Press PLAY to hear about the meal that got Emilia ‘out of a grumpy mood’

Nora Thai

69 Davis Ave

South Yarra

Nora Thai in South Yarra is one of those back-street dining rooms that doesn’t need to shout to be memorable.

There are only around 20 seats, which gives the whole place an intimate, family-dining feel, but it never feels closed off or hard to get into. In fact, we walked in on a Wednesday and had no trouble at all, which only added to that sense that Nora is a local spot first and foremost – the kind of place you can actually use, not just admire from afar.

My hot tip would be to make sure you book after this review though…

That small-room energy is part of the charm. It feels lived-in, practical, and warm, like a restaurant that’s built around the rhythm of service rather than the theatrics of hospitality. There was even a high chair right near the kitchen entrance, and I loved that the staff just stepped over it every time they went through.

It’s such a tiny detail, but it says a lot about the place. There’s a real commitment here to making the room work for customers, to keeping the atmosphere relaxed, and to serving people properly even in a tight space. That’s the kind of thing that makes a restaurant feel human.

What also comes through strongly is that Nora Thai has an identity. The owners clearly aren’t trying to be a catch-all Thai restaurant with every dish under the sun.

There’s a point of view here, and it leans into southern Thai cooking – a style that’s often a little bolder, a little punchier, and a little more aromatic than the more familiar Thai dishes many of us know best.

We started with the seafood spring rolls, which were crisp and clean and exactly the sort of thing you want to ease in with. But the dishes that really made the meal were the ones that gave you a sense of southern Thailand directly, especially the Bai-Leng Pad Kai and the stink bean dish, or sator.

Bai leng is one of those ingredients most people probably won’t know unless they’ve spent time eating regional Thai food. It’s a leafy green used a lot in southern Thai cooking and stir-fried with egg and garlic, surprisingly delicious. I love a dish that presents an ingredient I’ve never had.

The sator dish or stink bean dish is loud, funky, unforgettable. When we ordered it, the waitress asked if we’d had it before, and when we said no, she warned us that yes, it does smell – even though it’s delicious – and that once we ordered it, there’d be no refund. I loved that honesty.

It told us exactly what we were getting into, and it also spoke to how strongly this dish divides people. Sator beans are another of the great southern Thai ingredients – loved for their flavour, feared for their smell. The aroma is intense, and yes, to me it had a blue cheese kind of funk to it. But cooked properly, that smell turns into something deeply savoury and addictive

And this one was incredible. It was so rich, garlicky, and buttery that it almost crossed into French territory for a moment, which is not something I expected to say about a Thai stir-fry. The prawns and pork added sweetness and body, the garlic gave it depth, and the sator itself brought this earthy, slightly wild note that made the whole dish feel alive.

It was one of the most interesting things on the table because it asked you to trust the kitchen – and then rewarded you for doing exactly that. It’s the kind of dish that can become a favourite for life once it gets its hooks in you.

The Pad See Ew with chicken was phenomenal. Not just good, phenomenal. It had that perfect balance of soft noodles, savoury soy richness, and wok-charred edges that make the whole thing sing.

There’s an art to making Pad See Ew properly, because it can so easily become heavy or one-note, but this one had lift. It was deeply comforting without feeling dull, glossy without being greasy, and every mouthful felt exactly where it should be. It’s the kind of dish you think you know well until you taste one that’s been done precisely. This was that version.

When I found out my partner had eaten the leftovers for lunch yesterday I was quietly disappointed but the report was, “even better the next day”.

And then there was the Panang beef curry, which was just as impressive. Rich, lush, and beautifully rounded, it had that deep, nutty sweetness that makes Panang so appealing, but with enough structure and spice to keep it from tipping over. It had real depth, and it felt like the sort of dish a restaurant puts on the menu because it knows exactly how good it can be when it’s cooked with care.

What makes Nora Thai special is that it doesn’t separate comfort from character. It gives you the familiar dishes – the Pad See Ew, the Panang – and then nudges you toward the more regional, more distinctive side of Thai cooking with bai leng and sator.

That balance is what makes the meal memorable. It’s proper back-street dining in the best way: local, warm, family-oriented, and full of food that feels like it means something. It’s the sort of place you don’t just eat at; you get a feel for the people behind it, the cooking they care about, and the culture they’re carrying through the kitchen.

Nora Thai isn’t trying to be the loudest restaurant in Melbourne. It doesn’t need to be. It’s doing something much better than that – serving excellent food in a small room with real heart, and making you feel like you’ve found a place that knows exactly what it is.

Images: Supplied