If there was any chef destined to make the bao great again, it was going to be Khanh Nguyen. This is, after all, the man who turned heads in Melbourne at Sunda by partnering roti with Vegemite curry, and again at Aru by cramming the flavours of a bánh mì into a brilliant pâté en croûte. In short, he knows how to send snacks viral. Now that he’s back in Sydney at the helm of King Clarence – the sixth addition to the Bentley Group family – he’s done it again with a hand-held ode to McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish.
This cushiony steamed bun with a deep-fried finger of barramundi may seem hokey at first, with its melty American cheese and tartare sauce, but it’s a masterclass in fine detail. Note the depth that comes with setting the fish in dashi jelly before coating it in crumbs; the peppery sting mustard greens add to the tartare sauce; the way pickled chilli and a spoonful of salmon roe tie it all together with a bit of bling. It is, to quote Nigella Lawson, “the most ridiculously wonderful creation”.
Yet, to focus on virtues of the fish finger bao alone is to undermine the inventive and irreverent spirit that pervades the rest of his menu. The duck tsukune on a soft mattress of shokupan, for instance, that winks at the Bunnings sausage sanga with a squeeze of peanut-butter mustard. Those drunken chicken-liver skewers over Vegemite toast. That pork-free play on mapo tofu with bone marrow and prawns. The fried kingfish collar in the style of lemon chicken.
Brilliant cooking, of course, is only half the story here. Designer Pascale Gomes-McNabb’s coolly minimalist, Scandi-Japaneseque interiors more than hold up their end of the bargain, echoing the food’s playful tone with streaks of neon and a mirrorball. So, too, do the front of house team, who know exactly how to dial up the fun factor without ever losing the polish. Special credit to sommelier Polly Mackeral, whose presence on the floor is always a welcome one, especially when it comes to guidance with the wine list. (And what a list it is, with a sweeping by-the- glass selection and an eye to great grower Champagne, riesling and chardonnay.)
In the always uncertain world of restaurants, not even a new opening from Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt is a sure thing. King Clarence may be a marked departure for the chef-somm duo, but they’ve stuck the landing once more, with a place that only gets better each visit and continues to pull out new tricks. Long may it reign.
King Clarence
Asian
171 Clarence St, Sydney
(02) 8456 7120
bentleyrestaurantgroup.com.au/kingclarence
Price guide $$
Bookings Recommended
Wheelchair access Yes
Open Lunch and dinner daily
Find all finalists for the Gourmet Traveller Best New Restaurant Award here. To see the full list of winners in this year’s Gourmet Traveller Annual Restaurant Awards, head over here.
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