Chat Thai, Sydney Westfield

In a recent catch up with a group of gals we meet up at Chat Thai in Sydney Westfield. Now I must admit when I order Thai food, I typically order lots of generic dishes like pad thai but as i'm with a group of girls who like to try other dishes - I'm in for a treat and try a bunch of other dishes.

It's a random weeknight and was really easy to get a table for the 5 of us. It's dimly lit but buzzing from all the people in the restaurant. Chat Thai has become such an institution in Sydney and a very successful chain in Thai cuisine. I order a lychee frappe and Dinny orders a watermelon one which looks really good.

The first dish I try is the Som Dtum Bpla la ($15) which is a green papaya salad but a laotian version with fermented fish with pickled field crab and has a very district taste. I've tried this dish before but I have forgotten how SPICY this is. After one or two bites, my mouth is on fire and i cannot taste anything. I quickly eat as much rice as possible and drink water to wash away the spice. The other girls who have a higher chilli tolerance are left to finish this dish. 

I eat more of the Khanom Bueng Youan which is a prawn, tofu, coconut, turmeric crepe with house pickled cucumber ($16). This reminds me of the Vietnamese savoury pancake although the crepe is much thinner and crispy in texture. I'm biased as I am vietnamese but I prefer the Vietnamese version. This version has lots in texture and is still enjoyable to eat.

We also share the Yellow Duck Curry which is quite mild (thankfully after my tongue being on fire from the lao salad). I quite like Thai Curry sauces as they are smooth and coconut based.  The duck is moist and slightly sweet from the lychee pieces.

We also order the Larpbe Gai ($16) which is a spicy chicken salad with soft herbs and roast chilli. The chicken mince mixed with the herbs make for a fresh salad but high in protein.  My favourite of the night are Amy's Noodle ($22) which has stir fried egg noodles, king prawns, choi sum, wombok and chilli. Dinny's friends does really well by cutting up the prawn evenly. The egg noodles are addictive and slurpy with greens and bits of coriander which I love. I highly recommend. 

Summary: Chat Thai delivers an authentic and tasty array of dishes. There's a lot to choose from and best enjoyed in a group. I personally prefer the curries and noodles over the salads but that's just preference. If you dare test your chilli tolerance then try that lao dish.

Price: $30ish pp

Location: Level 6, Pitt St Mall Westfield

Opening Hours: 
Sunday to Wednesday 11am to 9:30pm
Thursday to Saturday 11am to 10pm