Thursday, 9 July 2009
I'm a simple girl and I'm not easily swayed by glitz, glamour or crowds. But I'll tell you what makes me really happy - good, satisfying and filling food. Big bonus if this good food comes for cheap (relief to the purse strings is always a welcome gesture). I'll tell you what else makes me happy? A damn good fried rice.
A two hour meeting during dinnertime with nothing but tiny canapés for sustenance can make for some desperately famished people. And these hungry people needs to be fed and fed fast. That meant a long wait at Chat Thai was out of the question but luckily there are a few Thai alternatives close by.
I-San City Thai Restaurant is just around the corner from Chat Thai. On appearances, the restaurant doesn't look like much - it doesn't have the crowds or the chic interior aethestics of Chat Thai but my Momma taught me never to judge a book by its cover. As soon as I stepped inside, it immediately brought back memories of a brilliant holiday I had a year ago to Thailand and the plasma TV that blared out Thai pop music videos did nothing to ease my holiday-sickness. Oh and the smell of Thai food...it just reminded me why I love and adore this cuisine.
The Som Tom is the first to arrive. Originally from Laos (known as Thum Mak Hoong) and the North East region of Isan, this is a spicy salad of shredded unripened green papaya, carrot, tomato and green beans. It's a lovely mix of sweet, sour and salty flavours with enough chilli and spice to blow your head off. It looks harmless, but trust me, this is one salad not to be trifled with for the chilli lightweights.
To accompany the dishes, we ordered the sticky glutinous rice - a tasty alternative to plain old steamed white rice. Soon enough we were cooing over the adorable little straw baskets it came in.
Murmurs of approval resounded when we tasted the Sai Krog - whimisically translated to as 'Lovely' Sausage 'Thai-Isan' Style. A flavoursome snag that was perfectly matched with the subtle flavour of the sticky rice.
The other was suppose to be a Chilli Sausage, however I am told that it's not quite as chilli as it should be and it is nowhere to be found on the menu as far as I can tell. The consensus was that the Sai Krog was the better snag.
Our Jungle Curry is a heady mix of pork, vegetables and green peppers without being too heavy on the coconut milk. Don't take this aromatic rustic curry for a fool either. It seems bearable at first but soon enough the heavy spice kicked in when I least expected it and true to form, I reached for my water in a flurry.
One of my favourites is the Pad See Eew - a chinese style stirfried rice noodle dish that is delightfully sweet and salty with that gorgeous smoky flavour of the wok. I ate this in copious amounts on my holiday and this is probably the best pad see eew I tasted so far since returning home.
Oh and did I mention how much I love a good fried rice? Heaven is found tonight in the form of the Kao Pad Pla Muk - a Thai Fried Rice with Calamari and Egg. There is no way I can describe this without sounding like a wanker of sorts but I'm sure my face after I took a spoonful said it all. Definitely a popular dish on our table as it was the only one that we ordered seconds of.
It didn't look like a lot of dishes but I was more than full and satisfied - and all for a paltry $15 per head. See? It doesn't take much to make me happy.
No doubt this place would barely register on anybody's radar particularly if the more well-known Chat Thai is around the corner but do not be deceived by its unassuming appearance. In fact I've already been back a couple of times since this visit for takeaway and even the Thai food-loving Captain is impressed. More importantly it reminded us of being in Thailand for some strange reason but I suppose that lies in the charm of I-San City. Not counting the food, I doubt that Chat Thai's ambience would've given me the same nostalgic sentiment.
I-San City Thai Restaurant
413 Pitt Street
Sydney NSW 2000
(near the corner of PItt and Goulburn - a stone's throw from World Square)
(02) 9211 4150
Open 7 days 11.00am-10.30am
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9 Coffee Breaks:
The food in this place looks great. the best part about Thai food is that it teases your palate with all it's 5 flavours.
phwoar! I still can smell the garlic breath the next morning after the meal. I agree, the chili sausage packed with more punch, but the sai krog is better snag with smoother texture.
This place is the real deal. cheap authentic thai food.
i think i've been to this place once and was quite tasty for a lunch time spot.
heh i reckon i couldve done thirds on the fried rice! it was awesome!
Yep the night was one big collision of garlic and chilli - and damn tasty! You guys barely even touched the som tom down your end of the table! More for us. Heh! Always lovin' the I-San - probably one of the cheapest Thai joints in the area.
Hi! what a creative writing with the "coffee break", lol.. Good pictures, I hope the food were here with me. LOl
$15 a head is fantastic for all that. Asian places are always so much cheaper! Yay pad see eew is one of my favs too :)
Mmmmm, that looks great. The first time I had really good Thai food (before going to Thailand) was in Sydney. Wish we had better thai food in Manhattan.
Hi Jo - oh absolutely. Other than Malaysian, I don't think any other cuisine has the same all-round robust depth of flavour as Thai does.
Hi Billy - Oh it is and thanks to you and Helen for showing us the light!
Hi Simon Food Favourites - If I lived near here or worked around here, I'd be in trouble lol
Hi chocolatesuze - me too! Best rice I've had in some time!
Hi Helen - that Som Tom was straight out dangerous! I was more than happy to pass it over to your side! Thanks for taking us here!
Hi Jonathan - thank you very much!
Hi Stephcookie - cheap, good asian is a wonderful thing to have!
Hi Marc - I have to admit Thai food in Australia is pretty good. But I'm sure Manhattan makes up for it in other cuisines over Sydney :)
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