Chat Thai is my favourite Thai restaurant in Sydney. The food here is so good, the average waiting time at dinner hours is 40 minutes.
—–HER{curio}MAJESTY SCORE SHEET—–
Visited: Multiple times.
Food: 9/10 || Ambiance: 8/10 || Service: 9/10
What I loved: The food. The late hours.
Will I come back: Yes.
I have been a big fan of the Chat Thai at Haymarket ever since Jen took me here for the first time, more than 5 years ago. It is located right opposite the Capitol Theatre, on a stretch also known as the Thai Town.
The big window display facing the street features their dessert kitchen. It is always filled with deep fried and colourful sweet Thai goodies.
Mhu Bhing (Grilled pork skewers), $2.5 each. Flavour-packed grilled delicacy, Jen’s all-time favourite and must-order since day 1.
Fresh spring rolls of smoked fish sausages, chicken and crab with caramelised tamarind relish, $11. This is one of my favourite dishes. It’s served room temperature, with relish drizzled on top. I first tried it when I came on a date with my dear friend, Nee. This was the dish she picked. It’s not something that I would usually order; but that’s the beauty of eating out with different people, because you never know when you would be pleasantly surprised by other people’s choices.
However, I would go light on the sauce because it has gotten a little overboard with the sweetness over the years.
Green papaya salad with peanuts and dried shrimps, $13. This used to be my must-order, however, I slowly got over it as it seems to have gotten too hot for my liking over the years. Still, probably the best green papaya salad in town.
Padt Si-ew (stir fried wide rice noodles with chicken and Chinese kale in dark soy sauce), $13. Slightly on the sweeter side, but beautifully stir-fried every time.
Their sister brand, Samosorn, now has my favourite pad si-ew in town.
Crab fried rice (I think it was $16). One of my recent favourites! It’s limited to the crab season (we went in July) and was offered on a separate sheet of menu.
Grapao gai sub (stir fried minced chicken, fresh chilli and holy basil), $13.
Bpla muek yaang (char grilled squid with fresh chilli and garlic relish), $17.
Ki Mao (stir fried wide rice noodles with chicken, chilli and holy basil in dark soy sauce), $13. It’s meant to be spicy, but the spiciness was a bit overpowering for me…too spicy and not enough of other flavours. I’ll just stick to my padt si ew next time.
Thai milk tea & coconut drink.
Deep fried bread stick with pandan custard and condensed milk. It’s a very filling dessert, but it’s so good when it’s fresh out from the deep-frying wok!
Even though I don’t really get Thai desserts as a lot of them are in liquid form and generally taste sweet and savoury at the same time, I am always intrigued when I see them being stacked up nicely at the counter.
{Chat Thai} Address: 20 Campbell st, Haymarket NSW Website: http://www.chatthai.com.au/