Chat Thai — Restaurant in Sydney

From the bustling streets of Bangkok to the heart of Sydney, Chat Thai Haymarket offers a culinary journey that's both authentic and exhilarating. Stepping into Chat Thai, guests are instantly transported to a world where traditional Thai culture and modern culinary excellence meet.

The Ambiance

Upon entering Chat Thai Haymarket, the ambiance is immediately inviting—a blend of traditional Thai aesthetics with contemporary design elements. The decor features intricate wooden carvings and vibrant, colorful accents reminiscent of a Thai market. Lighting is thoughtfully dimmed to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere that complements the lively energy of the restaurant.

Starters and Salads

The experience begins with a variety of starters that set the tone for the culinary excellence to follow. The satay skewers are a popular choice, marinated to perfection and served with a rich, creamy peanut sauce. The green papaya salad, known as Som Tum, offers a refreshing burst of flavor with its mix of sweet, spicy, and sour notes, providing a crisp contrast to the richer dishes.

Noodle Dishes

A major highlight of the menu is the extensive selection of noodle dishes. Each dish tells a unique story of regional Thai flavors. The Pad Thai, a perennial favorite, strikes a perfect balance between sweet tamarind and sour lime, with crunchy peanuts adding texture. For something more robust, the Drunken Noodles offer a spicy kick with basil and chili, paired with tender slices of chicken or beef.

Signature Curries

The curries at Chat Thai are a revelation, particularly the Massaman curry. This dish is a complex blend of tamarind, coconut milk, and a medley of spices that simmer together to create a deep, flavorful sauce. The curry is adorned with tender pieces of beef or chicken, potatoes, and peanuts, making each bite a harmonious blend of flavors and textures. The Massaman curry not only satisfies the taste buds but also warms the soul, making it a must-try for anyone visiting the restaurant.

Seafood Specialties

The seafood menu is equally impressive, featuring dishes like the whole fried barramundi, which is expertly seasoned and served with a tangy Thai sauce. The prawn pad see ew is another standout, featuring wide rice noodles and crisp vegetables, all brought together with a savory soy-based sauce.

Vegetarian Options

Vegetarians and vegans will find plenty of options to delight in. The tofu larb is a vegetarian take on the classic meat-based salad, offering a mix of fresh herbs, lime juice, and chili that is both refreshing and satisfying. The vegetable green curry, made with seasonal vegetables and tofu, is creamy and flavorful, ensuring that no guest misses out on the rich flavors of Thai cuisine.

Desserts

No meal at Chat Thai would be complete without sampling their desserts. The mango sticky rice is a standout, featuring sweet, ripe mangoes served alongside warm sticky rice that's been soaked in coconut milk. The balance of sweetness and creaminess makes it a perfect end to the meal.

Beverages

To complement the meal, Chat Thai offers a selection of traditional Thai beverages, including sweet, aromatic Thai iced tea and refreshing lemongrass water. The drink menu also includes a variety of wines and beers, both local and imported, that pair wonderfully with the spicy and aromatic dishes.

Service

One of the defining features of Chat Thai is the exceptional service. The staff are not only attentive but also passionate about Thai cuisine. They are knowledgeable about the menu and eager to make recommendations based on guests' preferences or dietary restrictions. This level of service enhances the dining experience, making guests feel valued and...

Extraordinary dining experience, the best Thai food in Sydney so far, the flavor of food was very local, transitional Thai food with great spices and dressing, will definitely revisit again!!!

Thai cuisine (Thai: อาหารไทย, RTGS: ahan thai, pronounced ʔāː.hǎːn tʰāj]) is the national cuisine of Thailand.

Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy edge. Thai chef McDang characterises Thai food as demonstrating "intricacy; attention to detail; texture; color; taste; and the use of ingredients with medicinal benefits, as well as good flavor", as well as care being given to the food's appearance, smell and context.[1] Australian chef David Thompson, an expert on Thai food, observes that unlike many other cuisines,[2] Thai cooking rejects simplicity and is about "the juggling of disparate elements to create a harmonious finish".

Traditional Thai cuisine loosely falls into four categories: tom (boiled dishes), yam (spicy salads), tam (pounded foods), and gaeng (curries). Deep-fries, stir-fries, and steamed dishes derive from Chinese cooking.[3]

In 2017, seven Thai dishes appeared on a list of the "World's 50 Best Foods"— an online poll of 35,000 people worldwide by CNN Travel. Thailand had more dishes on the list than any other country. They were: tom yam goong (4th), pad Thai (5th), som tam (6th), massaman curry (10th), green curry (19th), Thai fried rice (24th) and mu nam tok (36th).[4]

Thai food was traditionally eaten with the hand [21 while seated on mats or carpets on the floor or coffee table in upper middle class family, customs still found in the more traditional households. Today, however, most Thais eat with a fork and spoon. Tables and chairs were introduced as part of a broader Westernization drive during the reign of King Mongkut, Rama IV. The fork and spoon were introduced by King Chulalongkorn after his return from a tour of Europe in 1897 CE.[23]

Important to Thai dining is the practice of khluk, mixing the flavors and textures of different dishes with the rice from one's plate. The food is pushed by the fork, held in the left hand, into the spoon held in the right hand, which is then brought to the mouth.[24] A traditional ceramic spoon is sometimes used for soup, and knives are not generally used at the table.[1] It is common practice for both the Thais and the hill tribe peoples who live in Lanna and Isan to use sticky rice as an edible implement by shaping it into small, and sometimes flattened, balls by hand (and only the right hand by custom) which are then dipped into side...

TLDR: When you have tomato based Tom Yum Goong, not much spice in a Thai restaurant, and end up paying AUD 200 for 4 persons without alcohol, you know your Thai "authenticity" is out of the window.

I've actually heard a lot of good things about this place, from Asians staying here in Sydney, about how it's very authentic and it's a must try when in Sydney. I guess expectations were unfortunately hiked.

I was especially excited, from the moment I phoned to reserve a table, and the person on the phone couldn't fully understand my English. We missed our timing, and so we had to re-queue when we arrived, with a paper-tear thing, very scrappy, love it. Then you had employees frying some fritters and preparing dessert at the entrance, once again very messy very real. Going past the service area near the kitchen, smelling like MSG and Fish Sauce, to head upstairs to L2, you felt like you were a part of the operation in the space, immersive.

Service was quick surprisingly, but not that I'm complaining. The first dish was probably the best dish, char grilled pork jowl. The chilli blew it out of the park. Great job so far, amazing team amazing service, love it.

When the Tom Yum Goong arrived, it looked dark red, a layer of oil on top of the soup, and sure looked spicy as hell. But, that was the color of tomato (or at least it tasted like that). It wasn't spicy one bit. Seafood ingredients were fresh for sure, but tomato flavored tom yum for sure threw me off my seat.

Then the Pad Thai arrived. Some reviews claimed that it was one of the best in Sydney. There weren't any peanut, sugar or chilli flakes, at all. Not trying to be an Uncle Roger here but it was a little disappointing, to say the least. It's a fried noodles at best, but definitely not an authentic Pad Thai, especially when they attempt to cater to peanut allergies.

The final blow came when the bill arrived. AUD 200 for 4 pax, without any alcohol. Not that Asian food should be cheap, and we did have quite a few dishes; but 1) when it's not quite as authentic as you'd expect, and 2) when you came from lunch where you paid 300 for 4 pax, 2 bottles of Prosecco, at Rose Bay, the 200 at grimy Campbell feels like it's a lot.

Not too sure myself if it's a must-try when I visit Sydney, although thankfully I wasn't screamed at which is a...