From one chef’s seafaring tales comes a culinary map of Southeast Asia. At Mekong, Kensington Street’s newest dining experience, Chef Tiw Rakarin continues to bring the sumptuous flavours of Indochina to the table - spruiked up with a shot of spice, a bed of rose petals and a contemporary spin.
Our online reviews do not lie!
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"Outstanding and interesting Vietnamese food.....This is the best restaurant of its type in Sydney."
Nicholas Dimmi rating: 5/5 stars
"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."
Leesah, Zomato rating: 5/5 stars
"Introduced by Chippendale Walking Tour Group. Experience so good I came back the next day with my husband. More excellent food (duck curry! Wow!) but the service was a stand out. Give yourself a treat! Come on down!"
Denise Norman, Google Reviews rating: 5/5 stars
"Everything was delicious. Everything! From chimpan-A to chimpan-Z, and the staff bent over backwards to be friendly accommodating and informative."
Benjamin B, Yelp rating: 5/5 stars
Watch Coco and Vine’s video review here! |
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Need a venue for a special event? Mekong also accommodates for birthdays, corporate dinners and other celebrations!
Book a table today and don’t forget to connect with us on Instagram and Facebook!
Photography by Lauren Commens
Hailed a talent to watch, Chef Tiw Rakarin inscribes the Mekong menu with tales of his own colourful journeying along the Mekong River.
Having just returned from a sojourn through Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, & Vietnam, Tiw is aglow with a fire of inspiration; crafting a brand new seasonal menu, Mekong will deliver a new world of stories! Bringing back culinary secrets from his family’s cooking, guests will have the privilege of experiencing a new narrative of flavours to whisk them down the Mekong.
Photography by Lauren Commens
As seafarers begin their journey through Southeast Asia they will need their map, meet the Chef’s Share Plate - a lavish spread of Mekong’s choice entrees and little jetties embedded with Tiw’s memories of the region. Feast your eyes and stomachs on two little ladies of shallot, four pigs in a betel leaf basket, a coco & a chick with a little fish all served on a tasting board for you (and your friends, if you’re feeling generous) to devour.
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"I've tried to keep the rest of the dishes on the share plate more traditional, the pork and the little fish for example are very true to their rich Thai spices, the scallops is the dish I’ve been a bit more adventurous with." |
These lady of shallot scallops use a traditional balance of Vietnamese flavours that will dance on the tongue. With a nước chấm style dressing as their base, the scallops are seared in bacon fat bringing a rich smoky fullness into the meat, while the freshness of the Thai coconut salad will uplift the tastebuds with a light bounce.
These scallops are not your conventional Vietnamese dish - this is the cream of the crop!
Photography by Lauren Commens
The Share Plate’s Coco & Chick, a central burma street-style pancake with chickpea, tomato, coconut strips & fresh chilli chutney, will invite warmth and heart to the guest’s journey along the Mekong. Tiw paints with his memories as he delivers his own rendition of this street-style Burmese Dosa, ushering you into the bustling streets of sun-kissed Burma.
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"Burma shares its border with five other countries so their 'traditional' food is really a mix of all of those. It's inspiring for me to introduce a new seasonal menu featuring a range of Burmese style dishes." |
As you step off the streets of Burma, prepare to embrace the waters of the Mekong as you move to the main event: Mekong’s Fisherman’s Catch. Mingle with the fishermen of Thailand and feel the water on your skin as you join them for the catch of the day. This fusion combines the familiar taste of Australia, serving a whole steamed barramundi, with the unique vibrance of Thailand, as Tiw presents his Thai green chilli sauce with a splash of lemongrass, mint & lime.
Mekong has selected wines from Australia's finest wineries to accompany the nuanced flavours of every dish. Coupled with spice and loaded with culture the selection has been tailored to each province's flavour profile. Allow our in-house experts to guide you on your trip and enhance your experience with a list of whites, reds and local beers to uncork and enjoy from our copper-lined bar.
Need to know the secret? Well thank your lucky stars because Tiw just imparted onto us a gem of a recipe!
Photography by Lauren Commens
A whole Australian barramundi is bathed in traditional Thai green chilli sauce, a perfect merging of the chef’s memories of Mekong travels and the country he calls home.
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Ingredients:
- One fresh whole Barramundi approximately 700 - 800g
- Lemongrass
- Galangal
- Twenty green Thai bird chillis
- Twenty long green chillis
- Half a cup of peeled garlic
- One tablespoon of coriander root
- Four tablespoons of salt
- Seven tablespoons of sugar
- Half a cup of lime juice
- Half a cup of water
Method:
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Clean and stuff barramundi with lemongrass and galangal
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Steam fish for 15 minutes
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Add the bird chillies and peeled cloves of garlic into a mortar and pestle. Crush ingredients into a rough paste.
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Add the crushed chilies and garlic to a bowl, combine with lime juice, water, fish sauce (or salt), and sugar, and mix thoroughly.
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Continue adding the ingredients gradually to the chilli sauce, seasoning with fish sauce and sugar to taste.
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Pour combined chilli sauce over steamed barramundi.
- Garnish with your choice of herbs and fried shallots.
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Can’t get enough of Chef Tiw’s recipes? Try out his other restaurants on Kensington Street: Lower Mekong & Bang Luck Thai Street Food
Enter Mekong and experience myths from the motherland; accompany Chef Tiw Rekarin on this seafaring tale and immerse yourself in the flavours and aromas of Indochina.
This is a barge down the Mekong River loaded with the richest cargo: this is cuisine.
Interested in what our diners had to say? Click below for some reviews.
Milktea Eats - "I may have found myself a new favourite restaurant in Sydney!".
Coco and Vine - "The fragrances and aromas often reach you before your dish even lands on the table..."
Concrete Playground - "Open space, soothing greens, bamboo feature walls, dark furnishings, fresh plants and some dim lighting set the scene for your culinary feast."
The Daily Telegraph - Mekong launches.
The Daily Telegraph - Mekong: Chippendale’s fanciest Spice Alley offering is the jewel in the crown.
Does My Bomb Look Big In This? - "We start planning our next barge down the Mekong. And there isn't much on this menu I wouldn’t like to try…"
Eat Drink Play - "A lot of care and thought has gone into the creation of Kensington Street’s Mekong."
Good Food - Terry Durack, chief restaurant critic for Sydney Morning Herald, visits Mekong.
Gourmantic - "Mekong will take your taste buds on a south-east Asian journey and educate your palate"
I’m Still Hungry - "In the end, the food at Mekong is simply delicious…"
NingjaEats - "Guaranteed to fire up your taste buds as you journey through their menu."
The Urban List - "We’d barely scratched the surface of Mekong’s lengthy, appetite-whetting menu and we’re definitely up for another journey."
Urban Walkabout - Mekong and Lower Mekong in Sydney’s newest destinations.
Broadsheet - "The Last Piece of The Spice Alley Puzzle"
Connect with Mekong
Find us on Facebook and Instagram!
Mekong is located at 14 Kensington Street (upper level), Chippendale NSW 2008.
Opening hours:
Dinner: Monday to Sunday 6-10pm.
Lunch: Thursday to Sunday 12-3pm.
For additional information, please email nickyginsberg@kensingtonstreet.com.au or call Nicky Ginsberg on 0417 494 317
Nicky Ginsberg
Creative Director
32-34 Kensington Street
Chippendale 2008
0417 494 317
www.kensingtonstreet.com.au
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