Indochine eatery Bistro Mekong opens in Castlecrag

SET sail on a culinary journey down the Mekong River at Castlecrag’s latest restaurant opening, Bistro Mekong.

An Indochine feast of Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian, Burmese and Laotian flavours.

SET sail on a culinary journey down the Mekong River at Castlecrag’s latest restaurant opening, Bistro Mekong.

The new Indochine eatery is a smaller, more casual incarnation of its award-winning sister, Mekong on Kensington in Chippendale.

The new restaurant takes over from the Butterfly Cafe in the Quadrangle Shopping Village.

Owned by Sydney developer Dr Stanley Quek, the venue will be run by head chef Tiw Rakarin who previously headed up Mekong on Kensington St, Viet and Bang Luck in Spice Alley, Mama’s Buoi in Surry Hills and Alphabet St in Cronulla.

Bistro Mekong’s head chef Tiw Rakarin.

Inspired by the countries that sit along the Mekong River, Bistro Mekong offers a travelling feast through Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

If you’re not sure which terrain to traverse, the menu boasts some excellent Cambodian fare, in particular the royal amok curry, which comprises king prawns, scallops, barramundi and clams in a fragrant red curry broth, served in a half coconut shell, and the equally delicious Cambodian beef cheek curry with sweet potato, pickled ginger and homemade roti.

To help engage with the community and educate them on the nuances of South East Asian cuisine, Rakarin plans to run a regional dinner series.

“We’ll keep it small, around 20 people, and we’ll do a little food journey through the cuisines of each country, starting with Vietnam,” he says.

The beef cheek Cambodian curry with sweet potato, pickled ginger and homemade roti.

As with its neighbour Holy Duck, Bistro Mekong is also fully licensed and will serve beer, wine and cocktails curated by one of Australia’s best mixologists Grant Collins from The Powder Keg and Gin Lane.

“The cocktails were created to complement the food. I’ve incorporated a lot of the flavours from Tiw’s cooking, smoked salt and all sorts of bits and pieces,” Collins says.

The Vietnamese pancake with tofu, coconut and taro beans.

The current selection includes a Smoke & Spice cocktail, made from five-spiced tequila, Cointreau and citrus juice with a smoked salt rim and the Mekong Cooler – a sweet and spicy mix of dark rum, Madagascar vanilla syrup, Sichuan chilli, ginger and apple.

Unlike Mekong on Kensington, Bistro Mekong will also open for breakfast and lunch.

“We decided to leave some familiar cafe favourites on the menu for the regular customers, however many of them are giving the Indochine options a go,” says Rakarin.

Renowned mixologist Grant Collin has created the cocktail list.

New breakfast items include the Indochine big breakfast with bacon and eggs, pork floss, grilled cabbage, mushrooms and “kaya toast” made with sweet coconut jam, and a smashed avo with crispy fried noodles.

The alfresco restaurant will have a relaxed cafe feel by day before donning the linen tablecloths and candles for a more up-market vibe by night.

Details:
What: Bistro Mekong
Where: Shop 5, 100 Edinburgh Road Castlecrag
When: Tues - Sun brunch 8:30am - 3pm, dinner 5:30pm - 9:30pm
Web: bistromekong.com.au

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