Three To Try: Thai Menus at Dine Out

Dine Out, Broadsheet’s winter food festival, is back for its second year. In partnership with Mastercard and Doordash, we’re staging 50 new events across the city from Monday July 20 to Sunday July 26. This year’s line-up includes a West Sumatran dinner at Footscray bar Mr West; a one-night-only dinner between Pebble chef Cam Tay-Yap and Mika Chae at Doju; and spotlights on the city’s Mexican and Italian scenes. And while the collab Mexican-meets-Thai dinner between Chinatown restaurants Boon Choou and Taqueria Sin Nombre is sold out, there are still three great chances to enjoy exceptional Thai food during the festival.

Phak Tai Flavours of the South Dinner

What we call Thai cuisine is really a collection of four distinct regional cuisines that share methods and ingredients. In Australia, we hear most from the central region around Bangkok with dishes like kaeng khiao wan (green curry) and the northern region around Chiang Mai with the likes of khao soi (a yellow curry soup). Food from Isan in the north-east, like fiery larb and som tum salads, is a newer addition to the conversation.

Food from the country’s sinuous southern peninsula, flanked by ocean on both sides and bordering Malaysia at its tip, features lots of seafood and spice, plus clear Muslim, Indian and Malay influences. Massaman curry aside, it’s arguably the least-represented Thai region in Australia. For one night only, Bar Spontana is redressing the situation with Phak Tai, a dinner celebrating the peninsula’s rich, varied cuisine.

Spontana’s head chef, Pipat “Noomie” Yodmunee is from the south. For this collaborative dinner, he’s inviting in friend and fellow southerner Oak Kunnalok, head chef at Lexy. Together, they’ll share the flavours of home on a $96 set menu, including obscure regional dishes rarely seen in Melbourne. Expect pork, seafood, turmeric and lots of chilli. Dietary requirements unfortunately cannot be catered to in this menu, and spice-averse guests are recommended to visit Spontana another time. July 23, 5.30pm–10pm. Book here.

Naga Dining x Geralds Bar

Dine Out is all about kitchen collaborations – the more unexpected, the better. This year, Naga Dining is dropping into Geralds Bar to turn the menu Thai and explore dishes popularised in Australia by Thai migrants. 

The $95 food-only set menu is a combined effort from Thai chef and Naga Dining founder Dan Sawansak (Dessous) and Geralds chef Mathew Podbury. Expect Thai food influenced by Sawansak’s upbringing, but given the Geralds touch. Dishes such as spanner crab doughnuts, Thai-style braised goat, bone marrow biryani and roti will all make appearances.

Cocktails from Nevin Rae-Hoy of Geralds and the Mulberry Group’s Kristian Leombruni will feature some Geralds staples with a Thai twist. Meanwhile, wines will be curated by Coda and Tonka head sommelier Gemma Neil. All drinks are at bar prices.

Geralds became an institution by doing its Euro wine bar thing consistently, year after year. This is a rare chance to hop on board when the venue sails into uncharted waters. July 22, 6pm–10pm. Book here. 

Masses Bagels x Yang Thai

Hot Listed venues Yang Thai and Masses Bagels are collaborating on a Thai-infused menu for one day only, blending the St Kilda chicken shop’s spicy menu with some of the city’s best bagels.

The hero here is the wild-fermented bagel with biryani sauce, chicken breast, pickles, herbs and fermented habanero powder. There’s a vegan edition with celeriac, plus a fermented kumquat, oolong and butterfly pea iced tea.

There’ll also be a limited-edition bialy, a traditional Eastern European bread roll that’s similar to a bagel. A bialy skips boiling and goes straight into the oven. For this take, instead of the typical hole in the centre, the bread will have an indentation filled with fermented chilli and garlic. July 25, 8am–2.30pm. Walk-ins only.