Kingdom of Rice, Mascot

Don't know your prahok from your lort cha? Kingdom of Rice could change all that, the new Cambodian pop-up taking up residence where Pinbone's Dirty Italian Disco once was, in the converted drive-through liquor shop at the Tennyson Hotel. It's a new Merivale adventure for ACME co-founders Mitch Orr and Cam Fairbairn, adding Sophia Thach on the floor (drawing on her Khmer heritage and recent two-year stint in Cambodia for menu inspiration) and Lillia McCabe (ex-Blackwattle, the Singapore sister restaurant to Automata) as head chef in the kitchen.


Kingdom of Rice dining room

The dining space has undergone a modest but distinct makeover. You'll enter through a new door cut out of the roller door for a start. Gone are the tattoo etchings on the wall. Now it's a deliciously cheesy neon sign with menu photos on the wall.


Condiments and cutlery on the table

The seating hasn't changed too much, although they've extended the middle table into one continuous communal one. You'll also find plastic baskets holding cutlery, wet wipes and condiments. Load up on kampot black pepper, fermented chilli and tuk trey, the Cambodian fish sauce dressing equivalent to Vietnamese nuoc cham. The little silver pouring vessel holds soy sauce.


Ubiquitous tins of Milo

The army of Milo tins are a sentimental touch but you can't order anything Milo-related yet. Mitch confirmed he's working on a Milo soft serve that'll be available as soon as the soft serve machine works out its kinks.


Long lost Cambodian films projected on the wall

And the data projector used previously for music video clips is now being used to show long lost Cambodian films rescued and restored by an artist friend of Sophia's, Cam explains. Under the Khmer Rouge regime, much of Cambodia's art was deliberately destroyed. It's a poignant reminder of Cambodia's history, framed by billowing bamboo mats hanging from the ceiling.


Fried eggs sunny side up

The open kitchen is much the same, although they've removed the wood-fired oven and added two wok stations. The charcoal grill remains plus they now have a sugarcane juicer.


Mise en place


Disco time in the walk-in cool room

And you can still enter the walk-in cool room - with disco ball - to choose your own beer and wine.


Sa nte k'dei kaffir lime and chilli peanuts

There's a lovely nod to typical Asian aunty hospitality as all guests are welcomed with free peanuts and cold jasmine tea.


Giant peanut jar

The peanuts are crazy delicious, fried with sugar, salt, chilli and kaffir lime leaves.


Sweet, salty and spicy addictiveness

I could've eaten several bowlfuls of these.


Pandan pina colada $15
Havana Club Especial rum, coconut, pineapple, pandan and sugar cane

Cocktails include a pandan pina colada that makes use of a slushy machine (and a noticeable whack of pandan essence) and Hennessy with carbonated jasmine tea (gonna try that with my Sodastream!).

Fresh coconut $6

Add Havana Club 3 rum to a fresh coconut for $15 or get one au naturel for $6.


Chlouh pickles $5

We kick off with chlouh pickles, a sweet and sour combo of sliced cucumber, carrot, ginger and peppercorns dispensed from giant plastic jars sitting in the kitchen.


Giant pickle jars in the kitchen


Starters

Our dishes arrive thick and fast from the kitchen, although we appreciate them being clustered into staggered courses.


Crudites with prahok k'tis $15

Crudites with prahok k'tis are a tasty way to eat your vegetables. Prahok k'tis is a kind of chunky dip made with pork belly, coconut milk, pea eggplant, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and more. Prahok is the key ingredient, a fermented salted fish that's said to be the aromatic equivalent of blue cheese.


Prahok k'tis 

The crunchy mildness of raw carrot, snake beans, green tomato, cucumber and Thai eggplant is an ideal foil for the prahok k'tis, although the intensity of the prahok does feel a little dialled down in this version.


Sach moan chien fried chicken wings $8

The menu is still being tweaked to maximise kitchen efficiency, Mitch says, which would explain why the heavily promoted stuffed chicken wings are no longer. Instead they've switched to plain chicken wings, albeit marinated and fried to high levels of finger-licking satisfaction. Drench these in the tuk trey fish sauce dressing for even more deliciousness.


Sach gor ung lemongrass beef skewers $15
with chlouh pickled green papaya salad and numpang baguette

Charcoal grilled skewers arrive with pickled green papaya salad and toasted baguette halves as a sort of DIY take on the Vietnamese banh mi. We choose lemongrass beef over caramelised pork or shiitake mushrooms. It's a tasty little number although at $15, it's more of a dish for hands-on novelty than anything else. And yes, the bread rolls come from Hong Ha, down the road.


Prawns, calamari and fried rice


Whole prawns, tamarind, chilli and garlic $26

Whole prawns don't skimp on the chilli, fried in a saucy spicy mix of tamarind, garlic and chilli. We score four prawns for $26.


Murk ung calamari with pork fat and scallions $24

If there's one dish you have to order, it's the mark ung, a whole calamari grilled and drenched in pork fat and fried scallions. It's not the remarkable tenderness of the calamari that gets you. Nor the blissfully charred edges. It's all about the sweet sweet pork fat, so deliriously good you could almost drink it. Don't let any of that preciousness go to waste. I spooned it over a scoop of plain white rice and swooned at first bite.


