Ama’s Follow-Up Brings the Spicy Sour Flavours of Thailand’s Isan Region to a New Sydney Spot

Thai Chinese diner Ama opened in late 2024 with sisters Rowena and Kate Chansiri gaining immediate fans for their grandma’s recipe beef noodle soup. Slices of beef brisket, beef balls and greens join noodles and a dark broth in a bowl, a staple of Chinatowns all over Thailand. There’s also jok (or congee), salapao (steamed buns) and more, and numerous “lost dishes” added to the menu for Broadsheet’s Dine Out festival. Now, continuing the mission of championing Thailand’s regional specialties, Rowena is opening Yum Club. 

The Surry Hills joint will exclusively serve dishes from Isan, a region in northeast Thailand. “The food actually originates from Laos,” Rowena shares. “Before we had the official border, Laos and Thailand kind of merge – it’s just [the Mekong River] that separates us. So, our food is basically Lao food with a little bit of adaptation to the produce and the taste.”

Som tum (papaya salad) is a signature Isan dish, falling under the category of “yum” – a word Rowena borrows for the new venue’s name. “Anything that is special, spicy and sour, and tossed together without putting on the stove, that is ‘yum’,” she says. “This kind of food is very popular amongst Thais in and out of Thailand. There are a few places in [Sydney’s] Thai Town that does it, but they’re not exclusively serving just Isan [dishes].”

Yum Club’s menu will highlight the subtleties between Isan’s provinces. Dedicated fried and fire-grilled sections will be supported by a dedicated som tum list that will feature at least seven varieties. The yum section is where you’ll find the spicy, fermented, sour salad dishes, and you can expect a whole-animal approach to the meat.

“Back in the day, it was a quite poor region,” says Rowena. “Rural, not a lot of food resources. So there’s a lot of fermentation, and ingredients like local small fish, small crabs. They ferment those and make a distinct seasoning for the food. It’s a lot of fermentation, very intense umami flavour, a lot less cooking – more tossing. And a lot of grilled meats.”

The menu is loosely locked in, pending the sourcing of certain ingredients in Australia. Yum Club will have a mix of seating, with space for 40 in a back section and another 15 out the front on Crown Street. “There’s a lot of colours, a lot of dancing, a lot of fun music and drinking. So it will be fun.”

Rowena will open Yum Club with Alisa Loangpaseuth and Rujirada Wongswadiwat, who’ve both worked with her “since forever”. “Rujirada was born and raised in a som tum shop in Buriram, and Alisa is Lao. We always talk about what is lacking here in Sydney and what we wanted, and I just felt so blessed that they were with me, helping me.”

Yum Club is expected to open at 265 Crown Street, Surry Hills, in spring 2026.

@yumclub.sydney