Review Chum Tang - Chatswood

Great street Thai food at Chum Tang restaurant. Food is fresh, tasty and well presented. Only constructive criticism I have is that most dishes are extremely spicy and you cannot alter the level of hotness. This is the spiciest place I’ve ever been and I am quite accustomed to hot dishes. It is so spicy that you may not be able to finish the food. Yes that spicy. Given that the chef is unwilling to make this adjustable, I am concern that they may lose customers. I still like to consider myself a customer, but will definitely stay away from the spiced food. This will of course limit my options... and I only hope that someone from the staff sees this.

A small Thai restaurant that has a large menu available with the standard fare you would expect. They had an a la carte menu and also a limited lunch time special with mains costing $10. There was 3 items on the special menu could be adapted for a vegan. I opted for the Asian greens with chilli, ginger, tofu and mushroom sauce. This was served with some steamed rice. The wait time was a little slow for a lunch special however the dish was very tasty. The portion was a bit small but for $10 not bad value.

Good Thai food in an open space with high ceilings. Excellent for groups. Recommend to try the chicken wings, fried fishand pork skewers.

Best Thai in Chatswood in my opinion. Owned by the same guy who owns Khao Pla, with the same favourites but more interesting other menu items. Also no queues vs Khao Pla and quicker service. I usually have the crispy pork belly, pad see ew (pictured), steamed fish with chilli or pad Thai. Can recommend all of them comfortably, and all the other menu items have been high quality. All very well priced (10-18 bucks for excellent Thai). Had the Thai milk tea ($3) with meal tonight which was real nice. Overall a really underrated place. I'm always here and never get sick.

Good deals for lunch sets-$10 . Haven't tried the current afternoon promo of $8 fried rice. The 15% off dinner takeaway and home delivery seems good too. Promo code:CTO80918

What keeps me coming back here is the issan chicken wings. That n their fish wrapped in banana leaves. Prices have crept up though. Service mostly lacklustre but hey my orders were all takeaways mostly.

Food and service is utterly disappointing. We have ordered Boat Noodle soup and stir fried crispy pork belly with Chinese broccoli. The noodle soup came first and the pork belly came after like 20 minutes after. I get that Thai food are generally spicy but both dishes are extremely spicy. The level of spice was not even indicated on the menu. Obviously that is already false advertisement. Also I felt that the chef did it on purpose considering that we were sitting at a two seater table right in front where the chef and the kitchen is. She might have acknowledged that we have been waiting a long time and been asking a lot about it. I acknowledge the fact it was busy because it is vivid and a Saturday but a well managed restaurant should have managed this a bit more appropriately in terms of preparation. Even if preparation is not managed properly, a well mannered customer service by asking 'how the food went' at the end could have saved this review. As well as a well informed menu !

We eat here so often, I'm sure the staff know us! (at least once per fortnight). The food is great, doesn't disappoint. Some dishes are very spicy, and we are warned when ordering - highly recommend the larb wings, chicken mince + basil, pork belly + greens and beef + betel. Much better than any other Thai restaurants in our area. See you again soon!

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 !

Horrible customer service and the saltiest salad I have ever ever tasted! Can't believe such poor taste in Sydney :(

We have eaten here a few times. Our only Thai food restaurant in Chatswood.

I love Kana Moo Krob and the skewers! 😋

Having chicken green curry for lunch. Absolutely delicious . Same taste as we have in Thailand. Yum yum..

Superb food at a great price. Will be visiting again very soon

We went there with 4 of us, my 3 yo son, 1 yo son, my husband and I. Got told off by the waiter as we bringing baby food for my 1 yo. They said no outside food is allowed. Don't know what they were thinking, do they want me to feed my 1 yo with stir fried or spicy food?! Obviously they don't have kids! Therefore they don't understand. It has been 3 years since i Have kids, any this is my FIRST time got told off for bringing baby food in.

