East End Newcastle expands once more with Asian flavours from Oh My Papa setting up shop within the new development. Brought to us by Thai cuisine favourites, Nikki and Wirat from The Humble Thai on King St and The Grateful Thai in Charlestown Square, Oh My Papa brings a whole new dining experience to the people of Newcastle.

For those of us that have had the opportunity to dine at The Humble Thai since its inception in early 2019, and The Grateful Thai since its opening in May 2020, you’ll know that these guys know how to do flavour, and how to do it well.

Rounding it out to three venues in under three years, the group welcomes Oh My Papa with the venue’s official opening kicking things off on the 26^th of June.

The menu is broken up into four different areas, with their small plates, Yakitori, big plates, and sides, with the whole focus of the venue for diners to order a little bit of everything and share it all.

“Here, we have provided you with Asian food experiences for all your senses. If you are looking for a roller coaster ride of taste, we have all the popular dishes under one roof. We believe that food feeds the soul. We encourage a shared style of dining that reflects the way in which food is enjoyed in Asian cultures,” Nikki said.

Kicking things off with the smalls, we couldn’t do it by halves, so we got almost a little bit of everything. Our favourites include the Cabbage and Shitake Dumplings with XO mushroom sauce and vinegar, Szechuan Prawn & Chicken Dumplings with XO sauce and vinegar, and my personal favourite, Miang Kham, betel leaves topped with crispy pork, watermelon, herbs, and peanut chilli jam.

Ever heard of Yakitori? I hadn’t before visiting Oh My Papa, and to put it simply, it’s served on skewers following cooking on hot Binchotan coals. What’s not to love about charcoal grilled on a stick and a bit of Millard reaction action?

Our picks include the Pork Belly with original salt and togarashi pepper, Wagyu Beef with sweet soy, Asparagus wrapped in pork belly with original salt, and Lettuce wrapped in pork belly with original salt.

Onto the bigger dishes, featuring a lot of your favourite Thai flavours, including Prawn Stir Fried Egg Noodle with bean sprout, garlic chives, chilli black bean sauce topped with Furakake, Crying Tiger Salad with chargrilled Wagyu, crispy noodles, cherry tomato, herbs, chilli, and citrus dressing, and the Massamun Lamb Shank with sweet potatoes, grilled pineapple, roasted cashew nut, fried shallot served with Acar pickle.

Got your tastebuds tingling yet? Well, it doesn’t stop there. Wash it all down with one of the Oh My Papa signature cocktails that feature little cheeky names.

“We would love people to giggle when they read the name of our cocktails and try them one by one.”

Just look at the colours of these babies! Both visually appealing and delicious on the palate, they’ve all got their own little Oh My Papa twist, whether with its presentation or flavour combinations, each pack their own punch.

The name, Oh My Papa, pays homage to Nikki’s father, with her explaining…

“Normally in Thailand, mum is known to be the cook. But, for my family, it was always papa. My papa wasn’t a chef, but he just cooked good food. He’s still in Thailand and this is a homage to him,” Nikki said.

The East End Newcastle space is excited to be bring a new dining experience to Novocastrians, and with the successes of both Humble Thai and The Grateful Thai, we have no doubt Oh My Papa will receive just as much praise. So, get on in to try the incredible flavour combinations at Oh My Papa!