The blueprint for what can so far be considered the “fanciest” of the offerings in Chippendale’s Spice Alley first emerged in 2014.

Greencliff development boss Dr Stanley Quek, a multi-squillionaire with a passion for exotic cuisine, wanted to tap an expert in Asian food to flesh out the vendors for the bustling outdoor dining precinct modelled on a Singapore street market.

At the end of it, though, Quek wanted a refined restaurant to serve as a flagship of sorts, a restaurant that would reflect the best of Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand — all united by the famed, mighty Mekong river.

Quek’s sights soon landed on Southeast Asian guru Tiw Rakarin, an alumnus of Sailors Thai and Mama’s Buoi who has trained under traditional Thai food legends David Thompson and Sujet Saenkham.

A rising star (and, word has it, Spice Alley heart-throb), Rakarin swept in and began constructing what would become Mekong, a striking two-storey space split into two parts, with downstairs a brisk Vietnamese-style canteen specialising in huge steaming bowls of aromatic pho.

Upstairs a slightly more formal (and visually striking) dining room offers a bigger menu of more refined dishes presented in a way that is meant to mirror a journey down the Mekong.

Yes, it’s a little twee. From “edging into the water” (starters) and “the river’s mouth opens” (share plates) to “enter the mainland” (er, mains), the concept verges on kind of comical.

But there’s nothing clunky about what arrives, from Thai crisp anchovies with lime, lemongrass, chilli and peanuts; steamed barramundi with mint, lime and fried shallot or squid ink dumplings with crabmeat and prawn Thai stuffing in broth.

Now, about that last dish. The dumplings — filled with fine ribbons of spanner crab and prawn meat — come served with a teapot of the most exquisite brothy elixir to be poured over the top. Trust me on this, save a little broth to sip on its own.

Rakarin comes in every morning at 10am and begins making this revelatory brew, stewing off chicken bones, cinnamon, onions and cloves and simmering it all for about six hours.

Not surprisingly, given he plans on rotating the menu every three months, this — he says — will be the only dish that will remain a permanent fixture given its popularity since opening just a month ago. Wise move.

There’s another great starter of Thai grilled pork neck, cut into juicy bite-size pieces, wrapped in betel leaf and drizzled with a house-made tamarind sauce ($13) and better still are the scallops — three served — grilled in bacon oil ($15) and presented with a simple salad of shaved coconut and shallots.

I’d been advised I absolutely had to try the main of Cambodian beef curry with sweet potato and lemongrass paste ($28) but it was off the menu for some reason, so instead we went for the royal seafood amok.

It’s a heaving bowl of assorted seafood (jumbo prawns, scallops, some pipis and chunks of white fish) tossed through a rich, red curry sauce, which is great but could have used more heat.

Thai desserts don’t usually do much for me but a serve of creamy coconut ice cream served in a half shell ($10) and topped with roasted peanuts and pomegranate is somehow an absolute must.

Downsides: Mekong is currently unlicensed and corkage is eight bucks. And pricing verges towards excessive. But overall Mekong delivers something that makes Sydney’s dining scene just that little bit better.

Originally published on dailytelegraph.com.au