Momoda by Krish | SA Weekend restaurant review

At the end of a dark passageway inside an unremarkable Adelaide pub lies a lively, surprising Asian-inspired restaurant – and the meal sizes won’t leave you hungry.

Eggplant and other food at Momoda by Krish in The Maid Hotel. Picture Kelsey Zafiridis

A door opening to a different world is usually the stuff of fantasy writers, from C.S. Lewis’s magic wardrobe, to Dr Who’s Tardis, to the multidimensional portals of recent films.

It’s not something you expect to come across in what, by any other measure, is a run-of-the-mill inner-suburban pub.

We’ve walked into the main bar of The Maid, a cavernous and mostly empty space with music at ear-splitting volume making it seem even more desperate. However, past the kitchen in the far corner, a panel decorated in hypnotic squiggles slides back when we approach.

A dark passageway takes a turn to the left and opens to a bar and dining room that couldn’t be any livelier. Tables are filled to breaking point (more on that later) and the soundtrack of exuberant conversation needs no amplification. Waiting staff, while run off their feet, are happy to engage in the fun.

Inside Momoda by Krish in The Maid Hotel. Picture: Kelsey Zafiridis

Momoda by Krish is something different for Adelaide pub restaurants, running with a modern Asian formula that has clearly found an audience. The concept (and name) has come from Krish Dutt, executive chef for the Fahey group, who is now overseeing the kitchen. Born and raised in Fiji, he learnt his trade in hotels and resorts around the Pacific Islands, before moving to SkyCity’s Auckland operation and then opening Madame Hanoi in Adelaide.

All these experiences have led him to Momoda, which opened in July in what was The Maid’s front bar and function space and quickly expanded into an adjacent room to cope with bookings. Fortuitously, this section of the hotel was already decked out in eye-catching shades of royal blue and candy pink and, with a few additional neon signs, it has slipped comfortably into the right look for this type of eatery.

Prawn dumplings. Picture: Kelsey Zafiridis

Dutt brings Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Thai influences to his menu, often combining elements from two or more in the one plate. The common denominator is that flavours come in two sizes: big and even bigger. There are no acoustic versions, only heavy metal.

A green papaya salad is about as subtle as it gets, with cucumber, bean shoots, peanuts and Thai nam jim dressing; all that crispness and crunch performing a textural tango with wobbly strips of jellyfish marinated in ponzu.

Prawn dumplings might sound timid but, with the crustacean meat accompanied by five spice, galangal and a substantial amount of green chilli in the filling, the loosely formed packages have a fiery temperament even before they are doused in a creamy tom yum dressing.

Premium tenderloin brings a lovely palate feel to the “Korean tartare” but any beefiness is rather lost beneath a shopping list of condiments including soy and sesame in a sweet emulsion, bonito flakes, kewpie and togarashi. Loaded on to a crisp cassava cracker, it’s still enjoyable eating but would be better if everything was toned back a little. A salmon fillet also struggles to be heard beneath a potent miso, ginger and citrus paste that is brushed on the fish as it grills.

Miso and ginger marinated salmon. Picture: Kelsey Zafiridis

Eggplant, always a good sponge for other flavours, fares the best, fried and then coated in a potent chilli and Korean pepper jam, resulting in a rich, squidgy mass that’s like eating a savoury mudcake. Puffed rice scattered over the top adds a welcome crackle and pop.

For dessert, the panna cotta is a true reflection of the unique charms of Vietnamese coffee with its condensed milk sweetness. More complex is a coconut sponge cake soaked in the spiced milk drink known as Horchata. If that sounds a little like tiramisu, then pieces of rum-marinated burnt pineapple take it straight to the poolside and a pina colada.

Young coconut cake, burnt pineapple at Momoda by Krish. Picture: Kelsey Zafiridis

Momoda has clearly been embraced by residents of Adelaide’s inner-east. Such is the demand that staff are stretched and systems need refining to avoid multiple waiters asking the same question. Fix that and bring a little more nuance to the cooking, then this will be a door to enter without apprehension.