Where Chefs Eat: Khanh Nguyen Thinks This Sushi Spot Beats Japan’s Michelin-Starred Counters

King Clarence is the Bentley Group’s CBD dining room referencing Korea, Japan and China – and it’s captained by a chef known for his creativity and perfectionism: Khanh Nguyen. Just look at his new-ish bread course, which pushes the boat out with golden rounds of shokupan haloing a marrow-filled Angus bone. After a bite, one Broadsheet reader couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Then there’s his Macca’s-esque fish finger bao, a day-one greatest hit along with his favourite thing to cook: pork belly ssam. “I’ve always loved traditional Korean bossam,” Nguyen says. “Our version roasts the pork for shatteringly crisp crackling – the process takes about five days and involves three different cooking methods to make sure the meat is tender and juicy while the skin is as crisp as possible. I don’t really eat pork belly any other way anymore. Wrapped in fresh leaves with pickles and sauces, it’s rich but balanced, not heavy at all.”

The boundaries are ever-changing at King Clarence, with a menu so lengthy it begs return visits. When he’s not in the kitchen, here’s where the star chef eats around town.

Quick takeaway dinner: I usually keep it local – there’s something nice about grabbing something close to home and being able to reheat it properly without it suffering too much. I’m a big believer in convenience done well. On days when I don’t feel like cooking, I’ll often grab takeaway from one of my favourite Vietnamese spots, Hello Auntie in Marrickville. I’ll take it home and plate everything up properly, so it still feels like a proper meal – no eating straight out of takeaway containers. Sometimes you just want a quiet night in without the noise of a restaurant or chatting with waitstaff. I spend most days working with a team of over 20 people and running services for more than 200 guests, so having that quiet time at home is really important for me to recharge.

Lunch on the go: I’m into stuff that’s fast, comforting and doesn’t require too much thinking – just good, satisfying, delicious and hand-held. Can't go past a Vietnamese pork roll! My top three pork rolls in Sydney are Marrickville Pork Roll, Phuong 18 in Bankstown, and a newcomer called Bae Mi in Riverwood.

Ideal date: Somewhere intimate with great lighting and a fun wine list. Good food is important, but the vibe matters just as much. S’more in Castlecrag hits the right spot. Steak, rice, sometimes some lobster pasta. A bit of a trip north, but worth the ride. On this side of the bridge, Eleven Barrack [another Bentley Group restaurant]. Great selection of dishes, beautiful steaks and sides, huge wine list, and one of the most romantic dining rooms in Sydney.

Yum cha: Hung Cheung in Marrickville. It’s underrated but always packed on weekends. I’ve been going there for over 20 years. My parents used to take us there on public holidays when they finally get time off work – so it feels special. Their chicken feet and honeycomb tripe are some of the best in Sydney.

Special occasion: Lumi Dining – for honestly any occasion. It’s one of my favourite restaurants in Australia. The omakase menu is phenomenal, with the best snack game in the country. So many intricate little bites before you even reach the mains, so you get to experience so many different flavours and textures. There’s always great caviar moments, and when truffle season hits, it’s dangerous. Federico [Zanellato] is hands-down one of the best chefs in the world.

Noodles: Happy Chef, menu item 37. Spicy beef, tripe and wonton noodles with egg noodles – add extra braised beef and tendon. It’s a dry, saucy noodle with soup on the side. The honeycomb tripe is always cooked perfectly and the beef is super tender. It’s quick, reliable and full of flavour. I love offal, so this dish ticks all the boxes for me.

Sushi: Takashi Sano-san, now at Azuma. I’ve been eating his sushi for over 10 years and it never misses. I remember being in Japan eating at three Michelin-star omakase restaurants and genuinely missing Sano’s sushi. That says a lot.

Burger: I’m a sucker for smash patties, Eat at Robs in Balmain and Chebbo’s in Marrickville. Crispy edges, onions smashed into the patty. I love onions! Though I am a pretty simple guy, so I’m not joking when I say I genuinely love a McDonald’s double cheeseburger. McDonald’s was my first kitchen job, and I ate a lot of them. My order: double cheeseburger, steamed bun (game changer), extra pickles, extra onions and extra Big Mac sauce.

