Memory, Flavour and Service Combine Over a Bowl of Beef Noodle Soup at Ama

When Rowena Chansiri and her sister, Kate Chansiri, ran a summer pop-up at their cafe, Ickle Coffee in Kingsgrove, they simply wanted to share their mum and grandmother’s recipe for Thai Chinese beef noodle soup with locals.

“The first time we served our beef noodle soup was when my mum was visiting from Thailand and she was cooking it for us. We thought maybe we could share it, and so we did a fun pop-up,” Rowena tells Broadsheet.

Those first bowls – sliced beef brisket, beef balls and greens served with a choice of egg, rice or glass noodles, and a dark broth ladled over the top – were offered at the cafe twice a week. They quickly became a hit, and not just with people from the local area. “For the first two weeks it was just locals,” she says. “Then foodies came in, spread the word, and it took off unexpectedly. It went a little too big – we were working from morning to night, so we had to stop. That’s when we thought we could bring it to a permanent shop.”

That shop became Ama, a Surry Hills kitchen dedicated to Thai Chinese comfort food, where the menu tells a story most Australians haven’t heard before. “Thai food in Australia is pretty generic; every restaurant has the same menu. What a lot of Australians don’t realise is there’s a lot of diversity in Thai food.”

At Ama, service is just as important as flavour. “Service is a feeling,” Rowena says. “It’s not an act or a gesture, it’s … the whole atmosphere and vibe. I just want everyone to feel at home. It’s not serious. It’s casual. People are free to order at the counter. You’re welcome to enjoy good food at your own pace. There are no rules, and we’re there to cater to your needs. If you want to be there to order, eat quickly and go, we won’t bother you. But if you’re curious, we’re more than happy to have a chat and tell our stories and dive into the menu.”

Rowena’s approach to service is rooted in empathy. “If you walk through the door and have a good feeling about the place, the food will always taste better,” she says. “An average bowl with bad service will taste terrible. There’s a lot of emotion in the experience. Everything we do contributes to that good experience, which makes the food taste better.”

She highlights that good customer service is particularly important for a small business like Ama. “We don’t have a big marketing budget, so every bowl and every service is our marketing.”

Behind the counter, Square helps keep that experience seamless. “From my experience, working with a lot of different systems, simple is really good for a business,” Rowena says. “Square’s interface is very clear and simple. You can adjust things every day, which makes it easy for everyone to be hands-on and keep service quick.”

Rowena says she’s particularly fond of the online ordering set-up that allows customers – even if they’re searching via Google – to order ahead for pick-up. “It eliminates the worry of phone orders or payments. It’s convenient, and in this time when people are always in a rush, that’s really good. And Square doesn’t take a cut like other platforms.”

The article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Square.