Previous SlideNext Slide

You could look at Charlong as a nice, new neighbourhood Thai joint and you’d be right: there’s green curry, wokked noodles, papaya salad and friendly service. But you’d also be wrong: Charlong is so much more than a standard suburban restaurant. It’s clever, creative, run by women and could only be in Melbourne.

Co-owner and chef Alex Kaew and her business partner and front-of-house manager Sara Pimsamarn do everything themselves, including curry pastes and spiced sausages. Pimsamarn has a background in five-star hotels. Kaew has worked in some of Melbourne’s best Asian restaurants, picking up skills and strategies, while also studying for a Masters degree in marketing and business.

It’s so tough for restaurants to make a go of it these days that I frankly feel nervous for anyone putting it all on the line and opening the doors. Hearing about Kaew’s extra qualifications gave me comfort. It gets even better: she grew up in Chanthaburi in Thailand’s east and spent long days helping at her grandmother’s food stall. Anyone who’s wrangled a mortar and pestle since they were 10 understands flavour.

You don’t need to know any of that to appreciate the delicious food. Prawn betel leaf is the umami bomb version of surf ‘n’ turf, with sweet prawn and pungent chicken jungle sausage piled into a thrilling bite.

Kingfish is briefly cured with makrut lime salt then laid in a shallow coconut-and-galangal broth that tips a hat to Filipino kinilaw, Thai tom kha gai and Spanish gazpacho. It’s dressed with passionfruit, which sounds bonkers but completely works as an alternative acid bounce.

Anyone who’s wrangled a mortar and pestle since they were 10 understands flavour.

The green curry recipe is from Pimsamarn’s family, balanced with grachai (wild ginger) and bolstered with turmeric-cured then charcoal-grilled eggplant. Add brisket if you like (I did): it’s a perfect meaty soaker for the elegantly spiced broth.

Thai milk tea is given new life in the panna cotta tart with brown butter crumble and whipped coconut cream. It’s excellent after dinner but I would also come here in the afternoon just for this dessert.

Kaew has cooked at Phamily Kitchen (Vietnamese), Longsong and Longrain (Thai), Hochi Mama (Asian fusion), Rice Paper Scissors (Asian street food), Mr Miyagi (snacky Japanese) and was most recently head chef at BangBang in Elsternwick (Asian fusion).

She’s basically put herself through restaurant school and there are elements of the whole curriculum in what she’s doing at Charlong.

But the dish I loved most is inspired not by an Asian kitchen but by iconic Melbourne pasta restaurant Tipo 00.

Dumplings are rethought as ravioli, filled with king prawn and bathed in lobster head bisque that’s hot and sour like tom yum but enriched with butter. Tapioca beads are cooked with dark soy and squid ink to make a “caviar” garnish. It’s genius.

There are many reasons why dumplings shouldn’t be considered cheap food; Kaew’s rendition offers a closing argument.