K-Tong

Profiled by de Groots Media

With the vast array of eating options that modern shopping centres offer, it’s a testament to a restaurant’s food that it can generate not just a loyal following, but be the main point of call for many people visiting Darwin’s perpetually busy Casuarina Square. A quick sampling of K-Tong’s offerings makes it patently obvious why so many people pack into its booths on any given day; it simply produces some of the best Asian dishes in the city.

The star attraction, and perennial favourite, is K-Tong’s laksa. While just about all Asian (and many non-Asian) food outlets in Darwin list the spicy coconut curry soup on the menu, there are very few places capable of making an exceptional one. But without a doubt K-Tong’s version of the popular dish is one of renown. Containing all the ingredients any laksa worth its coconut milk should have – egg and rice noodles, tofu and spring onion – it’s the curry broth that makes it a true taste sensation. A perfect blend of coconut milk, fish sauce and spices, this is a home-grown recipe that K-Tong’s chefs have perfected. Make sure you stop at the dessert bar to try some wonderfully colourful and authentic deserts – black sticky rice, sticky rice with taro, and the almost fluorescent Thai rice cake before you venture on with your shopping duties.

Liam Phillips