Average dishes with mediocre taste and small portions for the price. Staff aren’t too friendly either. It’s convenient though, since it’s just right above Chatswood station.

worst service. The waiter keep ignoring us and taking our order with rude manner. It’s lunch time and they absolutely not busy. Please treat your customer with reasonable manner.

The foods taste great! Even they dont have much options as Ch*t Th*i, but all the foods in the menu tastes much tastier than the big restaurant. Def will come back here more often!

Took Thai red curry and steamed rice take away. Food was made fresh and tasted good, with good portion size. However I was very surprised to find lychees, pineapples and whole cherry tomatoes in Thai curry. Also I wish they gave the steamed rice complimentary than having to buy it separately. One thing I wish they can add is a fully vegetarian Thai curry red/green since some people in my group could not eat it as it had fish sauce/chicken stock. Also, it is slightly more expensive than I had expected, but food is tasty.

Amazing vegan options, just ask! Love the pad see ew and the fried rice dish

Oh god the pad si ew.<br/>Ordered take away and it was the worst pad siew I've ever had. The container wasn't even full, and the noodles were all very short. To top it off, the entire thing was salty af. Waste of $12

Yum Tang!<br/>Just had the best Khao Soi<br/>Pulled no punches <br/>Flavour hits kept coming right to the end <br/>Great service, great value<br/>A memorable meal

I come here and order take away a lot as the food is good and located near to office. Staff used to be very friendly and helpful however perhaps recently change of staff and it was a bit disappointing. They also changed their menu and removed the single plate which doesn’t work well for lunch take away for one person

This is our regular Thai takeaway joint and I absolutely love the spice levels in their food. They are quick affordable and a great dinner option. I would recommend everyone for this joint in Chatswood. My favourites are the pork belly and the fried rice.

This place is conveniently located in the District above Chatswood train station. Their pad thai's is one of my favourites if not my favourite, it has a nice balance between sweet and spicy. Their pad si eew is also quite nice but i'd have to say their pad thai is the best. Their pork skewer is also quite nice but quite costly at $3 per skewer<br/>

One of the thing that I really miss about working in Chatswood is being able to come to Chum Tang for lunch. A Thai girl at the office got us to come here one lunch time & proceeded to ordered a brunch of dishes for the group, every dish we had were smashing, and since then I've been hooked. Nowadays, I only get to come get the occasional takeaway. Maybe cause it's takeaway rather then freshly served & eaten, quality seems to drop a little. Our chicken Pad Kee Mao & spicy crispy pork belly with rice were good, but the noodles & chicken were a bit dried, and their weren't too many pieces of the pork belly. Still good & will return on occasions.

I have been here many times and it is still my favourite Thai restaurant. The restaurant is located on top of Chatswood station in a enclosed section of an open dining area which makes it feel spacious. The food tastes very authentic with all the right spicy, sweet and sour Thai flavours. I highly recommend the pork belly with chilli jam (although it is spicy). The service is efficient and waiters are very polite. This is in comparison to Khao Pla which always requires at least a twenty minute wait and the staff are quite rude.

Read some reviews comparing Khao Pla with this one, I got to say I still prefer Khao Pla over this one, although this one is also nice.<br/>Had the famous Fried chicken wings, was pretty good, as good as the one from Khao Pla. <br/>Had octopus too, was ok.<br/>A chicken mince dish with rice, altho the staff warned us that one was spicy, I didnt really take it seriously, as so called "spicy" in Sydney was never really spicy. But this one was REALLY spicy, that I, who is used to have spicy food, couldn't take more than two bites, and drunk the cold water for the whole meal time afterwards. But it was tasty indeed.<br/>Another wok fried beef dish in curry paste was ok, average, spicy too.<br/>Those were too much for two people ( me and my bf), couldnt finish them.<br/>Overall it was nice.

One of the best Thai food in Chatswood, always go for the roast pork in chilli with stir fry Chinese broccoli, lemon lime steamed fish and Larb chicken wings. A bit pricy for the portion but it's delicious.

