“Thai guys put in two or three spoonfuls of this,” says chef Chuma Jantharaphitak, who points towards a jar that is made from lime and green chili, along with garlic sauce. “Just stir it through the soup.”
The soup he’s talking about is called kway Teow Neua Toon, the most famous soup made of beef noodle gravy soup that is served in Melbourne’s Tom Toon Thai Noodle Cafe. Rice noodles that are narrow and flat and three types of beef – sirloin cut into slices beef, braised gravy beef, and boiled beef balls are tossed around in a delicious broth.
By itself, it is a delight in its own right, with a heavenly aroma of cinnamon and star anise. Fried pork rinds give the texture of a crouton; a portion of the chili sauce from Jantharaphitak provides a rich, spicy flavor that soothes the throat.
Jantharaphitak is a native of Nong Khai in Thailand’s northeast Isan region. When he arrived in Australia sixteen years ago, Mel Bourne’s Thai cuisine was much less established than it is today. At the time, the food, according to him, was primarily about pad Thai or cashew beef.
In 2009, he launched Tom Toon (which is a combination of “boil” and “braise”) with the intention to provide a wider range of food from his native country as well as fermented and fiery food items in the Isan region.
In the beginning, the majority of customers at Jantharaphitan were Thai. “Now, our customers are about 60% from the Australian Asian communities,” the owner says, pointing out that an earlier visit by an influencer on social media led to a rise in Chinese customers.
Tom Toon is situated near the more tranquil western part of Victoria Street in Abbotsford, far from the bustling area of Vietnamese restaurants. However, on a weekday lunchtime, the tiniest restaurant – with a plethora of elephant decorations, including trunks and trunks on the walls – is packed with hungry patrons. (Note that people who are disabled may find the narrow space difficult for them to see.)
It’s a bustling place with Thai students enjoying nam kra-dook orn (fried pork bone), couples savoring the aroma of curry, and office workers who are tackling boiling bowls of noodles while scrolling through their smartphones.
The restaurant is small. However, the menu is large and easily divided into noodles, salads, curries, stir-fries, as well as hot pots. Be sure to look out for the Isan dishes sprinkled all over, including the sai grok Isan (sour-made sausage fermented) and tom sab, which is a spicy, bad noodle soup made with soft pork bones. “We add toasted, ground glutinous rice, and this gives it a very deep flavor,” says Jantharaphitak.
It’s worthwhile to study in the section on som tum. There are 23 different versions of the green papaya salad, including one made with bamboo and river snails, as well as one that has Pla the ra (fermented with mudfish). The portions are massive.
The som tum bu-nim is packed with shredded papaya, fresh green cabbage, dried shrimp, and soft shell crab. “Big, isn’t it?” The waiter asks with a smile. It’s served with a refreshing dressing made of fish sauce c, chili, palm sugar, and lime. While we’ve decided to go with the mild chili, the brave are able to go into “very hot.” It’s a process that should be made by frequent visits.
