Chat Thai - Campbell Street, Sydney CBD

Chat Thai has a network of cafes and restaurants in the greater Sydney area, although I reckoned that the authentic original must be the outlet located at 20 Campbell Street, in the heart of the city centre’s Thai quarter. Here, amidst aromatic and exotic stuff from the nearby grocery and fresh food shops, I am brought back to memories of Bangkok, listening to the accentuated articulations of Thai words and expressions, feeling the buzz of commerce and wondering how the stage musical Love Never Dies, from the Capitol Theatre across the road, (picture above) fits in to this rather Asian-accentuated street of “Thaitown”.

The coconut milk flavoured ice cream (image below) is a must to finish up any meal. It is delicate, elegant and mild on the palate, a contrast to any spicy or chili-laden or sour dish you may have eaten for entrees or as the mains. I also eyed pandanus and pumpkin themed dumplings and the papaya salad "som thnam" guaranteed to give a kick in the palate, but I did have my share of well marinated chicken satay. (Image above). The satay was accompanied by a peanut sauce which was thicker, heavier and more consistent in texture than Malaysian versions.

Staff are quick to the step and service, echoing most Thai food outlets in Australia, heavily keen on obtaining as many table turnovers in customer patronage during the number of hours opened. The ambiance is rather dark and suggests much of wooden panelling. I was recommended to this Campbell Street place because of its rather high relative authenticity in cuisine and street food. I could not get a place to sit during the normal meal hours and had to resort to visit during Chat Thai's equivalent of “happy hours”, when you could taste its smaller servings of selected dishes for AUD 5 a quip between 2 and 5pm. Unlike most other Thai restaurants, Chat Thai has more variety in its offering of desserts, the menu of which changes daily at 6pm. Above, the entrance to the Campbell Street outlet and below, drinking water is served in unique bowls.

I chose a Thai version of the well known ChiuChow street food – kueh chap. (picture above) The proof of quality of this dish is in its broth stock, tasting both herbal and mildly salty at the same time. The ingredients gracing the soup can be confronting – pork intestine cuts are an inclusion – but go well when you just have hard boiled eggs, slices of pork shoulder, dried tofu pieces and slippery tubes of rice sheets.

Other Chat Thai outlets in the Sydney region are located at Level 6, Sydney CBD Westfield Pitt Street; Randwick’s Carrington Road; Manly’s East Esplanade; and the CBD's Galleries Victoria at 500 George Street.

My overall impressions for Chat Thai at 20 Campbell Street in Sydney's Haymarket are:

Atmosphere: Can be crowded and noisy

Location: Street wise

Taste: Some of the dishes are based on an acquired taste, but generally I found the food rather authentic

People Engagement: Smiling and Friendly

Service: Quick and attentive

Best Time to Visit: 2pm to 5pm

My Fav Dish experienced: Chicken Satay

Would I return? Yes.

A Monday Morning

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages" (William Shakespeare)


On the Monday morning here in eastern Australia when a political challenge was being held in Canberra, the 84th Oscars ceremony was concurrently being held on the west coast of the USA in Tinsel town Hollywood.

Both events shared common themes of drama,expression and reaching out to the public as observers. Both events exuded emotion, use of media and had lead-ups to the actual function. One involved the complexity of politics and the other rode on the magic of movies. Both events involved individuals who took the most personal risks in career and self-belief, or had endured much in arriving at where they are today socially, financially and professionally.

There were many amongst people I know who could not have cared for the outcomes of either event, but I did spend some time watching, on the side, the reactions of individuals and their ensuing speeches.

The event in Canberra struck me as one of alienation, aggravation and allegation.
The clear aim was to break intent of the perceived opposition and utilised much of the proverbial hanging of dirty laundry in public.

The one in LA showed outcomes from persuasion, persistence and performance. This nurtured hearts, determination and personal growth.

