Ong – Vietnamese #OIIGAPPROVED

Hi foodies! Pre Fringe dinner and we head to my favourite Rundle st eatery. @ong.vietnamesekitchen 

Kitchen gods turned it up on full blast tonight! We were happy to sit outside until they opened. They wouldn’t have it.

Cocktails are a must when visiting Ong, so when I saw my favourite fruit combined with my favourite cocktail, I had to have the watermelon mojito. Mr OIIG, the mature-minded of us, had the lychee martini. The cocktails alone are worth a visit. 

Then what appeared on the table as “snacks’ were the beef tartare banh xeo tacos. The beef was tender and covered in the most delicious sweet and acidic dressing. The kicker is the banh xeo pancake turned into a taco. Very smart.

Roasted bone marrow, betel leaf gremolata with housemade spring onion bread. The spring onion bread was slightly charred, now, this is when the genius of the kitchen comes flooding through, and I remember why I absolutely adore this place! The betel leaf gremolata wasn’t acidic; it was earthy; however, bone marrow needs more than acid. It needs another component. It requires the ever so slight bitter char on the bread to complement and cut through the richness. So so smart!

These two dishes are an example of the genius of the whole meal.

I will touch on one more dish that isn’t on the menu; however, my mind was blown. Red dragonfruit sorbet with a sherbet-like meringue. The sorbet wasn’t sweet, and it tasted like red dragonfruit, which isn’t particularly sweet but refreshing. The sweetness came from the sherbet-like meringue. This dessert is Quangesque (not a word). 

For pandan lovers, the fried ice cream was surrounded with pandan sponge.  Let that sink in for you. 

I am still overwhelmed with feelings about this meal. Believe it or not, words escape me. When you go to Ong, take your time with the dishes, and think about them. They are just so much more than words on a menu. 

I get it, and I see you. #OngcandonowrOng