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13/20

Yaowarat

Inside Yaowarat, a new late-night Thai diner in Melbourne’s Chinatown.
1 / 7Inside Yaowarat, a new late-night Thai diner in Melbourne’s Chinatown.Wayne Taylor
Tom yum with seafood.
2 / 7Tom yum with seafood.Wayne Taylor
Betel leaf with fish fillet.
3 / 7Betel leaf with fish fillet.Wayne Taylor
Barbecue pork on rice.
4 / 7Barbecue pork on rice.Wayne Taylor
The restaurant is open until midnight.
5 / 7The restaurant is open until midnight.Wayne Taylor
Crab hoi jor (tofu skin rolls filled with crab and pork mince).
6 / 7Crab hoi jor (tofu skin rolls filled with crab and pork mince).Wayne Taylor
Prawn salad (half fresh, half cooked).
7 / 7Prawn salad (half fresh, half cooked).Wayne Taylor
13/20

Yaowarat

Thai$

Where plates full of spark are served late into the night.

It’s all happening. University friends pluck prawns and calamari rings from tom yum broth. Guys tumble in from a bar-crawl to order tamarind-tickled noodles and $1 congee. A good date just got better thanks to stir-fried pipis in an aromatic Thai basil-scented cloud.

It’s noisy and clattery, and there may be a queue snaking up the laneway but that’s forgotten as soon as you’re inside. Named for Bangkok’s Yaowarat Road, this has the same bustle of an eat-street. Ordering is via QR code, and staff are geared for efficiency rather than guidance on the large menu.

But lean into the seafood: fried tofu skin rolls filled with lush crab and pork mince, or fried barramundi pieces piled on betel leaves with peanut and chopped lime. Punchy, pungent and full of surprises, this is another Thai address to know.

Must-order: A trip of pork - char siu, crisp belly and dense spicy sausage - served over rice with a boiled egg and greens.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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