Hot List Update: R Harn and the Reborn Soi 38 Are Added

Whether you’re back on the tools this week, or you’re one of the lucky ones kicking into gear later in the month, we can all agree that the end-of-year break is never long enough. Around town, the city is waking up from its silly season slumber too: most bars, cafes and restaurants are back to their regular hours and raring to go.

So whether you’re dreading the return to your routine, excited for the year ahead, or a healthy mix of both, you’ll at least be able to stay fed and watered at one of your favourite spots – or start ticking new places off your list. Let the Hot List be your sidekick in this important task.

Soi 38 has finally left the car park

There are plenty of cities around the world where it wouldn’t be very surprising to see a Thai restaurant open in a car park (one of Berlin’s best-known burger spots is literally in a former public toilet under a bridge). But I think Melbourne is one of the only cities anywhere that would have a Thai restaurant in a car park that’s also legitimately one of the best Thai restaurants in town.

First time I went to Soi 38, I was only there for the novelty of it all. But the time after that? And after that and after that? The unconventional setting was irrelevant. I was just there for the Bangkok-style street food. And the boat noodles. Dear lord, the boat noodles.

But now, the pop-up that took nearly 10 years to pop down has finally left the car park. Yesterday, chef Chavalit “Top” Piyaphanee and his partner, Phawinee “Tang” Suwankamnerd, started the next chapter in the Soi 38 story. The new location is a few blocks down on Bourke Street, in the same building as the upcoming three-storey restaurant from Sydney Malaysian favourite Ho Jiak. And while we’re going to miss that priceless location, there’s plenty to be excited about: there’s six times the capacity (hopefully putting an end to the queues) and a kitchen with gas means that chef Piyaphanee and his team can finally put (most of) the electrical appliances away and start exploiting smoky wok hei to its fullest potential.

It’s great to see Soi 38 graduating into the space it deserves. Melbourne’s next car park restaurant has some big shoes to fill.

R Harn, Soi 38’s southern Thai cousin, is just as worthy of your time

Piyaphanee and Suwankamnerd definitely have their hands full right now. On top of relocating an enormously popular restaurant, they’re also still right in the thick of launching their other new project, R Harn, which opened last month.

“We’re not that crazy,” Piyaphanee told *Broadsheet*, “we just managed to finish building [both] at the same time – it’s purely by accident.”

Where Soi 38 largely takes its cues from the Thai capital, R Harn looks south to the area bordering Malaysia for its inspiration. That means Thai classics with some tweaks, such as pad thai made with coconut milk or a different noodle for pad see ew, as well as a greater emphasis on seafood and dry curries.

Between last-minute gift-buying, New Year’s Eve planning and condensing an entire year’s worth of socialising into a single month, December’s a pretty crammed time. So it’s understandable if R Harn’s opening flew under your radar last month. But rectifying that and getting in for a meal here is the ideal New Year’s resolution: achievable and instantly, deliciously, gratifying.

Anchovy heads to Tassie and the CBD gets a new Market Lane

Anchovy, in Richmond, has been one of Melbourne’s best restaurants for a long time now. But from late January through March, it’ll also be one of the best restaurants in Tasmania. The beloved Vietnamese restaurant is preparing to head south of Hobart down to Fat Pig Farm for Anchovy: The Residency. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the Anchovy team will be offering a set menu showcasing aspects of Vietnamese dining that are difficult to pull off within the confines of the Richmond space. But the home base in Melbourne will still be running as usual. This will be a big year for Anchovy’s chef-owner Thi Le (who also runs Ca Com, also on the Hot List): keep an eye out for her cookbook Viet Kieu, to be released in April.

Lastly, if you work in the CBD and you’re dreading a return to the office, Market Lane – whose Prahran original is one of our Hot List icons – has a silver lining for you: over the break it quietly opened a petite new outpost at the front of Lonsdale Street’s art deco creative hub Mitchell House. It’s another home run from some of the best in the game, at a time of year when caffeine is sorely needed.

This week’s Hot List activity

• Added: Soi 38
• Added: R Harn
• Most trending restaurant: Marmelo
• Most trending bar: Bar Olo
• Most trending cafe: Patricia