The ground-floor car park that until the end of 2024 housed Soi 38 was never meant to be a restaurant. “It was converted from an office,” says Chavalit “Top” Piyaphanee, who co-owns Soi 38 with his wife, Phawinee “Tang” Suwankamnerd.

But they made do, outfitting it with an all-electric kitchen and metal tables and chairs meant to emulate the street food stalls of Bangkok.

Despite, or perhaps because of, its unconventional location, the restaurant thrived and became an institution. And its fiery salads, raw seafood and moo kata (Thai barbeque) helped kick off a new wave of Thai dining in Melbourne. So the venue’s relocation to 235 Bourke Street, in the same building where Junda Khoo will soon open a three-storey Malaysian venue, left many wondering what the venue would be without its iconic setting.

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Anticipating those concerns, Piyaphanee and Suwankamnerd have equipped the new location with the cooking facilities they lacked in the old car park, while preserving its original feel.

“The decor is pretty similar to where the car park was,” says Piyaphanee. “It’s just brighter and bigger.”

The original location was limited to 60 seats, which often led to lines snaking through the car park. The new space can fit up to five times as many diners. The walls are covered in swirling, star-studded murals by Melbourne-based Thai artist Bundit Puangthong, and a stainless steel bar anchors the room, allowing for an expanded drinks menu that includes Thai beers on tap, natural wines by the bottle, and a signature cocktail menu that features gin infused in-house with Thai ingredients like lemongrass, chilli and makrut lime.

At the back, a custom-built, commercial-scale kitchen features gas stoves for the first time in Soi 38’s 11-year history. This upgrade will allow Piyaphanee and Suwankamnerd to introduce new menu items such as pad krapow and other stir-fries.

“If you stir-fry things on electric, it’s just like cooking at home … you don’t get that wok hei,” Piyaphanee says.

He also believes the deep-fried and grilled favourites from the old menu – like fried pork jowl, crying tiger Black Angus steak and moo-ping (grilled pork skewers) – will improve thanks to the new equipment. “It’s like trying to cook a steak in a toaster. It doesn’t work, but we kept trying for the past five or six years.”

While lunch at the old spot was limited, the full menu is now available all day. They’re also experimenting with aged brisket stir-fries and southern Thai dishes like the ones at their new venue R Harn, which they plan to debut at Soi 38 soon.

“It’s all about trying new things that we experienced in Thailand,” Piyaphanee says. “Introducing new cuisines to Melbourne is easier than other [cities]. In Melbourne, people eat everything and anything.”

Desserts have also made their way onto the menu: mango sticky rice and khanom thuai, a coconut custard that’s steamed in moulds imported from Thailand.

Soi 38
235 Bourke Street

Hours:
Mon to Thur 11am–3pm; 5pm–10pm
Fri & Sat 11am–3pm; 5pm–11pm
Sun 11am–3pm; 5pm–10pm

soi38.com