Street Market Asian Tapas - CLOSED

Overview

Take the stairway past the bountiful hessian sacks that overflow with pretty star anise, dehydrated mushrooms and an intriguing assortment of pulses and spices, and make your way into the sensory celebration that is Street Market.

The place oozes with the kind of warmth that makes you feel instantly at home. Whether it's the welcoming staff, the energised buzz of conversation or the open pantry that stretches along one wall of the restaurant, there's a genuine cosiness here that belies the industrial vibe of the decor.

The wine list is short and snappy, both well priced and well matched to the pan-Asian feast to follow. The bright melon and lime notes of our Babich Black Label Sav Blanc ($9.50/$45) whet our appetite, and the heavenly scents emerging from the kitchen and the tables around us promise that we won't be disappointed.

The menu is built for mixing and matching — Asian food served tapas-style — with a consistent knockout quality across categories that can sometimes be lacking in a menu designed for sharing.

We begin in the 'cold tapas' section, with a tender beef carpaccio ($12) served with a trickling soft-boiled egg and drizzled with a well-balanced vinaigrette. Next comes a winner from the 'hot tapas' team: a delicately steamed barramundi fillet ($16) that flakes apart on the fork and basks in the simple elegance of the ginger, soy and shallots that accompany it.

It's at this point that the calorie-fest begins, and it's glorious. Golden pieces of crispy fried chicken are paired with a creamy kimchi dipping sauce ($13) in a dish that's a bang-on doppelganger for the best served in the pubs of Seoul. Charcoal-grilled lamb ribs ($17) are hugged by a sticky hoisin sauce that makes it difficult to stop before the plate is clean.

On the sweet side, our Filipino leche flan ($12) is divine, with a creamy centre and caramelised exterior that explode in combination with sweet slices of strawberry. Or, if you're after a more interactive dessert, try the 'Asian style churros', a mountain of sweet, flaky roti dipped into a soft coconut caramel.

With a long, varied and consistent menu, Street Market is the kind of place you can keep coming back to. We know we will.