There Are Just 15 Serves a Night of This Dodee Paidang Dine Out Special

Melbourne has no shortage of exceptional Thai food. But at Broadsheet ’s new winter food festival Dine Out, some of the city’s most exciting venues are making limited-time-only Thai dishes. Here are three worth chasing down during the festival, which runs from Monday August 4 to Sunday August 10.

Thai Tacos with Arnold’s at Bar Spontana

Arnold’s and Bar Spontana are two venues that go beyond the typical wine bar menu, offering Mexican and Thai dishes, respectively. On Sunday August 10, they’ll pair up for a playful dinner at Bar Spontana. The set menu will focus on fermentation and charcoal grilling, with dishes including larb-style beef tostadas with toasted sticky rice, sour snapper curry tacos with Oaxacan cheese, and red pork cheek curry birria tacos. Book here.

Thai Nights at Waxflower

Waxflower, just off the restaurant hub that is Brunswick East’s Lygon Street, is one of the best listening bars in Melbourne. Though known for its European and Peruvian menu, head chef Dave Falvey is cooking a Thai menu for three nights only during Dine Out. From Wednesday August 6 to Friday August 8, Falvey (who previously trained under David Thompson) will serve Thai dishes such as braised and chargrilled short ribs in a massaman curry sauce with potatoes, and a deep-fried whole market fish with three-flavour sauce. There’ll also be a drinks list designed to complement the Thai flavours including a sparkling coconut umeshu. Walk-ins are welcome but bookings are recommended.

Tom Kha Barramundi Special at Dodee Paidang

The Hot-Listed Little Collins Street outpost of Thai chain Dodee Paidang is dishing up a special tom kha barramundi for the entirety of Dine Out. The catch? There are only 15 serves available per day of the special, which sees crispy-skin barramundi fillet served with tom kha – a fragrant coconut and galangal soup. Walk-ins are welcome and bookings at the start of service are recommended – you don’t want to miss out on this one.