Mork is the chef and Benn will run the floor at soon to be opened Mínima. Photo: Pewpew Studio.
In a homecoming of sorts, Mork and Benn Ratanakosol are just days away from opening the much-anticipated restaurant Mínima.
They decided to close their popular Thai restaurant Morks earlier this year to focus on this new project, which brings them back to their roots in Yarraluma, where their parents ran a Sukhothai restaurant from 1990 to 2008.
Walking into the cosy 22-seater space, the eye is immediately drawn towards the heart of any home: the kitchen.
“Our vision was always to make it feel like you’re walking into our home,” Benn Ratanakosol told Region.
“We like that it’s intimate … it’s a very small space, so what you see is what you get.”
The menu will focus on ‘third-culture cuisine’, drawing inspiration from the brother’s unique cultural identity. Photo: Pewpew Studio.
The menu at Mínima won’t be limited to Thai cuisine. Instead, the brothers focus on what they call ‘third-culture cuisine’, a nod to their upbringing, where they were immersed in both their parents’ Thai heritage and Australian culture.
Chef Mork will be drawing inspiration from their unique cultural identity and exploring how the influence of Asian cuisines has shaped dishes from all over the world.
A sample menu promises dishes like salt and pepper whitebait fritters, short ribs with salted fish butter and chicory, and black bean crème brûlée for dessert. Dishes will be available to share à la carte or as part of a tasting menu for $75 per person.
“We wanted to keep the prices fairly approachable, which is why we’re also offering BYO, which we haven’t done before. There will be a concise wine list, but I’m also excited for people to show off what they have in their cellars at home,” Benn said.
The small space will accommodate two to three chefs in the open kitchen, with a couple of front-of-house staff, but Benn says there will be a “fluidity to service” with chefs getting involved to serve customers and make cocktails, as well as the front of house staff assisting the chefs and doing dishes. The dynamic all-electric kitchen features benchtop appliances that will allow Mork and his team to rearrange the space as they go, depending on the needs of the regularly changing menu.
In addition to the dine-in-only dinner menu, the brothers will be offering takeaway lunch dishes featuring a few playful takes on street food meals. There’s a beef adobo with rice in the works and a noodle dish combining mie goreng and pad thai flavours, complete with a fried egg. Benn says they’ll change up the lunch offerings and use ingredients from the dinner menu to prevent waste and use their produce sustainably.
Dishes will be available to share à la carte or as part of a tasting menu for $75 per person. Photo: Pewpew Studio.
The space is beautifully designed and features pops of art and decorations taken from Benn and Mork’s homes. There’s a delightful piece they commissioned from the artist known as ‘Good Food Crap Drawing’ of their signature dish from Morks, Angel Prawns, which won’t be on the menu at Mínima but lives on in art form. There’s also a print by Nigel Hinder, the same artist who designed the large mural at Morks in Kingston. Benn says it was a tough day when that wall was painted over by the new owners, signalling the end of an era.
Benn admits the pressure is on. Morks had a loyal following and many of their customers are eager to see what they come up with.
“We know people have high expectations, but we’re aiming to nail it.”
Mínima will open to the public on Tuesday, 23 July.
Mínima is located at 29 Bentham Street, Yarralumla. They will be open for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday from 5 pm until late, and for lunch from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm.
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