Red Lantern had been on my list for a while, and tonight I finally experienced what all the fuss is about. Celebrating my darling friend Michael’s thirty something-th birthday, we gorged ourselves on Luke Nguyen’s fresh and vibrant flavours until we needed to be rolled home.
We started with Goi Cha Cuon, soft rice paper rolled with pork and duck terrine, vermicelli, cabbage and pickled carrot. Daryl remarked it was hard to taste the meat, but not having had much of it the past ten years, I could certainly taste the duck, not so much the pork.
Next up was the Goi Du Du, twice cooked pork belly, tiger prawns, green papaya, perilla and mint. I thought this would be a hot dish, but it was cold. The fatty goodness of the pork belly is undercut nicely by the sweet mint and tangy papaya. Forgive the quality of the pictures, it takes the name Red Lantern to new literal heights… Let’s think of these pictures as artistic interpretations.
One of my favourite dishes of the evening, was the Chim Cut, twice cooked five spice quail with a salad of asparagus, tomato and radish. I had never eaten quail before. It was delicious! Tender and juicy. I kind of felt like a giant, nibbling on those tiny drumsticks… “Fee Fi Fo Fum”!
We did extremely well with the mains. Cha Ca, pan fried mulloway fillets marinated in tumeric, dill and shrimp paste, served with vermicelli noodle salad. Fat, luscious, melt in your mouth fillets coated in a creamy marinade. The only thing that I didn’t care for was the dill… It just does nothing for me.
I seem to have a lust for crispy skinned chicken of late, and I could not go past the Ga Chien Don, crisp skin Burrawong pasture raised chicken poached in a master stock with ginger, shallot and oyster sauce. This was scrumptious. The flesh was the epitome of succulence, and the palate runs wild, tasting all the nuances of that master stock (I’m not sure how old the Red Lantern master stock is, but it was tasty).
Accompanying this delicious, carnivorous fare was a bowl of Cai Xanh Xao, mixed Asian greens wok tossed in preserved bean curd sauce. This sauce was fabulous; bitey and punchy yet not heavy
We washed down the meal with a bottle of 2010 Louee ‘Nullo Mountain’ Late Picked Riesling. It was a delightfully sweet and syrupy, honeyed wine, verging on a dessert wine, but perfect to balance the spice and zing of our food.
Dessert was a must, even after everything we had consumed! Michael had the banana fritters with coconut icecream, of which the morsel I tried was delicious. Daryl and I shared the dessert platter. My favourite of the three was the Kem Flan, a coconut Crème Caramel made with biodynamic eggs and organic cocnut milk. This was so sweet and rich. Utterly indulgent. Next on the plate was the Com Nep La Chuoi, red sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf and chargrilled, served with fresh mango and coocnut icecream. Daryl and I agreed that this one tasted like an ashtray. Next! Luckily we were able to finish on a good note with the Banh Cam Mang Cau, sesame and rice flour dumpling filled with Sour Sop, served with black sesame icecream. This gooey, little ball was chewy and moorish and the icecream was fabulous.
If you haven’t been to Red Lantern, go! I recommend going with at least two other people, as the menu is designed to share, and there are just too many amazing things to try. Hats off to them also, as they have won awards for being one of the most environmentally sustainable restaurants in Sydney. Next time you’re eating, give a thought to how everything came to be on your plate. It’s actually quite mind boggling.
