Thanon Khao San

Rain, rain go away...

A group of friends and I met up for dinner at Haymarket on that crazy Thursday night. My shoes were soaking wet as were my jeans from the worst weather I've ever been in. I was busy dodging everyone and their umbrellas so I would have passes this place by if it hadn't been for my friends calling my name.

I was always intrigued by this place whenever I passed by it. They have a Thai tuk tuk covered in blinking Christmas lights at the front, inviting passersby with its unique decor. Maybe I have a thing for pretty interiors and decorations but whatever their marketing strategy may be, it certainly works for me.

However, the most crucial part of course, is the food. There is an overwhelming number of Thai eateries in the CBD alone and I've tried many places that have drowned their pad thais in ketchup. So far, Chat Thai in Haymarket and Thai Curry at West Ryde wins my vote. I wonder if this place will live up to the expectations..

This was just one side of the table. The boys ordered the usual - pad thai, curries etc. We girls like to try something different and new so after reading the exotic descriptions, we chose some nice dishes.

Ka Na Moo Krob - crispy pork belly with fresh vegetables and chilli. This was a lovely dish with lots and lots of onions. I couldn't finish this dish and had to pass it off to the boys. They gave a lot of pork belly and each piece was quite big so that I had to cut it in half. It wasn't really crispy but I enjoyed it nonetheless and the chilli factor was just the right level - not too boring, not too spicy but just enough oomph. The spring onions added more oriental flavour and complemented the sauce well.

Khao Pad Poo - crab fried rice. I'll have to be honest with this one - don't get it. It was bland and boring. They did have a few crabs but overall, the dish needed more fun and flavour.

This was a yellow curry (Kari Kai with Roti) with slices of roti on the side. It was sweet and creamy with huge chicken chunks. The presentation was pretty and I liked how they added that extra colour with that drizzle of white cream (coconut I think?).

We also ordered a green curry and Kho Moo Yang (BBQ pork) which I forgot to take pics of. The green curry was very tangy and spicy, and the Kho Moo Yang was quite nice. The pork came with tamarind sauce, a sweet and sour sauce, and was chewy.

For four girls, we ordered two servings of rice. They gave it to us in a humongous bowl and even two servings were more than enough. Overall, the food was enjoyable and especially for guys, I think the portions sizes are quite generous.

I was in such a hurry that I didn't see this when I entered the restaurant but this Thai sweets stand is right at the front with its colourful array of sweets. I tried a green coconut cake my friends were eating and it was moist and very tasty. I would definitely try it again if I had the chance.