It’s been a whirlwind 12 months for Nat Thaipun since her MasterChef Australia 2024 win. Since then, she has hosted 22 dining pop-ups around Australia, Seoul and Hong Kong, developed a YouTube docuseries chronicling her culinary travels in South Korea and Hobart, and in October will release her debut cookbook, Thai: Anywhere and Everywhere.

When she’s not globetrotting, Thaipun picks up shifts cooking at Melbourne’s three-hatted Vue de Monde, as you do.

Yes, it’s been a rapid rise for the former environmental science student and barista who still lives in an inner-city Melbourne share house and now counts Jamie Oliver as a friend, but cooking has always been in her veins. Her parents ran popular Sunbury restaurant Thai Hut, until it closed in 2019 after 30 years.

It was her experience at The Zin House, Mudgee’s biodynamic farm and restaurant, that spurred Thaipun to accept a spot on MasterChef. The restaurant’s commitment to organic practices also prompted her to return to Thailand for a deeper exploration of her culinary heritage before filming began.

Thaipun carved out some time from her busy life to reveal her favourite things to eat and drink both in Australia and Thailand, alongside the comforting meals she prepares at home.

EATING OUT

My favourite hometown restaurant (and go-to dish)

Tom Toon is a great Thai restaurant in Richmond. I always order the whole crispy fried barramundi with a side of papaya salad and sticky rice. Hotel Lombardo in Coburg is also amazing – it’s so underrated. I go here for a good wood-fired Italian pizza. The Royal Oak Hotel is another spot I like in Fitzroy North. I always order the Sunday roast.

My favourite hometown cafe and bars

A1 Bakery in Brunswick is pure nostalgia, and the chaos is amazing. I love good bread and good dips. I order a cheese pie regularly and love the pomegranate molasses they make. There’s something about the brothers who run this that makes me feel like I am at my parents’ restaurant or home.

I also love Franklin’s Bar in Thornbury. I am known for loving negronis, but it’s their vodka-based dirty martini with extra olive that I order most often. I do the same at Bar Liberty – it’s close to home and nice and hidden.

My favourite places to eat in Australia, and special food memories

Eating at [three-hatted Birregurra restaurant] Brae is a standout. My partner is a chef as well, and we were blown away by everything we ate there three months ago. It’s hyperseasonal and hyperlocal – everything on the menu is from within 40 kilometres. Our family has a property in Gisborne, and I have a soft spot for any restaurant and farm that respects produce and the land.

I recently took my two brothers to Vue de Monde for their birthdays. They could never afford to go there, so having the opportunity to sit there for six hours and have the degustation menu was wonderful.

Another iconic place is The Zin House in Mudgee in NSW. I have a soft spot for this place as it was my gateway to realising I wanted to go on MasterChef. I wanted to explore harvesting through a restaurant. I worked on their farm, and it was terrifying because there were snakes and huntsmen [spiders] everywhere. The Tinja lamb dish is iconic, and they raise the lamb themselves.

My favourite takeaway spots

I go to Half Moon cafe in Coburg. I love Mediterranean food – I grab the Egyptian falafels, hummus and eggplant dip. I also go to Viet Rose in Fitzroy and N. Lee in Collingwood for banh mi. Bar Bellamy in Carlton North makes a great meal after 10.30pm. I go straight there after work to have a steak dip sandwich and order oysters.

Favourite Sydney dining and coffee spots

I often go to Sydney for work and eat out a lot. Parami makes really good onigiri, which fills me up.

I love going to Pina in Potts Point. The hospitality is amazing. I dine here alone and people-watch. I always eat the chilli scrambled eggs or the eggplant and tomato caponata.

I often go to Bar Copains and drink their wines – I love a sauvignon blanc or a glass of gewurztraminer. I always order oysters and anchovies, and I love their scallops with jamon. They make a great King George whiting sandwich. It’s so simple, but it’s on white bread and is so nostalgic.

If I can’t get a table at Copains, I go to [sister restaurant] Bessie’s. I go there because they have good seafood, and I order a whole fish and the whipped cod roe. Mortadella and devilled eggs are good here as well.

I like the Cricketers Arms in Surry Hills for their jazz nights, classic pub feel and courtyard that reminds me of Melbourne.

I’m a sucker for any pub, and The Dry Dock in Balmain ticks that box. I love the classic bar vibes, plus it has pretty good food and beers.

For coffee, I go to ONA Coffee – the roastery is originally from Canberra. I used to be a barista, so I always start with a batch brew in the morning at home. Back then, I would have a double espresso, followed by a batch brew, a long black and then a flat white. Now I only have two coffees a day.

ON THE ROAD

Favourite food city

It’s Bangkok. I used to hate visiting as a kid because it was too loud, and I am hypersensitive to sound. I like the regional areas better. My brother Nathan and his partner go all the time and gave me a list of places to try. They’re not in tourist areas. It’s where the locals go to eat.

Favourite places to eat

I highly recommend Pien Charcoal Stove Fried Noodles. It’s been around for more than 50 years and serves delicious noodles.

There’s Jack’s Chicken Rice and Jae Hmoy Kia Pork Porridge, which serves one of the best congees in Bangkok.

For authentic southern Thai dishes, head to Kajohn Authentic Southern Thai Cuisine, and for great coffee, I go to Uncle Tai Coffee, and Roots at the Commons.

EATING IN

My signature dish and go-to at home

I often eat larb because I have all the ingredients at home. There are many variations, but the key ingredients are roasted rice and chilli powder – I have massive jars of it. You can do it with beef, prawns or mushrooms, and fresh vegetables on the side.

I also buy a whole head of broccoli, cut it in half and char it on a pan and lightly steam it, add pepper and salt and eat it like a steak. My housemates think I’m mad.

My weakness

Pomegranate. Mum drops it off regularly. I de-seed it and put the seeds in a Tupperware container, which I later use for salads. But often, I eat the whole thing in one sitting, which is insane.

The kitchen wisdom I cling to

My mum always said the act of cooking food is very similar to drawing or painting. She doesn’t use measurements, she bases everything she cooks on colour. She would never give me the recipes for all the curry pastes – not because she was gatekeeping it, but because they don’t exist.

Nat Thaipun is a guest chef on MasterChef Australia: Back to Win at 7pm on Sunday 27 July. Watch+ stream free on 10.