duck and the crispy skin was soggy due to being served in broth. don’t get me wrong, the broth was tasty as it had a complex taste signature which was sweet and tart from the cinnamon stick and the cumquat, but the interesting flavours also masked the star of the dish. duck me! what a shame!

and after i was chasing around every last grain of rice on my plate, as i was still hungry after $65 for two (including a side of rice, and tips), i guess i left a little dissatisfied. definitely the food was great! but i wished there was more of it, considering you’re paying top dollar. but yeah, the main did help them to maintain their 4.5, but we won’t be back any time soon, as i think we already tried the most interesting dishes on their menu, and there are so many more restaurants to try at kensington street, than to justify coming back to the same place twice.

bistro mekong recently launched at quadrangle shopping village in castlecrag. bistro mekong promises to showcase the best of indochine cuisine but with a twist. theirmenuis designed for sharing and is the perfect local spot for a casual dinner with friends or family. not for us though as we're located the complete opposite direction! their flavours are inspired by countries along the mekong river. if you are in castlecrag and are craving some tasty indo-chinese food, bistro mekong is open tuesday - sunday.

we got the pork ribs, sirloin curry, roti, papaya salad and black risotto dessert. the sauce on the pork ribs was really delicious! sirloin curry was very tasty although quite spicy and there was a lot of oil in it - we had to scoop the oil out of the bowl as it was too much but it went really well with the rice. could probably have given dessert a miss - was nothing too special. would come back and try other items on themenuas i really enjoyed this meal!

a great little find but you'll need to be able to stand spice and chilli. we ordered two mains to share, one being the pork belly dish (which on themenudid not have a chilli symbol) and also the amok curry.

the amok curry was delicious, spicy but also has a really nice sweetness. the seafood on the dish was cooked really well and tender. we really enjoyed this dish but i personally felt the one chilli symbol on themenuwas inaccurate as it was quite spicy.

we also ordered the pork belly as it does not have a spicy symbol and my boyfriend cannot handle chilli. the problem was ... it was really spicy! unfortunately it was quite unpleasant for him. for me, again more spicy than the impression given from menu. edit: it appears mekong has revised theirmenuand the chilli ratings since our last visit and thus dish now has two chilli symbols next to it.

we wanted to try dessert but we were really full from drinking lots of water to try and tame the fire burning in our mouths. the flavors were overall delicious, and i enjoyed the intimate atmosphere, but to those who are not used to eating very spicy foods, you've been warned.

this restaurant was part of a flash offer through dimmi where a booking allowed for 50% off total bill.

try vietnamese food in this beautiful restaurant.. the ambience is so good and their food is varietif.. if you like curry i think you should come and try their differentmenuof curry.. also their steam fish so yum.. definitely try their dessert too because its creative..

amazing location in kensington street, which is an amazing lane way near central station. the restaurant was really great with a great atmosphere and attentive and friendly staff who went above and beyond to ensure we were happy. themenuwas good, not many veggie options . the food came out and was presented really well, a lot of details were made to make them special and tasted amazing!!! we had the tofo rice paper rolls and crab cakes for starter, both very tasty! and the red duck curry and i he tofo curry. was amazing!! would highly recommend mekong and can't wait to come back!!

kensington street in chippendale is one of sydney’s best kept secrets with a plethora of excellent dining options. mekong is one level above the street (upstairs from viet) and has a relaxing and welcoming vibe.

themenuis designed to take you on a trip down the mekong with asian fusion dishes that are perfect for sharing. for starters we had the squid ink dumplings and the seared scallops. the dumplings were filled with prawn and crab and when served they are covered in a chicken pho. the scallops were mouth watering and dressed with bacon oil, chili, coconut and shallots. you will most certainly want more than one of these!

for mains we could not go past the confit duck red curry - a flavoursome dish with pineapple and tomato. the seafood amok takes you to cambodia and the smell is as enticing as the taste with a perfect amount of spice. the wagyu beef salad was a refreshing accompaniment to the curries and highly recommended. each dish was beautifully presented and we only wish we had room for dessert!

the vibe on the street and in the restaurant makes mekong a dining experience of stunning asian eats.

mekong is a south east asian restaurant located on the popular kensington street which is part of the newly developed central park precinct. the restaurant serves up a variety of different asian inspired dishes ranging from both traditional and progressive items with amenuthat is intended to mimic a journey along the mekong river starting from the mouth of the river and heading into the mainland.

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 amenuthat 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.

absolutely loved my experience here. the customer service is highly attentive and the atmosphere is cool and chic. themenuis varied and i highly recommend the sweetcorn harvest and full moon.

watch video review in link!

kensington street goes from strength to strength with the addition of mekong. chef tiw rakarin (mama’s buoi, bang luck) takes diners on a journey through indochina, with amenuthat draws inspiration and flavours from the region. sydney is spoilt with an array of cheap and cheerful eateries which showcase the street food cuisine of continental asia. mekong offers a fine dining experience, with an emphasis on providing the flavours you are used to, complemented with innovative techniques and a level of refinement akin to david thompson’s sailors thai and longrain.

*coco & vine dined as guests of mekong.