Diggin The DON’s fusion degustation

The tom yum is definitely spicy – I can feel the heat of the chilli wash over me. It’s got some real kick, but the flavour is great. I really enjoy the ramen noodles which are al dente and the perfect accompaniment to the perfectly cooked prawns which snaps satisfactorily as I bite down.

Be warned though: if you can’t handle the heat, you’re probably better off getting the other option instead.

Next up was the Bao course. We were given three bao to share between two people (the quantities for the actual degustation were still being finalised that night, so I’m not sure if this is the standard amount).

The flavours were char siu bao, crispy cheeky bao and sang choi bao. Just reading the descriptions was making my mouth water. I was expecting big things, especially since my mum makes a pretty amazing gua bao. It’s always hard when you have a family recipe benchmark to compare against restaurants but I was optimistic nonetheless.

The sang choi bao was a hilarious offering we were all giggling over, noting it was a sang choi bao in bao. The beef was lightly spiced, the bean sprouts crunchy. I was worried how the lettuce would work but it was a nice contrast and offered freshness to each bite.

The next bao we tried was the char siu which was again the same fluffy bao outer, but an unctuous slow cooked piece of pork inside. It didn’t have as strong a char siu flavour as I’d have liked, but I sit in the camp of punchy sauces. The meat though was cooked perfectly and had that ideal fat to meat ratio.

Unsurprisingly my favourite bao was easily the crispy cheeky which had yuzu mayonnaise, slaw and a very generous slab of karaage chicken. Oh crunchy heaven, welcome to my mouth.

Whenever I think of poultry, for me there’s nothing like fried chicken. Especially one like this – well seasoned, succulent and just plain delicious. It’s different to more traditional styles of karaage but I like the fusion style and really appreciated just how crunchy it was! I felt like you could hear me chewing a mile away.

The third course was all about burgers, with everyone given the choice of a different bun and a different filling. I was starting to feel really full by then so I gave a longing look at the ramen burgers and decided to opt for brioche instead once Jonas confirmed the could do a slider version instead. Damn my limited stomach space.

I am definitely going back to try those ramen burgers though – they look too good to miss out on. Especially when there’s more of that karaage chicken sandwiched between – mmm!

Our epic feasting finished off with a slice of matcha crepe cake. Layers and layers of crepes are stacked to create this light and soft cake that’s creamy and has a punchy green tea flavour. Word on the street is there’s a durian flavour too – I’m looking forward to trying that!

I couldn’t quite finish but that was no problem, with handy take away containers given to me to pack a little doggy bag to enjoy at home (which Jeremy was very happy to accept when I walked through the door).

A big thanks to Jonas and the team at The DON for hosting us and treating us to some tasty food! I can’t wait to head back soon for more of that karaage in particular, that alone is worth a trip there.