MELBOURNE | There’s a new Thai barbeque and hot pot spot in the city, and in true Melbourne style, you need to walk down a laneway, off another laneway, without signage, to find it. The restaurant is called Aung Lo, and it’s from Surachai Kunchairattana (the brains behind Thai restaurants Pick Prik, Heng, and Lang Baan), and Kittipod Tongchan.
Walking into the space, you might be confused as to why a Thai restaurant features so many nods to Japan and Korea. Surachai points to the fact that in Thailand, it’s common for restaurants like this to incorporate influences from other regional hot pot and barbeque styles. In many ways, not being 100% Thai makes Aung Lo more reflective of what you’ll find in Thailand today.
You can choose from hot pot on its own, or mookata, essentially a combined Korean barbecue and a Japanese or Chinese hot pot, with a charcoal base. One look around and it’s clear that mookata is most punter’s choice, as was mine when I visited.
To barbecue, there’s a selection of premium cuts of beef and pork, and a few other things. Things like A5 Miyazaki Wagyu, sliced oxtongue, and pork belly. The sets, which get you a selection of favourites with your choice of marinade, are a great option.
Beyond the barbecue, there’s a decent selection of side dishes. Fried chicken, fried calamari, spicy salmon sashimi salad, garlic rice, and perhaps my favourite side of the lot, grilled mackerel.
If you’re thirsty, there’s Asian lagers and a few local craft beers, an assortment of soju, and non-alcoholic options like Thai milk tea and sodas.
Aung Lo was quite busy when it opened a few months, but things appear to have settled down since then. It’s still a busy, lively spot, but the wait for a table when I visited, around 7pm on a Saturday night, was only 10 minutes.
Aung Lo
Flanigan Lane
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia
Telephone: 0403 309 888
E-mail: n/a
Website
Open
Mon – Sun: 5:30pm to 10:30pm