An $18 lunch set, family recipes from Thailand and Laos, and a menu designed for sharing are among the offerings at Yum Club, a new restaurant on Crown Street in Surry Hills.
Located at Shop 1/265 Crown Street, the restaurant opened on 12 October 2026, specialising in the food of Isan, the north-eastern region of Thailand bordering Laos. Its menu centres on chilli-laced salads, grilled meats, fermented condiments and sticky rice, with dishes served in the informal style of traditional Thai som tum shops.
Yum Club is the latest venture involving Rowena Chansiri, who also runs the Surry Hills Thai-Chinese restaurant Ama. She has partnered with Alisa ‘Nana’ and Rujirada Wongswadiwat to establish a restaurant shaped by their different experiences of Thai and Laotian cooking.
A Menu Shaped By Family Cooking
Much of Yum Club’s food has its origins in a som tum shop in Buriram, Thailand, where Wongswadiwat spent her childhood and where her mother, Muay Nattapon, continues to work. Recipes passed down from her mother have been adapted for the Surry Hills kitchen, with head chef Min Poohmin, previously of Ama, overseeing their preparation.
Chansiri developed her taste for Isan cooking while growing up in Bangkok, through people from the region who became part of her childhood. Alisa, meanwhile, brings culinary influences from Luang Prabang in Laos.
The three women previously worked together at Ickle Coffee in Kingsgrove. Before establishing Yum Club, they regularly gathered at Wongswadiwat’s home to make salads and cook meats over charcoal. Their restaurant now serves dishes across six sections covering fried food, grilled meats, skewers, soups, som tum and yum salads.
Among the options are fried larb ($14), corn fritters ($15), grilled pork neck ($16) and Laos pork and herb sausage skewers ($8). Pork nam tok, a grilled meat salad, costs $18, while som tum Thai is available for $15. Customers select dishes using a checklist-style ordering system and can choose their preferred level of chilli heat. Pla ra, a fermented fish condiment traditionally used in regional cooking, is also available.
Weekday Lunches And Courtyard Dining
Yum Club offers lunch specials from Wednesday to Friday between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., including an $18 Isan bento set with a choice of protein, salad and carbohydrate. Other lunch options include a larb tofu rice bowl for $15.90 and grilled chicken for $16.90.
The restaurant’s seating extends into a rear courtyard, furnished with red plastic tables and stools beneath colourful lanterns. Isan music forms part of the setting, while drinks include Thai beers and frozen margaritas flavoured with Yakult or chrysanthemum.
Indoor seating accommodates 10 people, with additional tables available along the footpath. Reservations are accepted, although some tables are kept for walk-in customers. Yum Club opens Wednesday to Sunday from 12 p.m. until 10 p.m., with final food orders at 9 p.m.
Published 12-October-2026
