Street Market Asian Tapas

Don’t come looking for Peking duck tortillas at this buzzy Kirribilli snack-hub

First published on 11 Jan 2013. Updated on 11 Feb 2013.

Street Market Asian Tapas might sound confusing on paper, but the menu is all Asian-inspired - albeit served ‘tapas-style’ and designed to share. At dinner you can pick your way through hot tapas, cold tapas or a selection of skewers cooked over charcoal.

It’s a free-for-all snackfest across the breadth of Asia with Vietnamese rice paper rolls sitting alongside Sichuan-spiced squid and Filipino inasal barbecue chicken. They’ll shove anything on a stick here – sweet corn, garlic mushrooms, salmon and even oysters with garlic butter.

Crisp spiced fried chicken is our pick of the lot, piping hot from the fryer and boasting a golden crunch. Dunk them in the accompanying kimchi mayo for an extra chilli kick. Roast pork belly in thin Chinese-style pancakes are a little on the sweet side, but green onion and cucumber batons help cut through the richness of fat-ribboned pig.

If you’re still hungry, larger sized main courses should tide you over. It’s a mixed bag of offerings that includes Malaysian char kway teow; Filipinio kare kare (slow-cooked ox tail) and five spiced duck breast with sweet potato puree.

The restaurant is buzzing and lively on a Friday night, but the décor of raw industrial chic can make conversation difficult if there are large gatherings or families with young kids present. Your best bet is to head for the balcony, dotted with couples and smaller groups.

Plating might be fancier than your typical Chinese restaurant (geometric crockery is always a dead giveaway), but help-yourself cutlery canisters on every table and an eye-catching pantry display keep the vibe approachable and low-key. Service is friendly and well-intentioned but can be distracted at times.

And what’s tapas without vino? There are 12 wines from the glass to choose from, with most at the $7 mark. There’s no sangria to be seen but you can order a Tsingtao, Singha or Kirin plus sake and sweet plum wine.

By day the restaurant switches to yum cha when you can load up to your heart’s content on prawn dumplings, chicken san choi bao and barbecue pork buns. Finish with fluffy squares of steamed egg sponge cake or custard buns with a sweet and eggy filling.

Words by Helen Yee | Photos by Helen Yee |

Follow @timeoutsydfood