The menus are getting a little sticky guys... but even so you will not find a better Tom Yum soup in Sydney.  We had this 3 nights in a row the other night and still weren't sick of it.  Delicious

Chum Tang is probably the best and my favourite Thai food institution in Sydney (I haven't tried Long Chim yet!). A sister institution to the nearby Khao Pla (My #2 Thai), Chum Tang offers an assortment of innovative and comteporary Thai cuisine.<br/><br/>My friends and I dropped by the sleek and modern restaurant situated on the third level of the District (directly above Chatswood Station). We ordered a feast including their renowned fried rice, larb chicken wings, Khao Soy or curry chicken noodles, Kyob pla or Grilled curry fish fillet/otak and Pla Nueung Manow or Steamed Fish with Lime.<br/><br/>The main star of the feast is the spicy larb chicken wings. The chicken wings is a painstaking effort of stir-frying the chicken in medium heat with lemongrass, galangal, fish sauce and lime juice. They were flavourful, succulent, juicy and tender. A must-must try. <br/><br/>The grilled curry fish fillet and steamed fish were springy and fresh but I found them a bit too sour and acidic. The fried rice is a wonderful combination of spice and flavour and I wish there is more wok-hei/stir-fried and the grains are more distinct and separate. Perhaps they should use overnight cooked rice. <br/><br/>Judging from the positive reviews here, it is a pity that many good restaurants and cafes are undermined by this questionable rating system in Zomato. Nonetheless, this teaches us a lesson, that is, to read other review sites (concrete playground, urbanlist, goodfood) for good food and don't treat one singular rating system as a bible.

I love the Thai here. A large variety of nicely spiced dishes that are the right serving for one. The green mango salad with soft shell crab was perfect and the pork belly was nice and crispy

Chum tang and khao pla are both owned by the same owner. But I prefer the chum tang. On more than a few occasions my tom yum goong has the right balance of sour and salty and sweet. Really takes me back to Bangkok. Located at the lovely District, so you could nibble around elsewhere too. Good service.

I got Khao Soy which is Thai Style Curry Chicken Egg Noodles Soup which covered by the layer of oil, topped with the deep fried noodles, slightly chopped onions, corianders and chilli flakes. The broth was oily but somewhat so delightful and delicious, it was really nice, for I got a chicken drumstick, the meat was so juicy and tender, melt in my mouth, it was beautifully cook and noodles retained chewy, that how I love it, this bowl of noodles really made me happy in the rainy night. It warmed up my soul! One more thing I love this place is the service, which is always lovely and friendly, I have been here for many times, the wait staff are always keep the smiles their faces, always proactive and helpful.

Good dishes. Love the heat levels. Not sweet Thai which is what you get in some places. My fav is the pad see eew. Servings can be small. Good spot for lunch

Chum Tang makes a solid kanom jeen. The small bundles of rice noodles were silky smooth and the green chicken curry packed some serious heat. It also came with pickled greens, beansprouts and a hard boiled egg. Though it wasn't the largest portion, the rich, spicy curry made it quite filling. It was quiet when I went so the food was ready pretty quickly. It's in a food court so surroundings aren't flash but they do have some dedicated seats around their stall.

Must try: larb wings!! (Isaan flavoured fried chicken wings) 4.5/5 (thks H). <br/><br/>A simple dish made so well. From the seasoning to the way it was cooked. Loved that they only served the wing bit and not the 'mini drumstick' bit of the wing. <br/><br/>Pla neung manow (steamed fish fillet with chilli n lime dressing). Was warned that this was gonna be hot spicy by the waitress, bring it on I said😁. Turned out it was a false alarm, i wanted it to be more spicy meh. 3.5/5. Must say I enjoyed the chilli n lime combo. Recommend. <br/><br/>Banana blossom salad. I dont know what to say of this salad except to tell myself that it is healthy 😆 3/5. Missus said the papaya salad is noticeably better. I wouldnt know as she had it on her previous visits. But when the boss said it's good, I have to agree😁<br/><br/>Service typical of Thai friendliness 4/5. Waitress took the time to come mid meal to ask us how the food was. Very courteous.

