Located in the ever-expanding dining halls of the Star in Pyrmont, Southeast Asian diner Rumble is on a mission to highlight the essential elements of cooking. Dedicated to celebrating the four classic flavours that permeate Southeast Asian culinary culture – sweet, salty, spicy, and sour, the menu is designed to excite and integrate the experience of trekking through Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, with a progressive and very Australian twist.
Head chef Benjamin Tan has curated a simple but punchy menu of barbecued pork belly bao with salted caramel, cashew and sesame; the Rumble lobster rolls of rice paper filled with sweet and salty lobster, topped with salmon roe; an earthenware pot filled to the brim with wok tossed pipis and sweet Thai basil; and a black pepper wagyu fried rice.
Diners can also look forward to creative takes on beloved classics that showcase Chef Tan’s passion for combining the old with the new such as the hearty 48-hour Rendang black angus short ribs, served with butternut squash and kipfler potatoes, and the ikan bakar, a Balinese style baked fish served in banana leaves marinated in sweet tamarind sauce. Finish on a classic touch of sweet by way of Tan's coconut panna cotta.
Wash it all down with a drop from the inventive cocktail list incorporating a range of spirits infused with spices, herbs, teas and fruits from across the Asian continent to complement Rumble’s four flavour pillars. If you really want to get into the casino spirit, you can even play a game of Cocktail Roulette with the bartender, choosing from a deck of coasters each reading; sweet, salty, sour or spicy, to be served a surprise beverage.
The globetrot doesn't stop at the drinks though: recycled mahjong tiles adorn the bar, vintage ceramic plates and bamboo hats decorate the walls, rattan screens divide the main dining area from the semi-private dining room, and a vibrant hand-painted animal mural spreads across the walls. Bookings can be made at the Rumble website here.