Wong Baby

New South Yarra restaurant Wong Baby is turning heads for all the right reasons. Opened just before Christmas in 2022, the establishment has gained a popular following due to its trendy, upmarket Asian fusion eats, delicious cocktails and impressive wine list. Milk Bar attended the launch event one balmy February evening and was provided with a culinary experience, showcasing the very best of the menu.

Located at the eloquently designed Goldfields House in the heart of the Chapel Street precinct, Wong Baby is the brainchild of Good Group Hospitality’s growing Melbourne and Sydney-based portfolio, which includes Botswana Butchery Sydney and White + Wong. The ethos is quite simple: enjoyable, fast-paced street food inspired by Southeast Asia. The fit-out is a mash of its industrial structural trappings with the flare and neon of Tokyo meets street food market with quirky lighting installations and paper lanterns.

Now, to the menu. Designed by Culinary Director Angel Fernandez, expect to see the crowd-pleasing usual suspects of kingfish sashimi served with soy pickled radishes and salted chilli, curries, fried chicken, fried tofu gua boa served with pickled cucumber, sriracha and slaw, fried chicken wings and roasted duck with house-made plum sauce and pancakes. The sashimi is an absolute must, along with the roasted duck and bao. Among the share plates, I would also recommend the Sichuan style pork wontons or the chicken and shiitake money bags.

For the mains, feast on the massaman curry of lamb shoulder or the jungle curry of pumpkin. If curry isn’t your thing, the pad thai noodles are a treat, and for the ambitious – order a whole deep-fried market fish for the table. In the BBQ section, the standouts include the grilled turmeric chicken and the campfire style prawns. (I am a prawn and shellfish fiend so I may be a little biased.)

The (affectionately named) Woktails are colourful and delectable. Enter the Dragon is a vodka-based cocktail served with sake, guava puree, lime juice and dragon fruit red bull, and can be served as a fishbowl ($70). The Mango Margarita is a star created with Olmeca Altos Plata tequila, mango, lime and peychaud’s bitters – perfect for the summer season! My second go-to would be the Plum Luck, a cocktail featuring Peddlers Gin Co., salted plum gin, umeshu, plum bitters, lemon and wonderfoam. The rest of the drinks menu is expansive from a glass of GH Mumm Grand Cordon, prosecco, and a sling of wine-by-the-glass options.

Overall, the food is exceptionally fresh and exquisite. Wong Baby is easily a go-to destination for those seeking an intimate dinner date or hosting a group of mates. The ‘Feed Me’ experience is indulgent yet affordable at $65 per person.

Fun, playful and vibrant, Wong Baby will take you on a culinary journey encompassing the flavours of Southeast Asia.

Wong Baby
627 Chapel St Ground Floor, South Yarra 3141