For Friday October 12 marks the launch of Acme’s arrival at The Tennyson. The Merivale-owned pub will soon be home to a pop-up Cambodian restaurant courtesy of the Potts Point fine diner. Kingdom of Rice, as it has been dubbed, is a fun take on traditional street food found in South East Asia and will be settling in for a six-month stint.

Mitch Orr, Cam Fairbairn, Lillia McCabe and Sophia Thach are behind the new driveway-based establishment that has taken over from former pop-up favourite Mr Liquor’s Dirty Italian Disco. Orr, Fairbairn and head chef McCabe (ex Blackwattle Singapore and ACME) have taken inspiration from good friend and front of house manager Thach when it comes to the venue’s eating options; Thach is of Khmer descent and has spent time in Phnom Penh. “We have always been fascinated by Southeast Asia and Sophia has cooked so many incredible dishes over the years that really introduced us to Khmer cuisine,” explains Orr. “The ingredients used ignite all the senses, not just taste.”

The menu is divided up into five key categories of share-style dining; snacks, skewers, grill, wok, noodles, and rice. But as for what in particular comes recommended, it’s suggested you get the party started with prahok k’tis (crudities with prahok k’tis, a dip made with fermented fish paste, pork belly and kreung), svay kchey (green mango, chilli and salt) and ‘trey neet alek’ (dried fish and watermelon), followed by skewers served with chlouh (pickled green papaya salad) and numpang (baguette) – phsaet ung (shiitake mushroom), sach chrouk ung (caramelised pork) and sach gor ung (lemongrass beef). There’s also plenty of wok-based classics, including bort ling (corn, dried shrimps and scallions), cha dtrop (chicken, smoked eggplant and coriander) and cha le’a samot tdek meric (pippies, lime and kampot pepper).

Don’t worry, dessert is also catered to. Sweet treats have integrated the native fruit of South East Asia with jek ung (grilled banana, sticky rice and caramel), noum dorng karem (pandan coconut waffle and coconut sorbet) and bobor lapoav (roasted pumpkin, tapioca and coconut milk). “We want to explore the fundamentals of Cambodian cooking, showcasing classic flavours across wok and grill dishes,” says McCabe of the array of dishes. “It is loud, colourful and a lot of fun, and we can’t wait for people to get stuck in.”

Thankfully The Tennyson’s self-serve bottle shop will remain throughout the restaurant’s tenure. Within its shelves will now sit a collection of Asian beers and natural wines, chosen by Merivale’s group sommelier Franck Moreau, Mr Wong’s assistant sommelier Fabio Pallottini and the ACME team. There will also (of course) be cocktails, concocted by group bars manager Sam Egerton. Designed around classic Cambodian flavours, this list will include tipples such as fresh whole coconut rum, the Pandan Piña Colada and a new marriage between Hennessy and Jasmine Tea.

Phnom Penh markets has formed the inspiration for the pop-ups design, resulting in a space awash with vibrant colour, mismatched furniture and roller doors. Plastic market stools mingle with floral tablecloths and soft pink walls, which will also form a home to traditional Cambodian movies. “Phnom Penh is a real sensory overload,” explains Orr of their intentions. “There’s laughter and noise of people everywhere, the smell of food cooked over charcoal, colours of fresh tropical fruits and an amazing sense of community. That is really what we have wanted to capture at Kingdom of Rice.”

Kingdom of Rice will open on Friday October 12. It will trade for lunch and dinner on Fridays and Sundays, and for dinner only on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The Tennyson Hotel, 952 Botany Road, Mascot; merivale.com/venues/kingdom-of-rice.