Dinner at Chat Thai, Haymarket

When I was looking for the perfect accommodation for our eating tour of Sydney, the criteria I based the decision upon included:

• Proximity to public transport
• City location (proximity to Haymarket, Surry Hills and Circular Quay – coordinates which helped me figure out the size of the area we could reasonably cover on foot)
• Adjacent food options.

So when I booked us into the newly built Meriton Serviced Apartments on Campbell Street,  I was quite excited when I realised we were located only a few doors away from Chat Thai, one of Sydney’s Thaitown favourites.

We began to have thoughts about dinner quite late in the evening, at around 9.00pm, after a few hours of napping, pool time and relaxing. We wandered downstairs to check out the crowd at Chat Thai.

We added our names to the list by the door, took a number and returned to our rooms, to wait it out in comfort. After about 45 minutes, I went downstairs to check on the progress – we were only 15 minutes away! It wasn’t long before I heard our number being called.

Left to right: Cha Nohm Yen (Iced red milk tea) $4, Lodt Shong Singapore $4.50, Nahm Lum Yai (Iced longan cordial with longan fruit) $4.

We started with icy cold drinks – the perfect option on a warm evening. I chose a traditional red tea, which was sweetened with caramelised milk (condensed milk, I think). A sugar rush in liquid form, with a rich tea flavour. I loved it so much I found myself buying this takeaway a number of times during our stay.

TFP enjoyed an iced longan cordial (Nahm Lum Yai), while J went with the Lodt Shong Singapore – a cendol like drink, Thai style, with chewy glutinous noodles and the rich flavour of coconut milk.

Padt Thai, $13

One of my favourite Thai noodle dishes is Padt Thai, and I couldn’t miss out on this visit to Chat Thai.

This version was laden with chicken, dried shrimp, bean sprouts, chives in a zingy tamarind and palm sugar sauce. Chat Thai’s version is deliciously saucy, and well balanced with sweet, sour and savoury flavours.

Khor Mhu Yaang, $13

I think I spotted a glint in J’s eye when he found the Khor Mhu Yaang on the menu. Slices of freshly grilled pork neck arrived hot from the charcoal grill, with a spicy smoked chili and tamarind dipping sauce. I found this a little too salty for my liking, but appreciated the strong flavours the chili and tamarind sauce added to the smoky pork.

Goong Yaang, $19

The impressively plated chargrilled king prawns, Goong Yaang, were next to arrive with a fresh chili and garlic sauce that glowed impressively under the dim lights. The sauce had a firey kick, adding a punch to every sweet bite of the fresh prawns.

Looking at each plump prawn made me wish I was a prawn head eating kind of gal. I’m sure my Mum and Dad would have gleefully accepted the prawn heads off my plate if they had been with us!

Are you a prawn head fan? 

Gaeng Keaw Gai, $14 with large rice, $4

By the time our super-efficient waitress plunked down a large bowl of green chicken curry (Gaeng Keaw Gai) on our table, it became obvious we’d ordered way too much food. 

But we’re nothing if not impressive over-eaters, so we soldiered on, enjoying hot jasmine rice with spoonfuls of tender chicken in the rich green curry sauce. The tiny apple eggplants which had been simmered in the curry added a much needed astringent flavour to the rich gravy.

Padt Paak, $11

We also shared a dish of stir fried seasonal veggies (Padt Paak), a crunchy mix of Chinese greens, broccoli, carrot and mushrooms wok-tossed in a flavoursome oyster sauce.

By the time this final dish arrived, our table was groaning with the volume of dishes – we had to resort to creative plate balancing to fit everything on it!

But where, I hear you asking, is the famous Chat Thai dessert?

Sticky rice with durian, $8

A little cheer erupted from our table when TFP and I spotted the sticky rice with durian on the extensive dessert menu.

We were pleased to receive an impressively fragrant dish, with a sizeable blob of glutinous rice  at the centre of the plate, crowned with durian flesh. The slightly salty sticky rice and sweet soft durian were surrounded by a pool of pale yellow durian custard and artful streaks of coconut cream.

This isn’t for the faint hearted – not a great primer if you’re a durian virgin, so proceed with caution!

But die-hard fans can rejoice – this was one of the most intensely durian rich desserts I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying outside my own home – in Australia, even.

This dessert was a lovely sweet end to a delicious dinner, and it was just what I needed to satisfy my perpetual durian craving.

Read about our other food adventures in Sydney

• Sydney day 1: BBQ King, Haymarket
• Sydney day 1: Via del Corso, Westfield Sydney
• Sydney day 1: Spiedo Bar and Restaurant, Westfield Sydney
• Sydney day 2: Bills, Surry Hills
• Sydney day 2: Becasse Bakery, Westfield Sydney
• Sydney day 2: Cafe Ish, Surry Hills
• Sydney day 2: Emperor’s Puffs, Chinatown

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