Last Tuesday marked the day of Kangkong’s grand opening as VIP guests and media gathered to launch Adelaide’s newest, contemporary Asian fusion restaurant and bar in style.
Located in the Topham Mall area, Kangkong has become just another great addition to the dining culture of Waymouth Street, joining the likes of popular fine dining restaurants such as Press* Food and Wine, The Gallery, George’s on Waymouth and more. Tucked away just beside the restaurant down a cosy, little laneway will also stand new bar Gypsy Dragon, offering exquisite cocktails and a road range of beverages to customers looking for a place to drink and relax.
Kankong outside dining area
Stepping into a candlelit restaurant exuding warmth and intimacy under a modern setup, the wafting aroma of gourmet Asian cuisine treated our sense of smell while the lovely local singer/songwriter, Alice Caddy, performed soothing, acoustic music to please the ears. The entire space, exposed by large windows reaching from the very top of the ceiling to floor, was buzzing with some of Adelaide’s most well-known personalities, business-owners and media faces.
After being served a glass each of some of the most smooth, satisfying red wine (wish we found out more about the killer wine on offer that night!), we made our way over to the open kitchen to inspect what was soon to become our favourite part of the night – the food. Trays upon trays of various Asian tapas were being served up, giving guests the chance to have a sneaky taste of the menu before officially opening to the public. And let us tell you, the food was to die for.
Seared Salmon with Unami Crust
We weren’t entirely sure what to expect from a contemporary Asian fusion menu upon arrival, but needless to say, we were left well impressed. Our first (and most likely favourite) dish was the ‘Seared Salmon with Unami Crust.’ The salmon was cooked to perfection and, with the added crunch of a flaked crust topped off with the heat of wasabi and pickled ginger, the texture and flavours were absolutely divine.
Another favourite was the ‘Pork and Blue Swimmer Crab Cakes’ garnished with a topping of salted duck egg relish and coriander. The combination was a burst of flavour for the tastebuds – downright amazing. After briefly chatting with Head Chef, Matt Miles, however, we actually discovered that the pork and crab combination had not been the initial combination to be put in the final Kangkong menu, but had been changed after randomly experimenting with different meats one day. See, this is why we just absolutely adore food – the possibilities are endless!
Pork and Blue Swimmer Crab Cakes
“We’ve got a mix of traditional Asian flavours with a modern twist, served in a way that lends itself to sharing with friends,” Miles explained, “We’ve had really good feedback about the menu so far. The seared salmon with unami crust has been the stand out star.”
Continuous serves of satay chicken skewers, crispy snapper wings, stuffed baby squid with pork, curry puffs and beef tataki were circulating the room and, as lovers of pretty much every Asian food in existence, we had not once been disappointed by any of the fantastic dishes on offer. The unique desserts included the amazing, choclatey ‘Ferrero Rocher Spring Rolls’ dish served with an orange-flavoured dipping sauce and ‘Banana Panna Cotta with Dragonfruit’ served in spoons. We loved chatting to the chef about all the different foods and flavours, and enjoyed watching the processes happening from the open kitchen space. To those of you who want to see more of the menu, just check out Kangkong’s Facebook here.
Ferrero Rocher Spring Rolls
Kangkong and Gypsy Dragon are both located at 44 Waymouth Street and will be open Monday through to Friday for lunch and drinks, and Monday through to Saturday for dinner and drinks. Grab some friends and pop by sometime to see what all the fuss is about!
