Since landing in Australia 13 years ago as an apprentice pastry chef at Rockpool, Malaysian chef Benjamin Liew has worked steadily to build up his name. There have been stints at Vietnamese-French restaurant Madame Hanoi, noodle bar Minimono and Japanese barbeque joint Kyoku Yakiniku, but but Paper Tiger, his new venue in the former Two Pot Screamer site will finally let him show off his Malaysian roots.
Rundle Street has no shortage of Southeast Asian restaurants, and Liew knew that in order for Paper Tiger to stand out, he needed to step up and provide something more than the curries and stir-fries already on offer along the busy strip.
“We have Ong doing Vietnamese next door to us, and Lemongrass Bistro and Golden Boy are both Thai restaurants. So I knew if I did just one thing, it would be difficult [to succeed],” he says. “But with Paper Tiger I wanted to bring in my Malaysian background and Indonesian food alongside those cuisines, to give people a lot of different choices.”
In practice, that means share plates that cover a range of bases, from green nam jim oysters in coconut cream infused with makrut and kombu, to a Malaysian Chinese Wagyu brisket stew with a “slightly more than five-spice” master stock, and Balinese-style crispy pork belly marinated in galangal, chilli, garlic and turmeric.
Liew’s background as a pastry chef means he also takes his desserts seriously. The most striking example of this is a riff on the legendary coconut dessert from Muse in the Hunter Valley. Paper Tiger’s version sees a tropical jam of pineapple, passionfruit and mango covered in cream cheese, then encased in coconut mousse that’s dipped in chocolate and brushed until it resembles a coconut.
It’s a spectacular dish that hints at Liew’s attention to detail. He is determined to make everything in-house where possible, “down to the dumpling skins”, and his secret weapon on that front is his sous-chef Olivia Yu, formerly of Hentley Farm.
Bold flavours are also prominent on the cocktail list with tropical libations including a pandan whisky sour, a five-spice Paloma and a Pina Colada spiked with jasmine rice syrup. “That one will be served in a tiki glass,” says front of house manager Karl Tang, who has tried to capture “an easygoing, fun style that matches the vibe of the restaurant” in a wine list of 65 bottles that skews towards smaller local producers like BK, Gentle Folk and Vinteloper.
The refit, helmed by Sam Weckert from Tiger Build (1000 Island, Sunny’s Pizza, Part Time Lover), has seen several tables removed to make room for a dance floor and DJ decks hidden behind a pink terrazzo counter. There will be a photo booth in the corner on Saturday nights and DJs playing vinyl on the weekends. When Broadsheet visits, the restaurant downstairs is still full of builders (there was less than a month’s turnaround between Two Pot Screamer closing and Paper Tiger opening), and the new features include African mahogany tables, linen curtains and Georg Jensen bowl lights.
And while the menu reflects Liew’s personal journey since leaving Penang, one of the biggest influences on the new space is a little closer to home. “Hugo [Pedler, managing director of Penny Hospitality, owners of Paper Tiger] really likes that Southeast Asian vibe of Chin Chin in Melbourne and the way that when the restaurant is busy, you can go upstairs and have a drink. He always wanted to bring that here.”
Paper Tiger (285 Rundle Street, Adelaide) opens on Friday April 14.
