Aimee Chanthadavong

Sydney’s Thai cuisine, as it exists in the city’s mainstream culinary scene now, has been shaped and moulded by a small handful of eateries. One of those is the Chat Thai restaurant group. Owner and founder Amy Chanta opened the first branch in Haymarket 30 years ago, after recognising that now-popular staple dishes – green curry, pad Thai, basil-laden stir-fries – were the gateway to introducing Thai cooking to Sydneysiders. Since its inception, six more Chat Thai outlets have sprung up across the city.  While it may sit on the sixth floor of a glossy, mirror-walled shopping centre, the Westfield CBD Chat Thai feels far from a mall restaurant and closer to eating along the streets of Bangkok with its buzzing vibes, loitering crowds and roaring flames from the open kitchen.   Although it’s easy go straight to ordering old favourites – chicken pad Thai, padt si-ew, som dtum Thai (green papaya salad), beef mussamun curry, and a beautifully presented whole fried barramundi topped with either a green mango salad or fresh chilli and a garlic-lemon dressing – you’d be better off taking your time to peruse the 107-item, leather-bound menu. Chat Thai’s menu features a mix of typical street food – think lightly salted and crunchy  fried school prawns with sweet chilli sauce – along with more home-style dishes. Bitter melon and glass noodles are stir-fried until soft and served with scrambled eggs coloured with light soy to counterbalance the bitterness from the melon. A steaming hot b