Bai cha kapi fried rice with dried shrimp, green mango, snake beans and chilli $15

Bai cha kapi fried rice is a fun ensemble, tumbling charred rice with snake beans, dried shrimp and chilli. A blanket of shredded green mango across the top adds both a sour and sweet touch.


Lort cha rice drop noodles with bean sprouts, scallions and fried egg $15

Lort cha is one of Cambodia's most popular street foods, a stir fry of rice drop noodles with bean sprouts, sliced beef and a fried egg on top. They've omitted the beef here but it's still tasty. It reminds me of Malaysian char kway teow, although a little sweeter. The rice drop noodles have just the right amount of chew.


Cha le'a samot tdek meric pippies with lime and kampot pepper $20 (market price)

If you're looking for zing, get the pippies, cooked up in sauce that's heavy on the lime and kampot pepper. The pippies are plump and juicy, and your tastebuds will water as soon they're hit with that citric punch.


Cha bon ly preng kjong water spinach with oyster sauce and salted yolk $14

Our vegetable quota is fulfilled with the water spinach cooked in oyster sauce with salted yolk. We'd expected the yolk to be more crumbly, but it's almost jelly-like in consistency. The water spinach itself is super soft and tender.


Bort ling corn with dried shrimps and garlic chives $16

The bort ling corn with dried shrimps and garlic chives will mess with your mind, in a good way. There's a bewildering juxtaposition between the sweet kernels of corn and the salty dried shrimp. Add the gentle heat of garlic chives and you have one big flavour party.


Trey ung whole barramundi with lemongrass, coconut and herbs $36 (market price)

We also demolish the whole fish - tonight it's barramundi - cooked with coconut milk, lemongrass and herbs. The fish is terrific, not particularly muddy as it's prone to be, and cooked to fork-flaking perfection. The sprinkle of herbs and petite garlic chive flowers across the top adds an elegant prettiness.


Cha dtrop chicken with smoked eggplant and coriander $20

But the second dish you must order (after the calamari) is the chicken with smoked eggplant and coriander, another popular Cambodian dish (although pork mince is usually the protein of choice). Why have we never seen this dish before? It's phenomenal. Imagine soft nubbins of chicken mince canoodling with fat hunks of sticky smoky eggplant, the kind you imagine could easily be turned into a kickass baba ghanouj.

If you love smoky food, you will adore this dish. And possibly want to marry it.


Bobor lapoav roasted pumpkin with tapioca and coconut milk $12

There are just three desserts on the menu right now. We order all three. The bobor lapoav is a more rustic version of the borbo skor la pov, a sago and coconut milk soup with either pumpkin pieces or pumpkin puree.

Here the ratios are switched so you score a wedge of roasted pumpkin (skin on) with a ladle of tapioca pearls cooked in coconut milk. It's not quite as sweet as you'd expect, and feels a little short on liquid, but it's definitely a dessert you could imagine your Asian aunties getting behind, based on healthiness and low sugar content.


Jek ung grilled banana with sticky rice and star anise caramel $12

Hitting the savoury side too, is the jek ung grilled banana with sticky rice. The banana itself is more starchy than sweet, and there's only a skerrick of star anise caramel. If you're looking for a filling dessert though, this would be it.


Noum dorng karem pandan waffle with coconut sorbet $12

Which is probably why we all pounce on the pandan waffle with coconut sorbet. The waffle itself feels a little deflated, as though the batter was too thin at the start, but we dig the coconut sorbet and toasted coconut chips. Because. SUGAR.

Damage for 5 females with assorted drinks (including two bottles of wine) came to $88 per head.

And in a space that continues to bring in the punters, it clearly demonstrates that a) Merivale knows what works and how to work it and b) Sydneysiders will happily prioritise good food over fancy decor, and will eat outside Surry Hills and Chippendale to prove it.

Kingdom of Rice is a 6-month pop-up with an anticipated close of April 2019

Kingdom of Rice
952 Botany Road, Mascot, Sydney
(enter via the roller door on High Street)
Tel: +61 (02) 9114 7345

Opening hours
Wednesday and Thursday 5.30pm-12am
Friday 12pm-3pm and 5.30pm-12am
Saturday 5.30pm-12am
Sunday 12pm-3pm and 5.30pm-12am


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Bang Bang Izakaya Bar, Steam Mill Lane, Darling Square

Kampai! That's the chorus you'll hear inside the newest addition to Steam Mill Lane, Bang Bang. You'll find snacks - large and small - and plenty of drinks at this izakaya, the Japanese version of a casual pub. Go light with sashimi or order a heavier Japanese curry or deep fried prawn burger and wash it all down with everything from whisky highballs to rice lager to nashi pear liquor.


Entrance to Bang Bang

The restaurant design is ingenious, linking multiple dining zones within a relatively small space. A narrow entrance immediately brings visions of a back alley of Shinjuku. Head past the wooden high stools and hanging lanterns overheads to find the main bar area, a chaotic but wondrous assault on the senses. To the left is a glassed in booth ideal for groups, complete with music video screens and optional karaoke. The secret area is right at the back - hidden behind the hanging curtains is a traditional tatami room for anyone with the flexibility to sit cross-legged on the floor.