Snacky bite: I might be biased, but it’s the duck tsukune at King Clarence. Everyone orders (and loves) the fish finger bao, but the duck tsukune is where it’s really at. It starts with soft Japanese milk bread brushed with duck fat and clarified butter. On top sits the tsukune – a duck meatball shaped like a sausage, seasoned with spring onion, garlic and black pepper. Our version has water chestnuts folded through it for a bit of crunch, then it’s brushed with a sweet, sticky hoisin tare as it cooks.

The seasoning is inspired by nem nuong, a Vietnamese grilled pork sausage I grew up eating, so there’s a lot of nostalgia in it for me. It’s finished with a ridiculously addictive sauce made from peanut butter, American mustard, pickled chilli and ketchup, plus some grilled onions for that Bunnings sausage sizzle vibe. To seal the deal, it’s served with an egg yolk in sweet-and-sour soy on the side for dipping.

Spot for a drink: Bar Copains. Great wine, great vibe, and everything on the menu is so well-executed. Anchovy on puff pastry, fried pig’s head with zucchini pickles, cheese tarts, King George whiting sandwich, steak! I’d order the whole menu if I could.

Big group: Cantonese restaurants are perfect for this. Lazy Susan in the middle, lots of sharing, loud conversations. Eaton Chinese Restaurant in Ashfield is a go-to. Jumbo steamed oyster with vermicelli, XO pippies with crispy noodles, live mud crab Hong Kong Harbour-style, and a steamed fish with ginger and shallot. That’s a proper feast.

Coffee: Coffee Alchemy. I’ve been going there for over 10 years. They also have a spot in The Strand in the CBD called Gumption, which is my pre-work ritual. I buy their beans for home, too.

Long lunch: Ester in Chippendale. Order broadly, add the salt-baked mud crab, maybe a lobster. Everything is seasoned beautifully and it’s always a good time.

Bucket-list restaurant: Casa Julián in Spain. I missed it when I was in San Sebastián, so hopefully on my next trip. They’re known as the “temple of meat” and one of the best steakhouses on earth – and I’m a huge steak lover. The beef in Spain just hits differently, so much flavour you don’t need any sauce or condiments.

Something sweet: I love tiramisu because I love coffee. Franco in Marrickville does a tiramisu ice-cream that’s dangerously good. If there’s a tub in my freezer, it won’t last long. I’ll say I’m having “just a few spoonfuls” – then it’s gone. I’m lactose intolerant … but it’s worth it.

Groceries: Illawarra Road in Marrickville. There are multiple Asian grocers side by side, endless herbs, produce, great butchers. Whole Beast Butchery does incredible dry-aged pork. Love that the Asian butchers have Aurum Poultry cockerels too, the best kind of chickens for cooking chicken pho.

Go-to late-night snack after service: Instant noodles – but elevated. I always have thinly sliced meat in the freezer, fish balls, beef balls and eggs, spring onions and coriander in the fridge. Mama tom yum is my go-to, I love tangy flavours. But don’t just rely on the seasoning packet – add soy sauce, kombu extract, vinegar, maybe fry off some garlic and add that, too. Sometimes I use chicken stock instead of water. You can really bling it up with very little effort. Instant noodles don’t have much nutritional value if you just eat it on its own, so you really need to add protein and some vegetables to make it a more rounded meal.

Kitchen utensil: A good chef’s knife, obviously. And tweezers. Some people might laugh, but tweezers or chopsticks make life easier.

Kitchen hack: Taste and adjust. I don’t understand finishing a meal thinking, “It’s too salty” or “It’s too bland” but not adjusting it. Just fix it. Add acid, salt, spice, whatever it needs. Cooking should be intuitive. Learn what you like and season accordingly.

@genghiskhanh
@kingclarence_sydney