Last night I shared a Northern Thai feast at Pipitapan Supper Club with nine strangers. I say strangers, but as the night went on and the food spread out in front of us, the conversation flowed, and we realised we had more in common than we thought. Which I guess is no surprise. If you’re curious enough to book an unknown supper club off a late-night Instagram scroll, you’re probably my kind of people. I wasn’t the only one, and I felt validated. The conversation was electrifying and inspiring, and I can’t remember the last time I felt so at home in a stranger’s home, among strangers. This time it just happened to come with the most delicious Northern Thai food.
Arriving at Pipitapan Supper Club
My Pipitapan Supper Club night started with me walking up to a suburban house while Fafa waited in the car, under strict instructions not to drive off until I knew I was safe and at the right place. It didn’t take long. With one sneaky peek through the open front door, I could hear Thai songs playing out back and smell the food. I gave him a thumbs up, went back inside, said my hellos and was handed an iced Thai tea.
No, not the one you’re imagining right now. It had no milk and was almost black. Herby, not sweet, but hella refreshing. Nothing like what you picture when you hear the words Thai tea.
I was the first to arrive, followed within minutes by another friendly brown girl, then two friends who brought a bunch of drinks. (I purposely didn’t bring any because it was a work day tomorrow. No, scratch that, that’s not true. I genuinely forgot, along with my takeaway container.) The two friends introduced themselves and generously offered to share their drinks with all of us. Then the convo just flowed. From what we do (ER doctor, accountant, scientist, and a criminologist, so of course CSI and The Pitt came up) to how to get to Raja Ampat and why Garam Merica is the best Indonesian restaurant in Melbourne.
The Starters
Once all 10 of us had arrived and settled into the living room, we got the warmest welcome, and the starters came out. First, deep-fried chicken spiced with northern prickly ash. As soon as I bit into one, I regretted not dragging Fafa along. The man would have loved this. Even more so when the next one landed with minimum waiting time: the Laap Neua Dip, a northern spiced raw beef tartare. Flavour bomb. Somewhere in between, I learnt that Thai dishes are often named after the technique and the protein, so Bpeek Gai Tawt is literally fried chicken wings. Last up was Miang Kham, a betel leaf bite with pork belly and “medicinal herbs”.
Then we were invited out to the backyard for the rest of the cooking and chatting, and that’s when I knew this would be one of the best dinner experiences I’ve had in Melbourne.
Cooking in the Backyard
While the cooking was happening, the friendly Pipitapan Supper Club chef invited us to cook with him. Usually I’d jump straight in, but not this time. I stayed at the front taking pics, staring at the flames, observing, making conversation and adding Lingham’s chilli sauce to my grocery list.
The chef started with the chargrilled eggplant for the Dtum Makheua (smoky eggplant and green chilli dip) on one stove, while the Laap Gai Muang, a northern-style chicken laap, got going on another.
He was generous in letting all of us have a go, and even more generous with the chilli (Thai food is supposed to be spicy, no point toning it down) and his stories. We got to try everything, including a pitch-black crab paste and a bird’s-eye chilli concoction.
Next was Gaeng Mathua, a snake bean curry that was every bit as funky as the menu promised, cooked mostly by Andrea, one of the two friends who shared their drinks earlier.
The last dish the chef cooked with us was Jin Som Mok Khai, fermented pork wrapped in banana leaf and grilled over coals with an egg. It reminded me so much of the food I had on my food tour in Chiang Mai. He also made the Sai Oua, a hand-stuffed herbal pork sausage loaded with turmeric, lemongrass and makrut lime leaves.
Absolutely amazing.
The Feast at Pipitapan Supper Club
Then they invited us into the dining room. Thai music spinning on the vinyl, art hanging everywhere, cosy lighting and plants scattered around. The vibe was perfection, and so was the table, where a few more dishes had magically appeared. Yum Jin Gai, a galangal, turmeric and lemongrass chicken soup. Gaeng Hang Leh, pork belly slow-braised with ginger, pickled garlic, peanuts, shallots and tamarind (the menu says not to tell your doctor, so I won’t). Moo Yaang with red eye chilli paste and Jaew, Dtum Khanun pounded jackfruit salad, and charred cherry tomatoes doused in fish sauce. Plus pork crackling, eggs, fresh herbs, veg and a basket of sticky rice for each of us.
We all sat down and started eating, and the sticky rice took the whole feast to another level. It took me straight back to the daily sticky rice feasts in Laos, and the rice even came in the same kind of bamboo basket I brought home from there. It’s really hard to pick a favourite because everything was so good, but if I must (and I made a mental note, because I know I’ll be raving about this place to everyone), it’s the Dtum Makheua with sticky rice. Phenomenal.
In between mouthfuls, we got to know each other better and swapped notes on our hobbies, from aerial yoga to Scottish line dancing. These people are uber cool. We talked about the one restaurant we’d want to eat at one last time before leaving Melbourne for good. Dainty came to mind, but I need to think about it more. Kentaro came up twice, so that’s another mental note to try it. Then came the overrated ones (Attica from me, Kisume and Minamishima from the others). By the time we’d slowed down, we were adding each other on Instagram, because birds of a feather and all that.
Something Sweet, Something to Go and Definitely Something to Repeat
Leftovers packed, table cleared, then came dessert. Fruit to cleanse the palate (two serves a day, they say) and Mor Gaeng Pheuak, a baked duck egg-and-taro custard. For that custard alone, I’d book Pipitapan Supper Club again. Maybe this is the place I want to eat at one last time before leaving Melbourne.
The night ended with all of us singing happy birthday to a lovely guest who came to celebrate her birthday in Melbourne, and we each left with a goodie bag filled with Thai treats.
Now this is how you do a supper club. Pipitapan Supper Club gave me a full belly, a new item on my grocery list and nine strangers who felt like friends by the end of the night. Next time I’m dragging Fafa along, and I’m holding him to his promise to make conversation with strangers.
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