My wife and I are big fans of the cooking of Pla Rojratanavichai from Khao Pla also in Chatswood so it was with great excitement that we arrived at the new venture Chum Tang today.
First impressions count and The District at Chatswood Interchange is quite a visual feast looking for mine a bit like something out of Bladerunner before the urban decay set in. Chum Tang nestles comfortably in the eastern themed style of The District resembling a rural Thai train ticket office which marries nicely with the whole Interchange concept.
The restaurant was fairly busy when we arrived and I commented to my wife that we might have to wait for a table, within two minutes a space was cleared and we were seated. Excellent and friendly front of house made sure we were comfortable and provided us with a great looking menu featuring a very diverse repertoire of Thai food with many dishes from the Northern Issan region of Thailand.
My wife and I ordered the following dishes:
Nua Foy: Crunchy Shredded Beef with peanuts, coriander, palm sugar and lime juice. Amazing texture super crunchy with subtle undertones all made even more fresh with the freshly squeezed lime,
Khao Kra Pao Gai: Wok fried Minced Chicken with Chilli and Holy Basil: I always order at least one classic dish when I eat at a new place and this was a great version of this iconic dish and thankfully had not been diluted for western tastebuds. Vibrant heat with piquant aniseed basil a very well executed dish.
Gaeng Hin Lay: Northern Region Pork Belly Curry with Tamarind, Palm Sugar and Cashews: To me this was a standout dish, my wife tried it first and insisted that I hurry up and try some, "I really want to get your take on this one", Deep sweet hearty and delicious the Pork Belly was complex leaving your mouth with a totally different flavor than when it arrived. I had never had this dish before but its on my list to master now.
Gai Yang: Chum Tang Grilled Chicken: Smoky succulent chicken hard to beat something marinated with such great spices and cooked on an open grill, the dipping sauce had some nice heat and sweetness a good take on a classic dish.
We really enjoyed the food and the excellent but unobtrusive service at Chum Tang and despite eating our meal just above a busy transport interchange we never felt rushed, in fact time seemed to slow. I am glad we went on a rainy day, in my mind I pictured our meal at a little stand near a train station in the monsoon. Please take the opportunity to try the excellent food and meet the great people at Chum Tang, you will not be disappointed.
Not one single thing I could fault from the service to the incredible food ( amazing fresh Thai herbs ) I will be back every time I come to Sydney !
We have eaten here a few times. Our only Thai food restaurant in Chatswood.
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