Three vastly different Thai diners shaking up the city with all-you-can-eat hotpot and more

In a Chinatown laneway – away from Melbourne’s unofficial Thai Town at the top end of Bourke Street – Boon Choou might present as one of the city’s fanciest Thai restaurants, all green leather banquettes, shiny marble tabletops and glowing lights.

But its inspiration couldn’t be humbler, according to Thai-born chef-owner Poowadon “Sam” Pothiprasert, who moved to Melbourne to open his debut restaurant after five-plus years at Sydney institution Chat Thai’s Circular Quay location.

The heritage brick building emulates his family home, from similar terrazzo tiles to the suea (traditional woven mats) featured throughout. Similarly, the menu is an homage to home, created with chef friends from Thailand to showcase often-nostalgic dishes from the regions where they grew up.

“There’s a lot of [Thai] street food in Melbourne,” says Pothiprasert. “We are focused on the food of our families.”

His restaurant joins a growing number of eateries that are pushing forward Thai cuisine in Melbourne, whether it’s R. Harn’s firm focus on southern Thai cooking or Yaowarat’s free-wheeling approach to Thai, Chinese and contemporary cuisine.

Since opening a few months ago, Pothiprasert has found diners to be open-minded: “They like to try something new.”

“There’s a lot of [Thai] street food in Melbourne. We are focused on the food of our families.”

Chef-owner Poowadon “Sam” Pothiprasert

He’s not the only one branching out from the cluster of Thai along Bourke Street. More Crown, open since May, is on the edge of Koreatown, while Aung Lo sits in a little-known laneway off LaTrobe Street.

But for Jirada Ponpetch, co-owner of Manaaw (and previously Thai Baan), Bourke Street remains king.

“Thai Town is still going here and [diners] are going to all the different places,” she says. “I like the location because I like the competition. I want to show how good we can be.”

Three new trailblazing Thai eateries

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Boon Choou

“Our menu is filled with dishes that may not be familiar to guests – and that’s intentional,” says Poowadon “Sam” Pothiprasert. One such dish is a fiery southern-Thai fish curry that Pothiprasert’s mum used to make for him. “I hadn’t had it for years, so I called her and she taught me how to do it for the menu,” he says. The paste is heavily spiced with turmeric and pepper, as is common in curries from the south of Thailand; the market-sourced fish, usually snapper or barramundi, is chargrilled; and green banana is a defining feature.

Another dish is popular in Bangkok but also nods to Pothiprasert’s Chinese grandfather: steamed rice-noodle dumplings filled with crispy five-spice pork belly. “They are similar in style to cheung fun, but we prepare the outer layer with our own freshly mixed rice batter, giving them a unique flavour and texture,” he says.

But the surprising bestseller has been the wok-fried calamari, which is stained black with a squid-ink sauce, and simply flavoured with spring onions and coconut sugar.

Pothiprasert insists his restaurant is “still soft-launching”. But despite its discreet laneway location, there’s a queue that suggests Melburnians are catching on.

11 Heffernan Lane, Melbourne, instagram.com/boonchoou

Manaaw

Thai Baan, one of the Bourke Street restaurants that helped cement it as a flourishing Thai strip, is no longer (though its Williamstown location remains open). But co-owner Jirada Ponpetch has retained the city site, flipping it into Thai street-food joint Manaaw. While the colourful fit-out has been pared back to white and yellow, the food still packs a punch.

Monday to Wednesday, the all-glass frontage steams up as diners take advantage of the DIY all-you-can-eat options, either hotpot or barbecue, for $29.90 a head. When you inevitably run out of tender, thinly sliced marinated pork belly, just order more via your phone.

Reasonably priced rotating lunchtime specials – such as barbecued pork on rice for $13.90 – are drawing in the office crowd. And there’s a newfound focus on curries, which weren’t a big part of Thai Baan’s offering, including a slow-stewed massaman beef, plus classic red and green curries.

But you can still get the popular Thai Baan boat noodles. “They’re the same as before, always popular with the Thai community,” says Ponpetch.

51 Bourke Street, Melbourne, instagram.com/manaaw_melbourne

More Crown

At the bottom end of town – on the periphery of the CBD’s recently christenedKoreatown – this new King Street eatery is a burst of Thai energy.

There’s a strong focus on jok, the Thai rice porridge akin to congee. It’s thick and soul-warming, every bowl is generously filled, and there are nine options to choose from. The most popular is crowned with homemade pork balls, crunchy vermicelli noodles, Chinese doughnut and an egg. Other versions involve century eggs and braised duck.

The vibe is low-key, the service is homey and the prices are affordable given the serving sizes, starting from $17.90 for jok. Plus, it’s open for lunch from 11am and dinner until 11pm, seven days a week.

273 King Street, Melbourne, instagram.com/more.crown.mel