Hidden away in Sydney’s Thai Town across from the Capital Theatre is the small yet extremely popular Chat Thai, when you need to queue in line for up to 45 minutes to get a table it must be really popular. Regulars to Chat Thai tell me this is the norm and not the exception, a wait of up to 45 minutes for a table, and the thing is they don’t mind.
Entering Chat Thai you are presented with a small but stylish restaurant, while waiting you see the staff at the dessert counter preparing the yummiest of deserts, I still haven’t worked out if this is a good or bad thing, as my tummy rumbles while waiting for while waiting for a table.
So why do patrons accept a 45 minute wait for a table, simply because the food is very original and great quality, take for instance the Thai Green Curry, most restaurants use green beans instead of the authentic small egg plant. Going to chat Thai It’s not just the mains which excel, the quality and the way they cook their jasmine rice is tops.
Eats Asia Report card for Chat Thai:
| Price |
7/10 |
| Taste: |
9/10 |
| Atmosphere: |
7/10 |
| Service: |
6/10 |
| Total: |
7.25/10 |
What Dishes does Eats Asia recommend at Chat Thai?
- Pad Thai the best I have tasted in Australia
- Green Thai CurryPad Grapao Gai - (Fish Paste dumplings stir fried with ginger basil, egg plant, chilli, egg plants and fresh green pepper corns)
Desserts
- Bua Loy Kai Warn – My favourite Thai Dessert Silky little dumplings of Taro, Japanese Pumpkin and Pandan jus, in sweet warm coconut broth with egg
- Sticky Rice with Durian
For this review we visited their Haymarket Restaurant at 20 Campbell St Haymarket NSW Phone: +61 2 9211 1808
Chat Thai have three other restaurants:
Chat Thai City Shop 5 Food Ave 500 George St Telephone +61 2 9264 7109
Chat Thai ManlyShop 10 Manly Wharf, East Esplanade Manly Phone: +61 2 9211 1808
Chat Thai Randwick 222A Carrington Rd, Randwick Phone: +61 2 9399 5610
Chat Thai is a highly recommended Thai Restaurant, but a warning don’t venture if you want to eat straight away, but if you want to sample possibly the best Thai food in Australia Chat Thai the place for you.
Eats Asia Loves comments and questions, so why not leave a comment below, or post a thread about your experience at Chat Thai restaurant in the Eats Asia Forums
When the Vietnamese noodle soup dish Pho and Sydney are mentioned its hard to think of anything other than An Restaurant in Bankstown. An Restaurant is a Sydney Institution, established in 1987 since this date An restaurant has kept the same great flavour and reputation for great Pho.
Unlike the quality of An Restaurant’s Noodle soup when entering the restaurant you feel like you have entered a fast food chain, this is not a bad thing, as you will soon see, moments after the table order has been entered into your attendants Mobile device your order comes out, In reality this service is very similar to what you will see at most local restaurants in Vietnam great tasting food served in simple surroundings with served in lightning speed.
An Restaurant exclusively serves Pho either Bo (Beef) or Ga (Chicken) with 10 Pho Bo dishes and 5 Pho Ga dishes to chose from, So how is An Restaurant’s Pho? In short its absolutely delicious, the beef (Bo) soup’s stock is rich and flavoursome the flat rice noodles are the freshest you will find in Australia and the meat and fresh mints are plentifully, the Best Pho in Australia and if not better than many Pho places I have been to in Vietnam including the famous Pho 24 and Pho 2000.
My favourite is the large Pho Bo Dac Biet (Special Beef Noodle Soup). In recent years the price of a Pho at An Restaurant has crept up with a large bowl costing $13, but a Pho of this quality it’s a price I am willing to pay.
Along with Dong Ba (for Bun Bo Hue) also in Bankstown, An Restaurant is my favourite Vietnamese noodle soup place in Sydney, simply because you are always guaranteed of the quality and freshness.
An Restaurant is open from 7am till 9pm daily and is located at 27 Greenfield Pde Bankstown NSW Australia. Phone +61 2 9796 7826
Eats Asia Score Card for An Restaurant
| Price |
2.5/5 |
| Taste: |
4/5 |
| Atmosphere: |
3/5 |
| Service: |
4/5 |
| Total: |
3.5/5 |
Recommended Dishes:Pho Bo Dac Biet, Pho Ga Eats Asia wants to know what you think of An Restaurant, has you experience been as good as ours, what is your Favourite dish? Leave your comments below or sign up and start a thread in the Eats Asia Asian Food Forum.