BY ALEX DRISCOLL
Narrabeen’s Fat Pomelo was created out of a need for ‘casual dining’ options in the area. Owner Songpol, who also runs homeware café Armchair Collective with his wife Lyn, says most Thai food offerings in the area were primarily takeaways. “We wanted to create a space where locals could enjoy authentic Southeast Asian flavours in a beautiful setting without needing to head into the city,” he says.
The result is an enticing and indulgent and classy venue that offers local Northern Beaches brewed beers. For starters, I ordered the Hiramasa kingfish ceviche and the corn ribs. While ceviche is a South American dish, it was wonderfully punctuated by the taste of fresh lime and chilli, staples of Thai cuisine, while also incorporating some of the deeper, salty flavours of Japanese cooking thanks to the addition of miso and seaweed. The Japanese influence continued with the sweet yet meaty corn ribs, which were doused in sambal butter and seasoned with furiake and togarashi.
For the mains, it was Thai flavours on full display. I ordered the sticky crackling pork belly with green apple salad, a wonderfully complex dish of contrasting textures and flavours. Think Christmas pork with crackling and apple sauce dialled up to 1,000.
I also had the restaurant’s signature Wagyu beef cheek rendang. A perfect demonstration of the restaurant’s style of Thai flavours elevated with the best Australian ingredients, the beef fell apart in one bite, with the rich, creamy sauce coating my mouth. It also helped the world’s most buttery roti was on offer to mop up all the fantastic sauce.
“We use grain-fed Black Angus beef cheek, which is marinated overnight in a blend of spices like coriander root, ginger, lemongrass, garlic, and shallot to ensure it absorbs as much flavour as possible,” Songpol says.
After a wonderful dessert of sticky black rice with coconut ice cream, I left with a full belly and a smile on my face. Fat Pomelo does those much-beloved flavours of Thai takeaway to perfection, with a menu interesting enough to engage adventurous eaters, but familiar enough to satisfy the fussy.
Fat Pomelo 16 Ocean Street, Narrabeen fatpomelo.com.au | Phone 9477 4931
