SA Weekend restaurant review: The Good Tiger

The podium-finishing shallot cakes are just one of the many things this small seaside restaurant is doing right, writes Simon Wilkinson.

The pastry crescent is golden, crumbly and as oil-free as an electric car. It encases a filling of sweet, slowly-sweated shallots that are seasoned with a definitive hit of white pepper. In short, this is the shallot cake dreams are made of, a podium-finisher for sure among countless versions sampled over the years.

Even better, this treat wasn’t stumbled upon in Chinatown or an upmarket CBD restaurant but a small, low-profile business in a supermarket carpark only a few minutes from home.

So low-profile, in fact, that while visiting said supermarket on a semi-regular basis, the penny didn’t drop about the promising bloodlines of The Good Tiger until invited to dinner by friends who, as a matter of complete transparency, have a daughter working part-time there.

The Good Tiger’s various owners, it transpires, are connected with other highly rated Asian eateries including Busan Baby, Gin Long and Concubine, all in or close to the city.

For this venture to the ’burbs, they have taken over vacant space in a retail strip, across from a larger shopping centre in Brighton.

The Good Tiger beef cheek in black bean Picture: HELLO KEEPER

The Good Tiger Tempura eggplant

To one side, a small kitchen has been built with a viewing window to watch woks being tossed and spring rolls wrapped.

In the dining room, the ceiling has been stripped away to reveal cables and ducting, then spray painted black in the industrial style. A feature wall papered with a print of banana palms and other tropical foliage provides the green and dusky pink palette for the rest of the room. A line-drawn tiger contemplates patiently who he will have for dinner.

As well as those shallot cakes, our shared starters include a criss-crossed lattice of eggplant sticks encased in a tempura batter that shatters on impact. The veg inside has turned to a super-heated moosh (beware a burnt mouth) and the batons are slathered in a dark salty-sweet caramel.

Pork dumplings, held in the steamer maybe a minute too long, come with a vinegar and chilli oil dressing, while chicken satays have smoky grill flavour and a peanut sauce that is clearly designed to be kid-friendly.

The title “jungle” added to the curries would normally signify combinations that walk on the wild side, using a bucket of herbs, serious chilli and no coconut milk.

The choo chee chicken, however, is more cuddly kitten than tiger, with strips of white breast meat in a mild, creamy sauce.

The Good Tiger dining room. Picture: HELLO KEEPER

The Good Tiger red duck curry. Picture: HELLO KEEPER

For something with sharper claws, try the red curry of roasted duck pieces, pineapple and lychee, where the sauce has a more pronounced, lingering spike of heat.

Other mains delve deeper into the possibilities of Southeast Asian flavours to great effect. A dark lump of beef cheek appears daunting but a gentle press with a dessert spoon is all that is required for it to capitulate and tear apart into luscious shreds. Rich and gelatinous, the meat is custom built for the cleverly balanced saltiness of a light black bean sauce and crisp shredded cabbage. A winner all round.

A summery salad of shredded snow peas, herbs, red onion and fried vermicelli is tossed with a peanut dressing. Full of crunch and freshness, it is reminiscent of Indonesia’s gado gado.

And how does one finish a meal that focuses so squarely on one part of the world? With sticky date pudding, of course. This version is lighter than most but still has the satisfying moist crumb and butterscotch sauce that goes perfectly with vanilla ice-cream.

The Good Tiger is a small restaurant that, under current rules, has shrunk further to a capacity inside of only 15. Fortunately, a booming takeaway trade has helped it stay afloat and a community not overly blessed with dining options at this level would be silly to let it go. Losing those shallot cakes just up the road doesn’t bear thinking about.

For more reviews visit delicious.com.au/eatout