Chat Thai @ Sydney

I always see a queue outside of Chat Thai whenever I go Yok Yor for my Thai fix in Sydney. A case about plate envy, I made a mental note to try Chat Thai when I have the chance.

Sydneysiders refer to the blocks around the junction of Campbell and Pitt streets as Thaitown because of the concentration of Thai restaurants and groceries around these blocks. Inspired by streets and markets of Thailand, Chat Thai offers a delicious range of authentic Thai food and street food classics, but cooked with premium quality ingredients sourced locally.

Chat Thai was originally founded in 1989 by Amy Chanta on Liverpool Street in Darlinghurst. The chef and restaurateur was instrumental in shaping Sydney’s Thai food scene,  and the chain – which has spots in Manly, Randwick, the CBD and Thaitown – isn’t showing its age. Ever since their establishment, they have persevered to bring honest and authentic Thai fare to discerning and loyal Sydney diners.

Tisane is herbal tea made without any tea leaves. Butterfly Pea With Honey + Lime Ice Tisane น้ําาอัญชันผสมน้ําาผึ้งมะนาว tasted like the honey lemon water I was used to with natural colouring from the butterfly pea. It was a lesson in chemistry, with the blue colour turning a beautiful red with the acid in the lime.

Mieng Kham เมี่ยงคำ

Roasted peanuts, grated roasted coconut, fresh chilli, lime, red onion with prawn wrapped in betel leaf served with palm syrup and shrimp paste sauce

The menu is versatile and constantly evolving, embracing the best of regional and rural cuisines. Mieng Kham เมี่ยงคำ was recently introduced at the OG outlet and this was delicious. The name miang kham translates to ‘one bite wrap’, and historically miang kham was part of a welcome ritual, offered as snacks to visitors – along with betel leaves and tobacco for chewing. The explosion of flavours in each mouthful was simply amazing.

Kai Jiew Bpu  ไข่เจียวปู 

Golden and puffy crab meat omelette

This dish was made world famous by the Michelin street food maestro in Bangkok, but it was common dish made by many chefs. Kai Jiew Bpu ไข่เจียวปู is Thai-style omelette with soft inner layers and crispy edges, and savoury, tart flavours from a few simple ingredients.

You can make this at home, but imagine the amount of oil needed to “deep fry” the omelette. So let the professional do this. The Chat Thai version was quite oily, but it was compensated with lots of swimmer crab meat.

Khao Padt Nahm Prik Kapi  ข้าวผัดน้ําาพริกกะปิ 

Fried rice with shrimp paste relish, fried mackerel, pea eggplant, cha-om omelette, soft boiled hens egg with green beans

This is the Thai version of the Nasi Goreng dish, with a whole fried mackerel, pancake like omelette and hard boiled egg. If you are dining alone, Khao Padt Nahm Prik Kapi ข้าวผัดน้ําาพริกกะปิ is the one dish wonder to order.

The highlight was the fried rice, with pea eggplants and flavoured with fermented prawn paste.

Bua Loy Kai Warn  บัวลอยไข่หวาน 

Silky little dumplings of taro, japanese pumpkin and pandan jus, in sweet warm coconut broth

For a joint famous for its dessert, the Bua Loy Kai Warn บัวลอยไข่หวาน was rather disappointing. There were too little of the taro balls, and too much of the coconut milk.

Afterthoughts

Because of the unique mixture of flavours, Thai food is truly delicious and unlike any other food, and is particularly known for being spicy. However, I had a dinner that wasn’t too spicy at all. It was very busy and very hectic when I went, but the service was still friendly and food came out quickly. A great place for Thai food if you can endure the constant queue.

Chat Thai @ Thaitown OG
20 Campbell Street Haymarket NSW 2000
Tel : +62 (02) 9211 1808

Visited Jan 2023

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