As the old Melbourne saying goes, "west is best" – and look, we can't help but agree in this instance. Adding to the vibrant food scene in the city's inner west, Bangkok-born home cook turned restaurateur Jojo Parkinson (Thai Alley) and her team have recently opened Odette House in Spotswood – a multi-level Thai-inspired experience, featuring an all-inclusive café, restaurant and rooftop bar.
"The whole team in the kitchen has been with me for a long time," says Parkinson. "We created the menu and the recipes collaboratively."
Parkinson's housemade curry pastes form the base of several dishes served at Uday Restaurant (Sanskrit or Arabic for "rising of the sun"), which is situated on the second floor. You can opt for the crowd-pleaser green chicken and eggplant curry or a vegetarian yellow chickpea curry from Southern Thailand, but we'd bet the daily sell-out will be the slow-cooked massaman beef cheek curry – reimagined here as a pie for lunch.
Diners at the restaurant can also enjoy Thai-style fresh oyster omelettes, chicken larb spring rolls and the Northern Thai classic sea rong hai (crying tiger) – a juicy piece of grilled Scotch fillet steak served alongside a sweet and zippy tamarind, lime and chilli sauce.
The moody Uday Restaurant space lures visitors in with vibrant orange booths and wicker pendant lighting, while Odette House Café downstairs on the ground floor flaunts a more casual feel, complete with soft wood tones and natural sunlight.
This is the one you want to bookmark for brunch. During breakfast and lunch hours, the café serves up Five Senses coffee along with fusion faves such as a satay chicken burger, sticky pulled beef benedict and a decadent chilli scramble and smoked salmon croissant. And you'll want to snap a pic of the signature matcha coco cream, an aesthetic and refreshing blend of iced matcha, coconut juice and cream cheese foam.
The cherry on (the) top (floor)? Uday Bar, which is one of the only few rooftop experiences in the area. Boasting uninterrupted views of the Westgate Bridge and CBD, this charming new watering hole spotlights cocktails and local and European bevvies. There's also live music scheduled for every Saturday.
And if you can't go anywhere without your doggo wanting to tag along, we've got good news: the newly activated courtyard is welcoming four-legged friends this spring.
Odette House is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. There is also availability for private bookings for up to 120 people. To find out more, visit the website.
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