Just Open: Mekong, Chippendale
Good Food, Sydney Morning Herald, by Lee Tran Nam, 21 June 21 2016
Mekong is a step up (literally and figuratively) from the street-food feel of its downstairs sister eatery, Lower Mekong – the menu and the digs are a touch flashier (Giant Design has installed fishnet lights and bamboo stalks along the walls), but the menu is still accessible and doesn’t require frequent bank-balance-checking.
Rakarin, who grew up in Thailand near the Lao and Burmese borders, offers a lighter take on Burmese pancakes: his crisp riceflour shells are stuffed with a fresh jumble of tomato, chickpeas, snow pea and coconut strips; Vientiane wagyu showcases Lao barbecue-style beef salad, with an in-house tamarind sauce and roasted rice powder; and there’s also an Indochine share plate if you want a culinary express trip across the region. Cambodian curry with garlic-buttered banh mi also typifies his border-crossing menu.