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The newly renovated Waterside Hotel is not doing things by halves. Spread across seven storeys on the corner of Flinders and King Streets, the 170-year-old pub is now home to multiple bars, restaurants and event spaces. But tucked away on the second floor, Past/Port has a point of view all its own. Former Mya Tiger chef Sarah Chan draws on her Chinese-Malaysian heritage for a menu spanning Southeast Asia. There are plenty of familiar dishes, but Chan’s interpretations of them feel distinctly personal – a moment of sincerity within the enormity of the Waterside operation.
The vibe
On my visit, the ground floor pub is heaving with hens parties. Upstairs at Past/Port, it’s a different experience entirely. It’s beautiful. Open and bright, lazy ceiling fans turn overhead while colourful textiles, warm yellow tiles and cosy, almost living-room-style furnishings fill the space.
The building’s heritage bones provide the perfect backdrop, giving all that colour and pattern something older to sit against. Outside, the balcony is thick with greenery, enough to briefly convince you that you’re somewhere considerably more tropical – even on a winter’s day in Melbourne.
Families and couples fill most of the tables. The music is a slightly stranger fit. Crooning country love ballads play overhead for most of the meal – maybe it plays throughout the entire seven-storey operation, and some compromise has been made? Or perhaps they just flip a coin over who gets to choose the music that day.
The food
The menu arrives in a large laminated folder and, being chronically indecisive, I’m a little nervous about opening it. I expect to have my work cut out for me, only to find almost all of its heft is dedicated to drinks. The food, split into snacks, sides and larger plates, spans just two pages. Alas, my relief is short-lived. I still want everything.
There is, however, one concession to Melbourne dining orthodoxy: burrata ($26). Here, it’s served with spicy tamarind chilli and fried doughnut, and I’m intrigued by Past/Port’s interpretation of one of the city’s most ubiquitous cheeses. But stomach space is valuable and, although I’m technically dining to review, I’m also dining for me. I find burrata boring.
In fact, I skip the snacks entirely. The Singaporean chilli mussels with fried mantou ($37) are the one thing I’m determined to order, but it seems everyone else agrees: they’re sold out on my visit. No matter, there’s plenty else competing for attention, and I move on to some of the heavyweights of Malaysian cooking.
You smell them before you really see them. As everything begins to arrive, the aroma of curry leaves fills the air.
First, the beef rendang ($42): dark, glossy with oil and almost jammy-looking. It smells superb, and tastes it, too – sweet, rich and savoury, although the beef itself is a little dry.
The grilled chicken kapitan ($39) is where things really take off. The chicken is perfectly cooked, but it’s the sauce that catches me off guard: sweet, deeply savoury and distinctly prawny. Pickled carrot and radish cut through the richness. This blew me away.
Then there’s the Sarawak laksa ($32). Harder to find around Melbourne than its curry laksa brethren, it brings coconut milk and tamarind together in a broth that’s rich, fragrant and slightly sour. The curry flavour is enormous, and the grilled chicken is exceptional, carrying enough smoke from the grill to hold its own against everything around it. If you like big, bold flavours – and I do – this is simply glorious. It’s only available between noon and 3pm, but might be the dish that best encapsulates Past/Port. It cannot be missed.
The nasi kerabu ($21) arrives looking gorgeous, with a mound of blue-tinged rice surrounded by almost a dozen herbs, greens and aromatics. There are tiny pieces of sweet, crunchy snake bean, onion and bursts of finger lime, all designed to be mixed through the sticky grains. The rice itself is relatively restrained, but that’s precisely what it needs to be. It’s the backbone of the plate, lending texture and fragrance to whatever you happen to eat with it – and everything tastes better for its presence.
You can add the inche kabin chicken wings ($21) to the nasi kerabu, and you should. They are, quite possibly, perfect chicken wings. Crisp on the outside and juicy within, they’re coated in a salty, spiced dry rub that is one of the most delicious things on the table. These are for people who believe the best snacks leave seasoning on your fingers.
Ostensibly a side dish, the prawn and mango salad ($28) has more main character energy. The mango is firm and crunchy, as though it’s been lightly pickled, while the dressing is caramel-sweet with a salty punch of fish sauce. It reminds me of the green mango you find all over Thailand. Calling it a side dish feels slightly ridiculous. This thing punches you in the face with flavour.
The real joy, though, is having all of it in front of you at once. A little nasi, some chicken, a bit of rendang because why not. Get everything into one mouthful and it’s sweet, salty, smoky and fresh, with a subtle simmer of spice. This is such invigorating food.
Then there are the banana fritters ($15).
My notes at this point descend into a flowing range of expletives, which is perhaps the most accurate review I can give them. The fritters arrive with a knobbly, almost tempura-like shell that remains extraordinarily crisp, while the banana inside has softened into something closer to custard. Where the batter meets the fruit, it takes on a slightly chewy, almost mochi-like texture. It’s crunch, chew and ooze all at once.
The coconut sorbet alongside it is creamy, intensely coconutty and just a little salty. Together, they’re ridiculous. I have no constructive criticism to offer. It’s perfect.
The drinks
As the hefty menu suggests, the drinks offering is extremely comprehensive, with seemingly every spirit under the sun. The wine list offers a good mix of local and European bottles across a refreshingly broad range of price points, while sommelier Enrico Roviaro has picked out five he thinks pair particularly well with the food.
The Tamaretto Sour ($25) mixes bourbon and amaretto with lemon, tamarind, agave, soy sauce and foam. It’s smoky and rich, with the tamarind and lemon bringing enough acidity to keep things in check. I know it’s an obnoxious word to use about a cocktail, but it’s complex.
I go booze-free with the Miss L. Vera ($15), a mix of aloe, lychee, verjus, agave and soda. It’s quite sweet, with the aloe and lychee doing most of the talking. Why does aloe taste so hydrating? Add a splash of gin and this could be one of my favourite cocktails.
Time Out tip:
The Sarawak laksa is only available from noon to 3pm. Plan accordingly (and don’t skip the banana fritters!).
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