Sumptuous new Thai takeaway opens in Canberra

If you want to know what three generations of restaurant experience taste like, drop into Canberra’s brand-new Thai takeaway shop, Tuckshop Tamada.

Co-owner Nat Yota stated that her family has been in the food business for a very long time.

“My grandma opened one of Canberra’s first Thai restaurants when she migrated from Thailand. Later, my parents ran their restaurant in Woden until my father passed away. And now, Tuckshop Tamada is a small family venture between my mum, my brother and me.”

Tuckshop Tamada’s concept is grab-and-go: good quality, quick food at a reasonable price. Only two menu items exceed 15 Australian dollars (approximately 360 baht), while 10 Aussie dollars will get you five enoki mushroom cakes, three satay sticks, or three pork and prawn cakes.

Most menu staples, including hearty curries and Thai salads, draw inspiration from Nat’s grandma’s original recipes. Tamada’s head chef, Num Jeamwattanasirikit, was the original chef at her parents’ restaurant two decades ago.

A takeaway dinner of pumpkin curry, beef brisket massaman, and pork chilli basil fried egg, each served with fluffy, fragrant rice and pad Thai, was ready in about seven minutes.

The pumpkin curry is packed with fresh herbs and a mild chilli buzz and features tender cubes of pumpkin and green beans cooked with Thai basil and curry-infused coconut milk. The beef brisket massaman curry, featuring a cut of beef, boasts tender, flavourful cubes with luscious threads of fat adding complexity to the sauce.

The pork chilli basil fried egg reinvents a traditional Thai dish with pork in two ways: minced pork stir-fried with chilli, onion, garlic, and basil, and strips of pork belly topped with a perfectly fried egg. The pad Thai noodles are comforting and moreish, featuring flat noodles with grilled prawn, tender chicken, and fried egg cubes coated in a traditional sauce of fish sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and tamarind, garnished with fresh bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, and lime, reported Riotact.

“We’ve just started some weekly specials. At the moment, we have pad Thai, beef noodle soup, prawn chicken chilli basil stir-fry, and laksa.”

Tuckshop Tamada is located at 1 Bible Lane in Civic, Canberra, Australia. Follow Tuckshop Tamada on Instagram to see their latest specials.