Try Four Regional Thai Cuisines Under One Roof at Chat Thai Alumni’s Boon Choou

In the past few years, Melbourne’s Thai food scene has evolved well beyond green curry and pad thai. Today, the city offers a richer snapshot of regional Thai food, from the golden turmeric-rich curries of the south you’ll find at Nora Thai and the Soi 38 team’s R Harn , to the galangal-forward food of Phuket at Pa Tong Thai and the comforting Thai Chinese food at Yaowarat.

This surge in interest inspired Chalermpol Tancharoensap, Tanapat Limpaiboonwattana and Poowadon “Sam” Pothiprasert to leave their long tenures (a combined 35 years) at Palisa Anderson’s beloved Sydney institution Chat Thai and open their own restaurant, Boon Choou, in Melbourne. While many of the venues in Melbourne’s 2023 Thai restaurant boom focused on a single region, the trio has opted for a menu that draws from all corners of the country.

“There’s a lot of Isan food in Melbourne, so we tried to do something different,” says Pothiprasert. Boon Choou (Thai for “good karma”) brings four regional cuisines together under one roof: central Thai (Bangkok-style), northern Lanna, north-eastern Isan and southern Pattani. The menu is expansive and deeply personal, tied together by the team’s family recipes and memories of home.

“We tried to make foods like our mums made for us,” says Pothiprasert. “We wanted to take what local people eat and put our meaning [on it].”

Some dishes are rare even within Thailand, inspired by home-style recipes that wouldn’t be found in restaurants. The grilled fish curry with starchy green banana, for instance, is a special recipe passed down from Pothiprasert’s mother. The yum koong ma muang, a prawn salad typically made with tart shredded green mango, substitutes the sweet variety based on a tip from one of the team.

The menu also reflects Thailand’s many culinary influences. The popia sod – a common Bangkok street food – is an evolution of the Chinese fresh spring roll popiah made from thin wheat flour crepes filled with pork sausage, five-spice tofu, cucumber, shallot and bean sprouts. Meanwhile, the khao mhok muang (a Thai interpretation of biryani) features turmeric-fried calamari instead of the more typical chicken.

Desserts are playful spins on Thai classics such as coconut corn pudding topped with a grilled corn cob and pa thong ko – a doughnut similar to a deep-fried choux pastry – topped with pandan custard and coconut flesh. Pothiprasert says this seemingly contemporary take is inspired by a dish more than 300 years old, first developed in Thailand’s royal kitchens.

The drinks list includes wine, beer, saké and cocktails (like a mango-pineapple-five-spice number topped with coconut foam), along with a curated brewed tea selection served in golden teapots imported from Thailand.

The fit-out, by Sydney’s Myncie Studio, draws on motifs from across Thailand. A woven Isan mat hangs on one wall, while a metal scroll etched with monk-blessed inscriptions is displayed opposite. The space is grounded by custom leather banquettes and terrazzo floors – the latter, Pothiprasert notes, is a common feature in Thai Chinese homes.

The venue has been open since April, and the team has no plans to slow down. In the coming weeks, they’ll open a cocktail bar on the level above.

Boon Choou
11 Heffernan Lane, Melbourne
03 7013 2565

Hours:
Mon to Thu 11.30am–11.30pm
Fri & Sat 11.30am–midnight
Sun 11.30am–11.30pm

[instagram.com/boonchoou] (https://www.instagram.com/boonchoou/?hl=en)