There are some things that you can be certain about in Canberra - the hot air balloons, question time, roundabouts, travel rorts and Benny at Morks. He greets you like a long lost friend whenever you walk into Morks, which he co-owns with his brother, Mork.
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The brothers have a long history in Canberra, and I first met Benny as a young teenager when he worked the cash register in his father Adul's Thai institution in Yarralumla, Sukhothai. I'd go there weekly for, what was hands down, the best red duck and lychee curry outside of Chiang Mai. Benny, and brother Mork, have been on the Foreshore for nearly a decade (via Florey).
Arriving at the end of the first week in Parliament for a new government, we enter a room which is buzzing like the Khaosan night market. My companion, a political journalist, knows a bit about both politics and beer, so we grab a couple of crispy cold Beerlao ($9) and he tells me a few stories about which former ministers he has dined here with, who has the most expensive taste in wine, and who has limited taste.
But taste we must, and the $95 feed me tasting menu is 11 courses which seems to be remarkable value. In fact, if you take out Howard's GST, that's a paltry $7.85 per person, per course.
Blue swimmer crab with tamarind and betel leaf float onto the dark timber table first and the flavours explode in the mouth. With delicate crab and zingy lime freshness, they are wrapped up in the betel leaf like a Dorothy Dixer, just to get the sitting started in the right spirit.
Fishball toast with kewpie and smoked Yarra Valley caviar is second course and I'd call it a safe seat kind of dish. It has all of the classic Thai fishcake flavours and the generously loaded fish roe pop all around the palate and enliven the senses. We could literally just eat these for the rest of night but it would be a short review and our expense accounts would be audited.
Next up is brioche with salmon, chilli jam, roast tomato and smoked duck fat. This has a similar texture to the previous dish, with some subtle duck smoke character which is even more elegant and just a bit more adult than the previous dish.
Cobia sashimi is a less conservative dish, sprinkled with absinth nam jim and makrut lime leaf. The fish is sparklingly fresh, slightly pink, and carries some lovely aniseed character, courtesy of the green fairy herself.
We wash these down with a Collector Tiger Tiger chardonnay ($19) and Helm half dry riesling ($24). The Helm is Germanic in style with some residual sugars which wrap themselves nicely around any chilli or spice which comes our way. There are some interesting local drops on the list, as well as some obscure Aussie gems and some premium European numbers. Speaking of things that aren't so local, our waitress hails from New Jersey, and no doubt had a say in the Springsteen tunes which radiate through the warm room as part of a great '80s playlist throughout the night. You can't start a fire without a spark.
Issarn beef larb tartare with bone marrow is Mork's take on a classic beef tartare, and he has seriously taken on a classic here. A delightfully "upper house" dish, Mork serves a half osso bucco marrow in the bone and the diner mixes the marrow in with the tartare at the point where the classic French dish would traditionally use a raw egg. Absolutely brilliant and although I wouldn't tell Clement from Les Bistronomes that it's better than la republique, I will refuse to withdraw my comments.
Angel prawns is a dish which was created (should have been patented and trademarked) by the boys' father, Adul. Cooked in a terracotta dish, the prawns are firm and delicious with a splash of red curry and coconut custard.
Baby back ribs are stacked with succulent pork, slow cooked for 12 hours at 75 degrees and are finger licking good, dressed with young mango salad which possibly makes it healthy in some parts of the electorate.
At around this point, Mork slips in a potato and garlic chive dumpling with brown rice vinegar and sambal. These could possibly have been made by someone's Italian nonna, but I think that it's just Mork showing off his frontbench techniques.
The final savoury session is golden sesame oil Murray Cod with saltbush yum, crispy skin and peanuts and duck with plum sauce, pickles and golden sesame oil, served alongside spiced rice wrapped in banana leaf. The fish is floating in a delicious coconut and lime dressing and there are hints of chilli here, as through most of the dishes, although the Red Hot Chilli Peppers are also playing at this point, so my earbuds may well be confusing my tastebuds.
The duck dish is almost classic Chinese, but with the elevated addition of sour and salty ingredients, which ensure that balance is paramount, as it has been with every dish that we taste.
Desserts come with their own nicknames thrown in by the gallery, and tonight we have Spice Merchant - coconut custard, fig jam, cashews and mascarpone, and Ain't No Sunshine - choc brownie and Laphroaig caramel. Spice Merchant is not unlike a very nice hummingbird cake (no offense Mork) but the smoky, peaty whisky character in the caramel sauce covered brownie takes the cake and leaves absolutely no room for dissent.
You can be certain about Benny, Mork and Morks. These guys are now seasoned campaigners and their seats at the top of the Kingston Foreshore electorate are extremely safe.
Morks
Address: 18/19 Eastlake Parade, Kingston
Phone: (02) 6295 0112
Website: morks.com.au
Owners: Mork and Benn Ratanakosol
Chef: Mork Ratanakosol
Noise: Busy night but great acoustics in a room that looks like it should be noisy
Vegetarian: Rumours are there is a secret vegan banquet, but you have to ask
