New South-East Asian Diner Rumble Is Bringing Lobster Rice Paper Rolls and Wok-Tossed Pipis to The Star

A new diner drawing inspiration from Southeast Asian street food and fine dining is opening at The Star today, Tuesday, August 23. Rumble comes from experienced chef Benjamin Tan who is pulling from the flavours of his childhood and his time spent in various kitchens across Asia to present a menu that blends Malaysian, Indonesian and Singaporean cuisine.

Take a seat in Rumble's dining room and you'll be greeted by a playfully sleek fit-out. There are hand-painted animal murals stretching across the walls and the bar is decorated with hundreds of real mahjong tiles.

Once you've settled in, you'll be faced with the challenge of traversing the menu filled with a heap of must-try dishes. Rumble wants diners to experience a range of flavours, designing its menu to highlight the sweet, the salty, the spicy and the sour. Standouts from the starters include baked scallops with a Vietnamese herb garnish, barbecue pork belly boa and rice paper rolls filled with fresh lobster and topped with salmon roe.

From there the mains pose more questions. You could go the seafood route, opting for wok-tossed pipis in a spicy shrimp sauce, chilli king crab bao and seafood sapo mee — crispy egg noodles topped with spicy crab meat, jumbo prawns and scallions. Or, get meaty with lime-infused Nyonya chicken, soy-braised pork neck and 48-hour rendang black angus short ribs marinated in the spices of a traditional Malaysian stew.

There are also plenty of vegetarian options. Crispy fried tofu, mixed market vegetable cap cai, a vegetable-heavy green curry and a vegetarian iteration of the crispy sapo mee.

The vibrancy of the venue is further reflected in the drinks menu. There's a refreshing gin and lychee cocktail or a salty twist on the espresso martini made with Thai spiced coffee. Diners can also play cocktail roulette, in which they choose from a deck of coasters labelled sweet, salty, spicy or sour and are given a mystery cocktail from the bartender.

Rumble joins the likes of Sokyo, Flying Fish, ELE and Mashi No Mashi at The Star, adding to its variety of dining options alongside the Sydney Lyric Theatre.

Rumble opens Tuesday, August 23 at The Star Sydney, Level G, Harbourside, 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont.

Images: Steven Woodburn