Kobore chirashi $16.80

We start with the kobore chirashi, a mix of raw seafood on top of sushi rice. Kobore means "spill", translated here to an artful cascade of salmon, tuna, kingfish, prawn and tobiko flying fish roe over a hillock of seasoned sushi rice. It's not the easiest dish to eat - we lose a prawn off the bamboo platform before enacting the "five second rule" - and the tobiko is hard to pick up with chopsticks, but there's plenty to interesting tidbits to pick through, including spongy yellow cubes of tamago omelette.


Lava omurice $15.80

Despite the pictorial depiction and description of a "split to open omelette", the theatrical reveal of cutting the folded omelette has already been done in the kitchen rather than at the table. Other than that, the lava omurice delivers on the comfort food front, the shimmering folds of barely cooked egg drenched with a glossy demi glace sauce.


Ketchup fried rice inside the omelette

Nestled underneath the blanket of omelette is a mound of ketchup fried rice, sweet but not overly so. It's the kind of dish you want to snuggle up, savouring the slightly chewy rice against the silky omelette and rich brown sauce.


Bang Bang tebasaki $9.80 for 5 pieces

Tebasaki chicken wings follow the classic Nagoya recipe, fried twice and covered in a sweet and savoury soy pepper glaze. It's messy but tasty eating. We ordered the small serve but if you're with a crowd you could justify a mountain of 15 pieces for $27.80.


Mentaiko cream udon $13.80

Mentaiko pasta has always been a favourite of mine, the salty intensity of pollock roe adding an umami hit to carbs. Here the usual spaghetti is swapped out for udon. It makes for a chewier experience let down only by the sparsity of sauce. There's barely a glimmer of saltiness and even less heat.


Karubi don $18.80

But all is right with the world when the karubi don arrives, fatty slices of wagyu rib eye fillet (graded 8 to 9+) on top of rice. The beef is ridiculously tender, cooked in a caramelised barbecue sauce that works so well with plain rice.


Drinks vending machine with Pocari Sweat, green tea and pokemon soft drinks

Don't forget to swing by the vending machines at the back for a can of Pocari sweat. And if you're in too much of a hurry to join the suits in a round of biiru, a counter at the front - complete with sampuru plastic food replicas - allows you to order your teriyaki chicken burger to go.






Bang Bang
14 Steam Mill Lane, Darling Square, Haymarket, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 8591 7818

Opening hours
Daily 11.30am-10.30pm


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La Reina Queen of Venezuelan Arepas, Newtown

The arepa is everything to Venezuelans, a gluten-free cornmeal patty eaten plain or split open and stuffed with meat or beans. They’re about as ubiquitous as a burger or kebab in Venezuela, eaten any time of day but always a hit late at night. Sydneysiders might have seen La Reina’s bright orange stall at weekend markets or food festivals but their digs in Newtown finally offer a permanent address for arepa fans to get their fix.


Shredded pork pabellon $13.50
with black beans, feta and plantains

This small but cheerful eatery is already hugely popular with homesick South Americans. The menu is short and sweet, with photos providing a handy reference guide for newbies. Order and pay at the register before pulling up a stool at one of the communal tables. Staff will bring you your order.


Chicken breast and avocado Reina Pepiada $13.50
with a lime and pepper aioli and slaw salad

The standard stuffed arepa comes jammed with shredded chicken, beef or pork with slaw. Our favourite would have to be the reina pepiada, a juicy chicken breast and avocado combo that’s zingy with lime aioli. Vegans can revel in slow cooked creamy black beans with grilled and caramelised plantain bananas with slaw. If you’re the kind of person who suffers from FOMO, get the sampler pack of four mixed arepitas (mini arepas) with your choice of fillings. Those cute little snack pockets even come tinted pink, orange and green by using beetroot, carrot and kale juice.


Fried plantain bananas

Whatever you choose, prepare to get messy. Nobody’s complaining though. It’s all about that warm and toasted crunch of the grilled arepa that tastes like the lovechild of a corn tortilla and an English muffin.


Shredded beef pabellon bowl $13.50
with rice, black beans, feta and plantains

Arepa bowls are easier to eat but not half as fun. The pabellon bowl lets you choose one meat with rice, black beans, feta, plantains and two mini plain arepas on the side. But before you eat, don’t forget the self-serve condiment station. Load up on the mild red pepper sauce and add squiggles of guasacaca, a gauacamole sauce made from avocadoes and vinegar.

Shredded pork pabellon with red pepper sauce and guasacaca avocado sauce


Shredded chicken arepa with red pepper sauce and guasacaca avocado sauce


Shredded beef pabellon bowl with chicken and beef stuffed arepas






La Reina Queen of Venezuelan Arepas
77 King Street, Newtown, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9550 9347

Opening hours
Wednesday to Sunday 11am-3pm and 5.30pm-9pm

This article first appeared in Time Out Sydney. Read this article online or read more of my Time Out Sydney reviews.