Thai Star Chef Pam Heads to Australia: Khao San Sek Transplants to Perth As-Is, Sydney Gets a Brand-New Concept

A tiger prawn, wrapped in a rice noodle sheet dyed the colors of the Thai flag — this is Pichaya "Pam" Soontornyanakij's take on pad Thai, and it's the fastest way to understand how her cooking logic works: folding memory, layered sensory experience, and Thai pride into a single bite. The chef, who just finished a top-to-bottom renovation and complete menu rewrite at Bangkok's POTONG, is now bringing that same thinking to Australia.

According to Koktail Thailand, Chef Pam will open two new restaurants in Australia in 2027: one at Crown Perth Hotel, the other at Crown Sydney. The two spots are taking completely different paths.

Perth is getting a ready-made answer. Khao San Sek originally set up in a 70-year-old shophouse on Bangkok's Song Wat Road, helmed by chef Worakarn "Grace" Krittisirikul, with a menu built entirely around five ingredients: rice, chili, coconut, fish sauce, and palm sugar. The Perth outpost should carry over this exact constraint — squeezing maximum flavor contrast out of a minimal ingredient list.

The Sydney spot, called Sek, is a completely new concept from scratch, with details still under wraps. The only thing confirmed so far: it will carry forward Chef Pam's signature approach of turning memory into food — the same thinking behind that flag-wrapped tiger prawn, just poured into a new vessel.

Both restaurants come with serious credentials behind them. POTONG took home Best Restaurant in Thailand at last year's Koktail Dining Guide, while Khao San Sek won Best New Restaurant of the Year. For anyone in Australia hoping to eat elevated Thai food, the countdown has already begun.

The exact opening date for Perth, along with Sydney's full menu and detailed timeline, has yet to be announced.