Chat Thai, Haymarket
9:22 PM
Recommended by a friend, myself and my mate went fora very late dinner at Chat Thai. We ended up arriving at 9:45PM. It was super chilly that night, so it wasn't very enjoyable to be waiting 20 minutes in the cold... But from all the things I've heard about this place, it'll be worth it!
Finally seated, the restaurant reminded me of the backstage set up area of a stage - the place was narrow with two levels, paintings along the wall and mis-coloured bricks. It was dim-lighted and had a nice ambiance to it.
We had a nice long browse at the menu. We were both very familiar with Thai menus (like everyone in the West is, heh) so we already knew what we wanted. But there were a few new items on the menu that we have not seen else where and decided to try a few.
1. Kana Mhu Grob ($13.00)
(Stir fried chinese kale and crisp pork belly)
So tasty! You had to eat the pork belly quick before the become soggy - or avoid contact with the sauce. I loved the green veggies and pork belly is, I'm sure, everyone's favourite!
2. Fresh Spring Rolls ($10.00)
(Fresh spring rolls of smoked fish sausages, chicken and crab with caramelised tamarind relish)
Reading the description, I bet you could already distinguish the flavors that would come out of this dish - savoury and sweet from the seafood and sour from the tamarind. This was quite nice and different from what I'd expect a 'spring roll' to taste like.
3. Padt Thai ($9.90)
(Stir fried thin rice noodles with chicken, dried shrimps, bean sprouts, garlic and chives in a tamarind and palm sugar sauce)
Great! Exactly how Padt Thai should taste! But the portion was a lot smaller than I'm use to.
The Fresh Spring Roll disected & everything combined!!!
4. Louk Chin Bhing ($2.00)
(Grilled pork ball dumpings)
Tasted like pork, the right amount of spices, but it wasn't anything special.
5. Lychee drink ($4.50)
Tasty, had bits of lychee pulp in it. It got my friend to truly appreciating lychee!
6. Som Dtum ($10.00)
(Green papaya salad with peanuts and dried shrimps: Spicy, salty and slighty sweet versions)
We got a medium - but this wasn't chili at all and was a nice side to the whole meal.
And of course, as expected, Chat Thai did live up to my expectations! Moderately priced as compared to the Thai & Laos places in the Fairfield area, and each dish had an excellent taste to it! Definitely worth coming back for (but I would probably make a reservation...).
Oh - and we didn't end up getting those fried-dough-balls (what ever they are), disappointingly... And neither did we the time we walked past the place a few days after that.
Must eats:
- Kana Mhu Grob (13.00)
Eh, It can pass...:
- Louk Chin Bhing ($2.00)
Chat Thai
20 Campbell St
Haymarket, NSW
Australia 2000
2 comments