Happy Birthday, Mekong Baby!

Four years ago this month, Dominique Parat opened his latest venture on what’s one of Auckland’s hippest strips, Ponsonby Road.

The modern Southeast Asian restaurant offers fusion at its best: Vietnamese, Burmese, Thai and Cambodian flavours dance on the menu, together with a touch of Bali too.

“I wanted to create a business that was a little bit different. It was quite a new concept for Ponsonby when I first opened,” says Dominique.

Mekong Baby, he explains, was inspired by his many trips to Vietnam and his recognition of the fact that Aucklanders were changing their dining habits. And so he came up with a chic new restaurant that was as much about offering a beautiful mood (rich colours,soft lighting, gorgeous fabrics and a choice of separate dining areas) as it was about exceptional food.

Says Dominique” “When you walk into Mekong Baby, it’s a bit like a story; every room reveals something.

Likewise the menu, with its carefully calibrated mix of tastes and textures that tingle and excite . Consider just some of the offerings: the spicy lime corn fritters with crispy iceberg lettuce are a major favourite, as is the braised pork belly with caramelised chilli and soy with Asian slaw.

Later this month, chef Raj Chetty - who’s been in the kitchen ever since Mekong Baby opened - will be rolling out a new addition to the menu - Chinese roasted duck with a plum and ginger broth.

Duck is one of Dominique’s favourites. He says that dishes like this, and others on Mekong Baby’s menu, meet the demands of the modern-day diner’s palate: interesting flavours that are fresh, explosive, sweet and sour.

The elder statesman of the restaurant scene has been in the business for 40 years. He’s renown for recognising and driving change. So what is the key to running a good restaurant? “The secret is consistency - from the preparation of the establishment (Mekong Baby was two years in the planning) to the preparation of the food (they grind their spices fresh and go to market every day) to the food and the atmosphere, to the meeting and greeting of the customer.”

But that, adds Dominique, is only part of it. “The real secret is to do that day in, day out, every day.”

He’s immensely proud of his four-year-old baby. “With this site, we knew we could create something special - and we have.”

MEKONG BABY, 262 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 1113, www.mekongbaby.com