Mekong, Chippendale

In a last bid to utilise my entertainment book vouchers before the end of the May, I organised a dinner with DrL and AW at Mekong. Not to be confused with Lower Mekong located on street level, which serves up Vietnamese food, Mekong is its more mature, upper-class sister restaurant that offers South-East Asian cuisine in a fine dining setting.

Outside of Restaurant

Having only walked by in the past, it was an interesting experience walking up the stairway, past bamboo walls to the 2nd floor. Dim mood lighting, dark wood and shiny metallic surfaces reigned supreme in this restaurant, which overlooks the humble Spice Alley and Kensington Street below.

Bar

There were a few menu items that drew the eye and so we picked a few dishes to share between us.

Crispy Coconut Crepe ($16 for 4pcs)

The crisp, curled crepe reminded me of a taco shell and was filled with minimal crab and prawn, topped with some juicy, shredded coconut - soaked in what looked like a beetroot juice to give it a vibrant red colour with a sweet and earthy flavour - and micro herbs.

Pork Belly in Betal Leaf ($14 for 4pcs)

The sliced pork belly was rolled up, trimmed and wrapped in a betal leaf, before being grilled and basted in a house-made tamarind sauce. These tasty, bite-sized morsels were served with light vegetable salad.

Amok Curry ($38)

The Amok curry - containing barramundi fish, scallop, pipi, prawn - tasted similar to a spicy, creamy tom yum. As with many curries at restaurants, I just wish there was a bigger portion size and more sauce... all the better to smother over the sides of white rice that we ordered to accompany the mains.

 Char-Grilled Pork Ribs ($32)

The pork ribs were so soft and succulent, char-grilled and sticky sweet to perfection. Served on the side was the same vegetable salad from the pork belly entree (but this time with sliced red chilli) and fresh prawn crackers (in place of the cassava 'churros'?).

Across the board, I found that the quality and finesse was evident in every dish but the flavours tended to be rather sweet - I guess this is typical of South-Asian cuisines. In the end, after applying the 25% off the bill using my Entertainment Book voucher, the meal cost just under $81. Not bad for a decent meal for three people in a fine-dining setting but was it value for money?

Let your taste buds decide.

Alleyway to Spice Alley

Food: ✰✰✰✰
Service: ✰✰✰✰
Atmosphere: ✰✰✰✰
Overall: ✰✰✰✰
One-Line Summary: Quality South-East Asian cuisine at a price