The Sunshine Coast has some excellent Thai restaurants, including the iconic Spirit House and the modern Sum Yung Guys. It has plenty of decent ramen spots too. What it didn’t have was a Thai joint that specialised specifically in khao soi (curry egg noodles).

That’s more or less the rationale behind Samila Gaeng, a casual 24-seat Thai joint in Maroochydore. It’s run by Adam Muscat and his southern Thailand-born wife Patcharin “Ying” Samila. They were inspired by the family-run khao gaeng (rice with curry) shops you find throughout Thailand.

“Ramen is really [popular] on the coast,” Muscat tells Broadsheet. “[And we believe] if people like ramen, they can have a love affair with khao soi.”

Khao soi is from Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. It’s egg noodles in a creamy coconut curry sauce with braised meat, typically chicken or beef, topped with crispy, deep-fried egg noodles. Diners can customise it with pickled mustard greens, red shallot, coriander, lime, and optional chilli oil.

Samila Gaeng offers chicken and beef cheek khao soi. While the noodles alone are worth the drive up the M1, it’s not the only dish it serves. There’s som tum (papaya salad), sai ua (grilled northern Thai sausage) and beef brisket massaman. There’s also khua kling moo, a dry curry of house-minced pork shoulder with loads of lemongrass and makrut lime leaf. The recipe comes from Samila’s mother, a lemongrass farmer in southern Thailand.

For Muscat, his passion for Thai food began during his time at Longrain in Sydney (now closed), where he worked alongside renowned chefs Louis Tikaram (Stanley) and Martin Boetz (Short Grain). “When I worked at Longrain they stuck me on the curry section for three years,” Muscat recalls. “I ended up serving thousands of curries.”

His journey led him to Thailand, where he worked at Michelin-starred restaurant Paste, before joining Tikaram to open EP & LP in Los Angeles. A battle with cancer brought him back to Australia for treatment. After his last bout of chemotherapy, he returned to Thailand, where he learned how to taste again.

“When I had cancer I lost my tastebuds, and that hit me so hard,” Muscat says. “[So] I went and ate khao man gai (Thai chicken rice) every day. That was my routine for months.”

When he relocated to the Sunshine Coast with Samila, Muscat resumed cooking and started selling Thai products online, including beef jerky, curry pastes and sauces. His beef jerky, in particular, picked up plenty of admirers, including Merivale chef Dan Hong.

Samila Gaeng incorporates plenty of Thai decorations, framed prints and casual seating into its fit-out. There’s a grocer at the front where you can buy Muscat’s products and Thai-imported goods like coconut cream, fish sauce and sticky-rice cookers. And of course, the jerky is on the menu.

Samila Gaeng
23 George Street, Maroochydore
(07) 5452 5960

Hours:
Mon to Sat 10:30am–2:30pm

@samilagaeng