Nora Is Becoming a Small Dinner Club That's Set to Reinvent the Degustation

Nora is a tiny, immaculate cafe in Carlton and you’d be forgiven for not being able to place it because, from the outside, it looks like an art gallery. The white walls and simple furnishings fade into the calm ambiance and an arrangement of fresh flowers and raw ingredients sit on a large dining table in the center of the space. Co-owner and head chef Sarin Rojanametin comes from a photography and advertising background — and it certainly shows.

Nora has a reputation among those in the know for being off-centre — as evidenced by their experimental Thai breakfast and lunch menu with nary a Western standard in sight — but it seems they’ve reached the creative boundaries of what can be achieved with a daytime menu. At the end of February, they’re packing it in and reopening as a degustation restaurant. “It’ll be Nora the nighttime girl now,” Sarin says. “We started a thing called Small Dinner Club, which was a Friday night event that stemmed from the frustration of the inability to create more.” The idea behind the dining club is now taking over, and the Nora team will be unleashing their creativity over five courses every Thursday to Monday.

The new nocturnal Nora will offer a progressive long-or-short degustation by reservation only, and you should expect a fluid, seasonal menu that breaks all the rules. After all, the Small Dinner Club flyer does promise "punch in the face, dance in the mouth flavours of Thailand" and, according to Sarin, the new restaurant will employ a similar philosophy. It will be "an accessible and affordable progressive dining experience with deep roots in Thai cuisine, taking you on a ride to the homes, the back streets, and the craziness of Thailand, but with a refined and sophisticated approach," he says. "Like the first time that you went through an acid trip and you came down from it thinking 'WTF just happened?!? But I want to get back on it again'."

"We’re trying to create an experience that is seamless, from start to finish," he continues. "Traditionally you would have snacks, entrees, mains, desserts. What we’re trying to do is blend them into one experience from start to finish. The main doesn't have to stand out as a piece of protein and some green and purees.”

She’ll undergo a little makeover — slick new tables and bar seating will be introduced — but will pass on the stiff, formal characteristics of a traditional degustation, and keep their price point accessible. "The word degustation scares everyone off, you can’t pay half your rent for a degustation," says Sarin. "I don’t want that — we’re young, we should have fun. I want people to come in and have fun, wear thongs, wear shorts, whatever. Have some good food, a good experience and laugh, clap, give us a hi-five."

You heard the man, folks — when Nora reopens, get on down and experience a real degustation (and don't forget to give them the old hand slap). In the meantime, the breakfast and lunch menu is still available for those with open hearts and minds.

Nora is located at 156 Elgin Street, Carlton, and will close at the end of February and reopen on March 10 with a Thursday to Monday degustation menu.