Ma Kin Thai

The Thai phrase “ma kin” loosely translates to “let’s eat”, and that’s just the brief at this family-run diner. Here, Thai chef O and her Australian husband Dave Baker serve hearty northern Thai dishes, just like you’d find them in Thailand. O – whose family ran food stalls in Chiang Mai and Bangkok – draws inspiration from many of the street foods she grew up eating in Chiang Mai.

The menu is a condiment lover’s paradise. Many dishes come with O’s house-made dipping sauces, so you can tweak your own levels of sweet, salty, sour and spicy. This is the case for the crowd-pleasing fried chicken wings, which you can drench in nam jim jaew dipping sauce. The hearty beef khao soi suspends tender chunks of slow-cooked beef in a bright red-orange northern-style curry, served with egg noodles. Those addicted to the telltale tingle of a strong chilli should reach for the extra-spicy pad krapow, where the bright nam pla prik (a savoury sauce with garlic, chilli, fish sauce, lime and sugar) shines.

Sweet Thai iced milk and iced lemon teas round out each meal and there’s the option to BYO. Ma Kin doesn’t compromise on the flavours of its northern Thai roots. Its fiery flavours unite students, professionals and families – whether they’re grinding through a university semester, grabbing a quick lunch or coming together over a comforting meal.