With home-grown ingredients, organic local produce and ancient family recipes, Maleeya’s Thai Cafe has gained a sterling reputation in the Great Southern region of WA.
Story + Photo Aleisha Orr
Maleeya and Peter Form would much rather feed a small room of people well than try to cater to big crowds and have to cut corners. Set among karri forest and farmland, the couple’s eatery Maleeya’s Thai Cafe opens for just four meals a week.
From a distance, the cafe on the border of the Porongurup National Park in WA’s Great Southern region could be mistaken for a chalet. It’s been a labour of love for 30 years. The mammoth ancient rocks known as the Porongurups can be seen by diners as they make their way up the long driveway, past the grazing highland cows. Inside, guests may be surprised to be greeted by a Swiss–German accent: while Maleeya is the one who brings together the Thai flavours that her grandmother taught her as a child in Bangkok, it is her husband Peter who is usually on the floor taking orders. Originally trained as a forester and tree surgeon, he met Maleeya in the late 1980s in his native Switzerland, where she had moved for work after completing her schooling.
The cafe can cater to about 35 people at a time, and its wood-panelled interior gives the feeling of a wood cabin. Faux orchids, Thai knick-knacks and landscape photos on the walls add a sense of being welcomed into someone’s home for a meal. The cafe is BYO, not surprising in a region dotted with wineries, and it is best to make a booking ahead of time.
This story excerpt is from issue #164
Outback Magazine: Dec/Jan 2026