On balance, I sensed more sincerity from the people in LA, who, ironically, may be seen to dabble more in make believe - and yet provided me the most satisfying impact in producing positive self-worth, hope and inner nourishment. Maybe the Oscars, once again this past week and consistently in the past, appealed to me better visually and conceptually, in graphics, through music and in engaging my senses.

In contrast, the Australian Labour Party in-fighting displayed instances and flashes of non-reliability, personal viciousness, negative articulation, changing tact and surprising intensity of emotional attacks. I am convinced once again that political animals of any colour never assure me where they actually stand, even if a few personalities, in the past week, have shown greater strengths and better character than most.

No politician that morning came across as fully sincere, compared to this year’s best actress winner Meryl Streep. Meryl had, in the course of her acceptance speech, highlighted and recognised that she will never be on that stage again; emphasised that with this opportunity, she wanted to first thank the most important two persons in her life; and said that many in America may not welcome her Oscar win for the third time, but who cares, whatever, anyway. Oscar ceremony host Billy Crystal held the crowd’s attention in ways better than parliamentarians - and the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences always knows how to elegantly farewell their best and most memorable in the segment on celebrating the past year’s departures in the movie industry. In LA, there was humour and wit, missing conspicuously in Canberra that morning.

The media in Australia had been overly obsessed with the workings of an internal political party caucus. Some may say that Hollywood is also too pre-occupied with themselves. The politicians that day made passing references to the interests and welfare of voters and the nation, but foremost one could instinctively understand where their passions and energies mostly lay. At the same time, there were no outward social or community causes espoused on stage for the underdogs in society at this year’s Oscars.

Yet, on balance, it is what politicians do or decide that has the most impact
on our everyday lives – although we do seek relief, in various degrees, in the refuge of movies. And there was this acknowledgement, that day at the Oscars, that the power of good movies can change the way, we, as individuals, voters, parents or community members, think, transform, are encouraged and can act to better our lives. What do you personally choose to do? It can be difficult to reconcile the realities of political impact on the everyday Joe or Jane with the promise of movie dreams. For me, words are mere language, unless converted into action and realised for the ultimate user - whatever you call them, voters or the audience.

Crown Chef Chinese - Wollongong NSW

This restaurant has since closed. I have been unable to locate an authentic Chinese restaurant for several years in Wollongong CBD. What I usually find are blends of East and South-east Asian cooking, perhaps due to the practicalities and realities of the market here. The underlying penchant for Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Indonesian and Cantonese cuisine from the mainstream market's perception of "Asian food" somehow has resulted in a fusion of all these styles in a typical Asian cafe or restaurant in the Australia outside the capital cities. I do recognise that food is an evolving development in order to thrive, to be relevant and to attract. Based on that, I still have to make trips to Hurstville, Sydney CBD Chinatown, Eastwood, Ashfield, Parramatta and Chatswood in the greater Sydney region to have a taste of real food from China. So I am delighted recently to be introduced to a close authentic outlet ten minutes from my home in a relaxed, informal and modern setting - the Crown Chef. Above image, spiced marinated lamb on a hot plate from Crown Chef in Wollongong CBD.

Howard had selected the lamb whilst William had ordered the long beans stir fried with shrimp paste and chili cuts. We had ordered steamed rice to accompany the dishes and relaxed in comfortable chairs in this recently opened restaurant beside the Lower East Cafe. The staff was smiling friendly. It helped to speak Mandarin but this was really not a necessity. The beans dish had wok heat aroma and the lamb bites were tasty. Howard deemed the dishes we called for as still southern Chinese cuisine but there was a variety on the menu - I would go back.

Parking was relatively good along the non-mall side of Wollongong city's main strip of Crown Street. I could see Lebanese, Italian and modern Australian fare in outlets outside the windows of the Crown Chef. My choice of dish ordered (above picture) was pork belly braised in soy sauce and offered with bok choy and lychees, a mild combination but easy to eat. The prices asked per dish were in mid teens.