I heard Chum Tang is part of the Khao Pla Thai restaurant group and was keen to try it. It is located in the Chatswood District's food court and it is easy to find with its bright yellow exterior. The menu contains extensive Northern Thai dishes and all of them are very reasonably priced! The fried rice, fried noodle dishes are all priced around $12-$13.  <br/><br/>We ordered the Thai Chicken fried rice and they were quite good; the pad thai, unfortunately was a disappointment with lacked of authenticity. My friend also ordered the steamed fish with lime dressing ($13) and it was smashing delicious. The pork belly curry was well-received but it was a tad too sweet for me. <br/><br/>A quick place for convenient tasty meal.

Chum Tang is the sister restaurant of the much lauded Khao Pla and specialises in Northern Thai cuisine. The district set up does not have the ambience of Khao Pla and being located next to the entrance suffers from the draft during the cooler months and foot traffic making you feel exposed to the elements.<br/><br/>However, if you do find one of the more secluded tables, the food is comparable to Khao Pla albeit a bit pricier for some entrees. We have been here numerous times and I can verify that the spicy dishes are in no way toned down and authentic. Here are some dishes to look out for:<br/><br/>Muk Yang - Grilled calamari with green chilli nham jim. Simple perfectly grilled calamari that comes out gently charred with a tangy nham jim. Reminds you of the open food stalls at a beer garden in Bangkok.<br/><br/>Nua Yang - Grilled Wagyu Striploin , roasted rude and roasted chilli. The wagyu is melt in your mouth good with the smoky char from the grill sprinkled with crushed roasted rice to give a prominent crunch and with a tamarind dipping sauce. This is a spicy dish and should be popular for all.<br/><br/>Larb Wings - Isaan flavoured fried chicken wings. Sounds simple but sets the benchmark on how fried chicken wings should be done. Mega crunchy while bursting with juiciness, the coating is addictive and the condiments of mint leaves,spanish onions and a lemon wedge compliment them perfectly.<br/><br/>Kuy Teaw Kee Mao - stir fried flat rice noodle with chilli, chicken and holy basil. Fragrant, very smoky and intensely spicy that it keeps teasing you to have more. <br/><br/>Kana Moo Krob - Wok fried pork belly with scud chilli and Chinese broccoli. A crowd favourite and funny enough, isn't very spicy despite the description of the dish. The richness of the sauce and the crispiness of the crackle still on the pork belly makes you keep coming back for more.<br/><br/>Green Curry - Vibrant green colour from the curry oil lace the dish as the curry is scented by traditional ingredients of kaffir lime leaves, pea eggplants, lemongrass and served with chicken thigh and bamboo shoots. Perhaps a bit too much coconut milk but not overwhelming.<br/><br/>Although Chum Tang suffers from an identity crises and being located in a glorified food court, it retains its integrity with the food if you order the right dishes.

I wish I had gotten one of the spicy dishes because neither the pork belly curry nor pad see eiw were hot at all. In fact, the curry was so overly sweet I had to pull out the pork belly pieces and have it with rice without the curry. Even then it was still so sweet. Pad see eiw wasn't bad but I have definitely had better. A little on the dry side but seasoned well. The thai milk tea I had ordered to prepare myself for the spiciness I thought I was going to encounter, ended up being a bit of a fail as it too was quite sweet. If having an actual hot dish it would be very helpful though.<br/><br/>Don't think I'll go back... there are far too many good Thai places around the Chatswood area. Chum Tang was definitely for the convenience as it is right above the station, but next time I will go out of my way for thai.

