SA Weekend restaurant review – Ông Vietnamese Bar & Kitchen

A memorable fried snack is reason alone to visit a modern Vietnamese restaurant in the East End with deep family ties, writes Simon Wilkinson.

Dining room at Ông Vietnamese Bar & Kitchen.

‘I’ve seen worse,” says the waiter, as he surveys the splatters and ­assorted scraps spread across our table. Young but clearly gifted in the art of gentle persuasion, he is being kind. The mess we have left looks like Pro Hart has been to dinner.

This can mean a few things. The plates are all being shared. They are piled with shredded veg, chopped herbs and other itty bits. The serving utensils aren’t really up to it. Or everyone is enjoying themselves too much to care. It’s all of the above in the case of Ong Vietnamese Kitchen, a recent addition to Rundle St.

A compact, rowdier relative to Noi in the eastern suburbs, Ong shares more than a name that keeps the sign-writing costs down. Both are owned and operated by Quang Nguyen, his wife, Thy, and their ­extended families.

Both have menus, including some shared dishes, developed by Quang, who came to prominence as the creator of wild and wonderful desserts at Devour and more recently Shibui in the CBD. And both are in premises that were previously Chopstix restaurants run by Thy’s parents, who have opted to take a step back and leave the next generation in control.

Physically, however, the pair are complete opposites. Where Noi was revamped and lavished with features including a grand pivoting entrance door and lush terrarium/water feature, Ong shows a more pragmatic approach.

After all, there is only so much you can do with this narrow, double-decker dining room, in which the ground floor space also includes allocation for a bar and kitchen.

Wagyu beef and betel leaf rolls at Ông Vietnamese Kitchen, Adelaide. Picture: Supplied

Turmeric and coconut roasted barramundi in banana leaf at Ông Vietnamese Kitchen, Adelaide. Picture: Supplied

The polished timber furniture and bird cage light shades are new but the most prominent features remain a long mural on one wall and large mirrors, which give the illusion of more room, on the other.

While the dining concept is still a playful, sometimes nostalgic take on modern Vietnamese, Quang has reworked the ­offering to reflect Ong’s limited facilities and the vibe of the precinct with an emphasis on smaller, snackier plates.

A feed-me option guarantees a well-­balanced selection or, if picking for yourself, take on some additional guidance.

Our young enthusiast makes a strong pitch to include the corn ribs. Kernels are cut from the cob still anchored to a base that keeps them in a neat ribbon. Dusted in a mix including five-spice and mushroom powder, they are fried long enough to develop a crust on the surface but keep their moisture. Easy to manage and sweet, juicy and crisp all at once, they are “the corn supremacy”.

Pho dumplings and basil oil at Ông Vietnamese Bar & Kitchen.

Venturing deeper into the realm of Dude Food, rice papers are used, not for cold rolls, but as a crisp base for an Asian pizza topping of duck meat, hoisin, spring ­onions and sesame.

A mix of wagyu mince, lemongrass and chilli is rolled in betel leaves to form cigars that are grilled until the wrapping is charred and served with a mild nuoc mam dipping sauce. The ones that are slightly underdone retain the best flavour.

Noodle soups? Quang leaves that to more mainstream Vietnamese venues. His pho becomes beef-filled dumplings in a powerful broth he says follows his mum’s recipe. The bowl is finished with chilli, fresh herbs and a drizzle of basil oil.

Batons of battered eggplant have that winning match of crunch followed by goo and are especially good swiped through a killer caramel sauce. Fried brussels sprouts are splattered with a lip-tingling fermented chilli sauce. Any ­resemblance with the original item is purely coincidental.

A banana leaf parcel is opened to reveal a hefty fillet of barramundi with a golden stain of turmeric and coconut. The fish breaks into moist, waxy chunks and is brought to life with lime and a cucumber salad. A shredded green apple salad does the same freshen-up job for pork belly that is slow-roasted and then fried to ensure a complete coverage of bubbly crackle.

Our dessert is “che”, Ong’s take on the shaved-ice/jelly/fruit combination found across Southeast Asia. Pink guava and coconut jellies, jackfruit, basil seeds and rose syrup will take you poolside in the middle of winter.

And that’s the thing about Ong. It isn’t taking itself too seriously. While it might not have quite the precision or flavour spark I recall at its suburban sibling, for a fun night on the town it fits the bill. Just don’t get too messy.