Online Art Project More of Something Good (MSG) Is a Love Letter to Melbourne’s Asian Dining Scene

In the early days of the coronavirus crisis, as far back as February (and weeks before hundreds of restaurants, bars and cafes closed or made the move to takeaway), Asian eateries were already bearing the brunt of the virus’s impact on the hospitality industry.

Michael Souvanthalisith and Muriel-Ann Ricafrente run Sydney design company Studio Mimu, and saw some of their favourite noodle joints, hole-in-the-wall diners and family-run businesses quickly lose customers. The two artists, themselves of Asian descent (Souvanthalisith is Lao with Thai and Japanese heritage, while Ricafrente is Filipino), wanted to help.

“We have friends in Melbourne talking about places like Shark Fin House shutting down. Even places where I grew up were seeing a really big hit; it’s crazy to ever think of going to Springvale on a weekend and it not being busy,” Souvanthalisith tells Broadsheet.

Enter More of Something Good, an online art project that serves as a visual menu of different artists’ favourite Asian eats across Melbourne and Sydney. The website is like a love letter to Australia’s vibrant Asian culinary scene, filled with illustrations of much-loved dishes and local hidden gems.

“As designers, we know the effects of art and how it can heighten community and connect you with other people,” Ricafrente says. “Everyone loves food and I think bringing art and food together is something that everyone will understand.”

The pair approaches artists with two simple questions: what’s your favourite dish from an Asian restaurant in your city? And, why? The artists then illustrate their chosen dishes and explain what it is they love about them. The selection of dishes is diverse, as are the different art styles and design aesthetics of each illustration.

A bowl of char siu noodles from Melbourne institution Pacific Seafood BBQ House by artist Brendan Coghlan (who goes by Kid Monkey) has big, blue cartoon-like eyes that stare back at you as you gaze into its steamy depths.

“We’d go to one of a few places, but the standouts for me were the now-closed City BBQ on Little Bourke Street, or the giant Pacific BBQ House on Lonsdale Street,” Coghlan writes of the dish. “The reality is, I was always gunning for McDonald’s when I was a kid. But … a bowl of char siu noodle soup, with all the crispy edges and the chewy egg noodle and the fermented chilli-oil condiment, just makes me feel really nostalgic.

“Also, a pro tip: if you’re day drinking, [a serve of] char siu from Pacific House makes for an excellent road snack.”

A colourful sketch of nasi lemak (coconut rice with prawn sambal, fried anchovies, eggs, peanuts and more) from Malaysian eatery Mamak is by illustrator Eeka. And graphic artist Shae San Foreman-Sim has created a minimalist take on the okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) at Collingwood cafe Papirica.

“[It’s] the ultimate comfort meal – fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside, smothered in a delicious umami sauce,” Foreman-Sim writes of the dish.

Artist Kim Lam’s pick is the meatball banh mi from Vietnamese bakery Nhu Lan in Footscray, which is known to make some of the best banh mi in the city.

“There’s no glamorous way to go about consuming this cornucopia of promised goodness, other than ‘smashing’ it, with crusty crumbs snowing and happy head nodding,” says Lam.

Artist Taiki One depicts the “ best bang for your buck veg dumplings ”, from the Empress of China in the CBD, as a cute green creature wearing Nike kicks.

And an anime-style bowl of pho bo tai (beef pho) from Springvale’s Pho Hung Vuong is by Souvanthilisith, tied to his memories of growing up in the area.

“There are a few artists on the MSG menu that talk about the childhood nostalgia that’s linked to this food, and that’s a really big thing for us,” Souvanthalisith says. “It reminds us of friends and family. And in times like this, those are things you want to keep close to your heart.”

In keeping with the site’s menu theme, a section called the Chef’s Special features Asian takeaway picks from well-known chefs and restaurateurs. First up is Dan Hong of Sydney’s Mr Wong, Ms.G’s, Lotus, Queen Chow and The Establishment, who penned an op-ed for Broadsheet in February urging Aussies to keep supporting their local Chinese eateries.

“He’s kind of been at the forefront of all of this and a really big champion of going out and supporting the local restaurants,” Souvanthalisith says.

More of Something Good’s name is tongue-in-cheek, referencing not just MSG (monosodium glutamate), a staple ingredient in Asian cooking, but also the stigma surrounding it and the so-called “Chinese restaurant syndrome”.

“My mum said to me one time that if MSG was bad for you, we would have been dead a long time ago,” Souvanthalisith says with a laugh. “And I love that you can take this thing that people see as bad and just flip it on its head and reclaim it. Why shouldn’t MSG be More of Something Good? Why can’t we turn a situation like Covid-19 and put a positive spin on it?”

moreofsomethinggood.com