I was surprised how spicy overall taste of food was, I can take spicy food pretty well but I wondered it might be too hot for most of people? Ordered minced chicken, crispy fish with mango salad and calamari salad. My favorite was minced chicken; it was so yummy and spicy. I didn't love the calamari salad as much although the flavor wasn't bad it tasted more like Malaysian food with strong sambal curry like flavor. Crispy fish was way too fried, I have had this style of food at other restaurant and although it taste okay you just know it's not a healthy dish. You feel like you are eating just fried crumbs. However love the taste of the mango salad with zesty dressings. <br/><br/>I was pretty happy with overall flavors when I was eating but after taste was pretty horrible. My hubby and I both had terrible heart burns and we were dranched with garlic taste in the mouth. Not the most pleasant after food experience...

Went there for an early dinner, ordered their special which was a chicken curry with noodles and a regular pad thai. Pad thai was excellent, mildy spicy (more so than other pad thai ive had - which are probably chop a block full of sugar). Chicken curry was very spicy and extremely oily.. i wouldn't have it again. Portion was reasonable, it may look small but its quite decent. A comfortable little place to have lunch if you are a local, i wouldn't willinging travel all the way here again for thai.

The district is Chatswood's newest foodie heaven and chum tang brings the goods! The menu is pretty broad for a Thai place with the usual favorites and some more traditional dishes. After eating here a few times I've decided that the pork belly curry is my favorite and would HIGHLY recommend it. It is possibly the best Thai dish I have had in Sydney. The milk tea is also to die for! Service is very friendly and the pricing is very reasonably. A local favorite!

Ordered the Pork Belly dish that also contained brocollini. If I used a magnified glass I could probably find a few smill bits of Pork Belly. The dish was delicicious. But two major problems. Overpriced for what I got. $15 for a nice serve of brocollini with probably no more than 5 tiny (really really tiny) bits of Pok Belly that in could have all fitted on a teaspoon, including the 80% pork fat. I was still left hungry after the meal. Service was prompt & helpful - but much much better value elsewhere - I won't be returning.

Very spicy, especially the kee mao, not enough meat IMO for the dishes though. The chilli jam pork belly was ok but again the portions are a big small. Cheap in terms of chatswood but felt a bit hungry at the end. <br/><br/>The drinks were very sweet. Recommend only if you're into having really spicy food but better options in the interchange

These place has the best pad Se ew- hands down! I have had a lot of pad Se ew in my life but I had never had such an amazing pad Se ew like this! There was a perfect balance in the sauce and the serving size was perfect for 1-2 people. However the pad Thai Gai was too sweet for my liking but if you enjoy sweet stir-fries then I'm sure you'll love it. I will definitely be coming back for that amazing pad Se ew, and I recommend you all try it too!

Let's make one thing clear. Chum Tang doesn't compromise on heat. The sister restaurant to Khao Pla - located only a few blocks away - Chum Tang is one of the hottest restaurants to take up residence in the new District at Chatswood Interchange, no pun intended. Haven't been to The District? You should. These impressive assembly of modern architecture, striking artworks and interesting food stalls heralds a new chapter in food court dining, a place where you want to go and hang out with friends, not a soulless assembly of fast food chains and sandwich bars.

One word: Delicious. Located at the podium of Chatswood interchange Chum Tang, which means "station interchange" serves classic regional Thai cuisine with a twist. The dishes are exotic and delicious and flavours intensely rich and powerful, just the way I like it. . Green jackfruit, shreaded chicken, roasted coconut and chilli jam

The food is very tasty, but the serving is tiny compare to other Thai restaurants in the city. I guess thats because of the location. The waitress was patience in helping me to understand the different kinds of Thai food. Their Thai Milk Tea is a bit too sweet. <br/>Despite the price, I think it's a good spot for quick and tasty lunch.

Conveniently located inside the Chatswood Interchange is this delicious Thai joint.<br/>Some of the dishes are on the spicy side, but the friendly waiter will advise you which dishes came with a warning rating !<br/>Our favourite was the Larb Wings - juicy flavoursome fried chicken wings and the Larb Dib - a Northern style raw beef salad w/ tripe, szechuan pepper and blood - sooo spicy but so well worth the pain.

