Overview
Melbourne's darling of modern Southeast Asian cuisine — and home of that famous Vegemite curry — is set to gain a sibling, as Sunda's boundary-pushing chef Khanh Nguyen reveals plans for his next restaurant venture. Slated to open its doors on Little Collins Street before the year's out, the as-yet unnamed eatery will be delivering something a little different to most — it'll be inspired by the early days of trade between Indonesian seafarers and the Indigenous groups of northern Australia.
"We started looking into the whole idea and history of Asian Australian cooking, back when trade with Australia first started in the 1700s," explains Nguyen. "And into the cooking methods they were using, like fermentation, a lot of smoking, roasting, preserving — that's also the style of cooking I really enjoy."
Back in the day, a booming Asian Australian maritime trade saw local Australian delicacies like sea cucumber exchanged for rice, tea, palm sugar and spices from the east, with groups also swapping and sharing food preparation methods.
Sunda's roti with Vegemite curry by Kate Shanasy
It's these flavours and techniques, as well as the relationship between the Makassan people (from what is now called Indonesia) had with Indigenous Australians, that have influenced Nguyen's new project. In the kitchen, he's hoping to embrace the same ingredients and methods, but reimagined with a modern edge. The menu's still a work in progress, though you can expect plenty of fire, house-cured dishes galore and a healthy contingent of fermented elements bringing it all to life. Word is, the humble sea cucumber may also make an appearance.
Whatever Nguyen ends up plating up, you can expect it to be good — Sunda took out People's Choice for Best New Restaurant at Concrete Playground's Best of 2018 Awards.
The space itself is being created by Kerstin Thompson Architects and Figurehead Architecture, whose work you'll have spied at sibling Sunda. It's set to be an all-day venue that's both casual and refined, with a stronger focus on snacking and sharing than its sister.
"My whole vision for the place is that people can order multiple dishes, have a table full of food and share it with their loved ones, enjoying different things all at once," says Nguyen. "Just like how I would eat at home."
Khanh Nguyen's new restaurant is set to open at a Little Collins Street site in the last half of 2020. We'll let you know more info as it drops.
Top image: Sunda by Kate Shanasy