Casual Asian diners: Mandoo, Amok, Sunrise Asian, Spring and Summer
Four Asian eateries that you don’t have to dress up for and get a quick meal.
Four Asian eateries that you don’t have to dress up for and get a quick meal.
1. Mandoo, Adelaide. Asian students are thick on the Bank Street ground in this part of Adelaide and Mandoo is as much a cultural hub as it is a restaurant. So while the Korean wave may have come and ebbed in Australia, it has left behind authentic, modest and affordable little places such as this where young Koreans — mostly — gather around the table for familiar staples. Mandoo are a kind of dumpling, all made in-house. They’re garlicky, with minced meats inside, and served with a soy/chilli/sesame sauce. They can be steamed, or fried. Put ’em in a delicious broth with rice cake and egg and you have a very decent lunch. Which probably explains why, mealtime or not, Mandoo is nearly always full. No website. Phone (08) 8231 3303
2. Amok, Melbourne. So you want Chin Chin food standards without the queues? Head to this modest little shopfront at the foodie end of Melbourne’s Chapel Street, where Cambodian chef Woody Chet combines big talent and extraordinary work ethic to impressive effect across a broad, pan-Asian menu. Don’t skip the CFC — Cambodian fried chicken — whether as ribs (on the winter menu) or fillets (on the new spring menu). Or the salads: the wagyu rump with morning glory, banana blossom, spiced cashews, sesame seeds and chilli jam dressing practically bounces off the plate with freshness and brio. Woody’s wife Thida, a lawyer by day, brings energy and warmth to front-of-house. You can BYO, too.Amokrestaurant.com.au
3. Sunrise Asian (catering, Sydney). Put specialist Australian produce of an Asian nature into a Sydney kitchen, with Thai chefs, and some pretty interesting stuff can happen. Sunrise Asian has been a restaurant showcasing a fresh produce business; not surprisingly, all ingredients are listed with their origin, from wasabi leaves to goat’s milk. Crispy rice cake topped with red curry and fleshy, thick lobster medallions, pickled Thai shallots and sea succulents is a luxurious signature. Young bamboo shoots on large betel leaves with black garlic sauce, sesame seeds and shredded kaffir lime and Thai basil leaves is creamy and surprising. The restaurant is changing address and will reopen soon. sunriseasian.com.au
4. Spring and Summer, St Kilda. The clean, bright good looks of this sweet spot on Barkly Street set you up for the clean, bright flavours of the Thai-loving pan-Asian cooking here. Deep-fried barramundi turns up as fish nuggets for wrapping in lettuce and herbs and dipping in a pair of nam jim sauces dripping with integrity; tempura soft-shell crab is splayed across a coconut curry sauce lightened with greens and acidity. And don’t think you can’t bring the kids somewhere so chilli-driven. Just say the word and the bar sends out a gorgeous, housemade Thai purple lemonade, while chef “Golf” Laovanich sorts chicken fried rice and a too-good coconut ice cream with crunchy sweet potato chips.Springandsummer.com.au