My choice of the Ka nom jean, proved to be particularly inspired. Full of fresh crunchy beansprouts, a soft tamago-style egg and a multi-layered green curry sauce with curry leaves and chillies galore, this bowl of noodles looked small from the outset, but quickly filled me up with its rich sauce. A real winner for a cold winters night.

{ _anne_with_an_e // review }<br/>This was one of the first few restaurants that had sprouted in the new dining precinct above Chatswood station, in The District. We had come here early on when it first opened and tried the steamed fish, grilled wagyu steak and roti.<br/><br/>The fish was flaky, tender, moist and was beautifully cooked. It could have done with a bit more flavour and been more generous with the serving size, but overall it was a nice dish. The roti unfortunately wasn’t great and didn’t taste very fresh.<br/><br/>The wagyu steak was tender but was pretty hot chilli-wise. My mouth was on fire, even with a mid-range (or so) chilli tolerance. However, when we were paying at the counter, the lady behind the register did ask how everything was and I had mentioned the heat. Maybe it has been toned down a little since.<br/><br/>Apart from the roti, the quality was good, so on that note I would go back to try their other dishes.<br/><br/>Pros // varied menu offerings<br/>Cons // service a little slow<br/><br/>Food: 3.5/5<br/>Ambience: 3/5<br/>Service: 3/5

Fairly unspectacular. Pad Thai tasted a bit like sweet chilli sauce, at least they served it with lime. Roti canai was packet but decent packet, we've had worse in our lives. Pork was ok.

Nothing really special to mention. We order spicy mince chicken, it was a bit salty and the proportion doesn't seem right ( too much mince chicken but too little rice). Pho Kee Mao is disappointed, I can only tastes spicy. Crispy morning glory is a disaster, I wasn't expected it's a deep fried dish( maybe it's my fault that I thought it will be stir fried) It's really greasy and we couldn't finish. <br/><br/>However the waitress are nice and patient, the service was good

Waited 40 minutes and no food.<br/>After seeing the place filled up and people came after are eating already, we asked for our order. <br/>The waitress came back with tablet saying "Sorry what did you order? They seemed to have lost it."<br/>We told them after 40mins wait, don't think we'll want to come here again.

Disappointing. The food was very overpriced. Papaya salad was a tiny serve for $14, Pad Thai wasn't very good. Green Curry was okay but nothing too special.

Authentic thai. My new fav in chatswood. Just enough spicy and tangy. Ancient beef soup is nice, and so is the chicken wing. The deep fried chicken wing tasted fresh. Also enjoyed the wagyu beef strip.

Authentic and Delicious: Chum Tang. 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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>My wife and I ordered the following dishes:<br/><br/>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,<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.

Looking at the menu, we stumbled across this Jackfruit Salad .. It's quite fascinating to see it being used in a salad.. I guess it's rare too to find it in any other Thai restaurants.. =D Mr. Nomnom used to live in Bangkok and he said this is a Northern-style dish where you can't easily find it in Bangkok.. It consists of  green jackfruit, poached chicken, roasted coconut and chili jam.. This salad brings you an unmistakably Thai flavor with the explosion of salty, sweet and sour flavours from the chili paste, palm sugar, lime juice and fish sauce, yet all harmonize inside the bowl.

With the opening of The District above the train interchange, Chatswood has gained a ton of new eateries overnight. Tim Ho Wan has got all the headlines (and queues) but there are other exciting additions, such as the Thai eatery Chum Tang , a sister restaurant to the much loved Khao Pla.  The restaurant design takes its cue from the name Chum Tang, which translates loosely to train terminal. The kitchen area is set like a rural Thai railway ticket booth with the dining area resembling the waiting area.  We started with the pork belly curry  which was the highlight of the meal. The combination of the tamarind and palm sugar gave the dish a lovely sweet and sour balance.