I-San City – Sydney CBD
[This restaurant is no long in business]
To get a table for eight at Chat Thai seems almost like an impossible task. We are told to write down name on the list and ready for a 45 minutes wait. The waitress at Chat Thai doesn’t seem to have any intentions to keep more tables free to fit us in, but instead keep filling them up with small group who arrived after us. Frustration plus impatient makes foodbloggers an unhappy bunch – soon had me running up the street, around the corner, where I-San City is more than happy to adopt Trina, Helen, Lili, Suze, Minh, Karen, Simon, Shez, and me for a cheap, authentic Thai dinner.
I-San City seems to be popular among not just the local Thai, but also those who share an appreciation of authentic Thai food like me. Just go, check out the food on display for the lunch takeaway menu and see for yourself, there are some exotic delicacies you might fancy to give it a try. (Just ignore the Thai Karaoke blasting on the plasma screen if that’s not your thang)
There are options of steamed rice or glutinous rice to go with the dishes, and we opt for the latter one. It is a traditional that the glutinous rice served inside a weaved basket using straws. The glutinous rice has a sweeter fragrance than normal rice, a nice balance for the spicy dishes many to come.
Som Tum (Laos) - papaya salad - 8.00
The Som Tum is a MUST order at I-San City but never judge the book by the cover. The Thai style papaya salad looks innocent with lots of fresh crunchy papaya, carrot, french beans and tomato chunks. Then you realised it was too late after the first bite. The salad is packed with a deadly punch of chili hotness and slowly my mouth is filled with tingling sensation. The unlucky ones sitting next to me are like fish out of the water, fanning their tongues, gasping for water as the last resource of survival.
Pad See Eew - 9.50
The Pad See Eew is a crowd pleaser with slippery smooth thick rice noodle, stir fried with chicken and chinese broccoli. The noodle is charred with the breath of wok, creates a sweet caramelised flavour from the kecap manis. Even though the noodle is tad on the oily side, everyone is more than happy to slurp it all up.
Jungle Curry - 11.50
Another hot dish we ordered is the Jungle Curry, which is a soup based curry rather than the usual thick curry sauce that I normally have. The jungle curry is sour on the palate and slowly turning into a burning sensation.
Kao Pad Pla Muk - Thai fried rice with calamari - 13.50
And who would have thought the Kao Pad Pla Muk, a simple Thai fried rice with calamari and eggs turns to be the most popular dish of them all? Beautiful fragrance fried rice with fish soy sauce blends with chunks of tender calamari cooked to perfection. The girls seems to like it alot, and we ordered second round to fulfill their desire.
Sai Krog - lovely Sausage - 8.00
This is one of my favorite dish, Sai Krog – or what they called it, the “Lovely Sausage” on the menu. IT is a big fat sweet Thai sausage tasted almost like the Chinese version, Lup Cheong, but much sweeter, fatter, with garlic cloves and chopped chili padi on the side to enhance the flavour… only if you don’t mind garlic breath afterwards and the next day.
Chili Sausage - 8.00
I was introduced to Chili Sausage last time I was here, so I decided to order it again but somehow it is not as good as I remember. It has a great Thai flavour and still spicy hot no doubt, the sausage is packed with coarse pork mince with lemongrass, chili and garlic, also a bit of tumeric.
And the best part of dining at I-San City, is definitely the price. For 8 of us, we ordered 9 dishes and the damage is only $15 (last time I was there, we had 15 people and it only cost $12/head). I think there is a good enough reason for me to keep coming back.
[This restaurant is no longer in business]
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
A Table For Two (ATFT) is Billy Law's food blog that features best eats in Sydney and around the world with drool-worthy food photography to salivate your appetite. I also throw in a smidgen of my food and travel photography for good measure. Billy Law also happened to be a contestant on MasterChef Australia 2011. 
This looks excellent. I like the fact that we can choose sticky rice. Love that stuff!
.-= Anh´s last blog ..An Extravagant Breakfast – Truffle omelette =-.
Mmm the way you described the pad si ew is soooo scrumptious! … slurpin’ slippery noodles!…
.-= Trisha´s last blog ..Red Oak Boutique Beer Cafe, Sydney =-.
I like this place, but it seems to be a bit of hit and miss with the dishes. Sometimes it is brilliant, sometimes a bit mushy. I have always though the presence of gun had something to do with it.
.-= yewenyi´s last blog ..trike obstacles on the Cooks River Cycleway =-.
noodles!
I’m always on the look out for authentic Thai places…thanks for letting us know about this place Billy…and good prices too!
.-= Peter G´s last blog ..Chocolate and Almond Cookies =-.
Mmm the som tum was great, and i agree, i never would’ve thought fried rice could taste so good!
.-= Helen (grabyourfork)´s last blog ..Bird Cow Fish, Surry Hills, Sydney =-.
I have to say, that fried rice was something else! And when eaten in alternating mouthfuls with the som tum, everything turned into a happy spicy messy mouthful. The sausage, however, stayed with me well into the next day – garlic warnings ahoy!
.-= shez´s last blog ..orange & pistachio cookies =-.
I always wanted to try I-San and I ALWAYS wait over an hour at Chat Thai, I might just try I-San next time. Your photos always make the food look so promising.
it’s a pity Chat Thai is so popular. interesting selection of tasty dishes you’ve chosen. i think i found the papaya salad a bit too hot for my liking last time I tried. sure gets the taste buds burning.
.-= Simon Food Favourites´s last blog ..Bau Truong Vietnamese Restaurant, Cabramatta (2 August 2009) =-.
Ah this is from the night you guys were all twittering about LOL
I hate it when restaurants prefer small groups like that – where’s the first come first served principle?!
.-= Yas´s last blog ..Dessert Cirkus! =-.
Bah Chat Thai is lame for doing that! bu glad you guys had a great meal at I-San
Seems like I have to give it a go now mmmm
.-= FFichiban´s last blog ..Aroma Festival ‘09 – The Rocks, Sydney =-.
These dishes look really authentic–glad you enjoyed the food. I wonder if there were some pickled crabs in papaya salad since the name is Som Tum (Lao) not Som Tum (Thai).
.-= Thip´s last blog ..sweet mung beans… =-.
Chat Thai’s loss. I-San’s gain. I’m not complaining. The food was pretty good for what you paid for it.
Much love for the garlic sausage, fried rice and the overbearing kick of the Som Tum.
I’ve walked past this place so many times, I can’t believe I haven’t actually been in. Thanks for the reminder! The food looks really good.
.-= Y´s last blog ..Dan and the art of kitchen appreciation =-.
Thanks for reviewing about this place. I too have walked past this place so many times but haven’t really had the urge to go in. I have the urge now
.-= clekitty´s last blog ..Natural bug control =-.
Great photos – they make the food look even better than what my eyes and brain remember! The sausage was so incredibly garlicky! I think I singed my eyebrows off in my sleep with my potent breath.
.-= Forager´s last blog ..Vietnamese eating tour – the mighty Mekong =-.
@Anh: Yeah I love sticky rice too, but can’t have too much. It gives me heartburn.
@Trisha: The Pad See Ew was definitely one of my fav of the night. Smooth slippery noodle…. bliss.
@yewenyi: Gun made it mushy? I wonder why…
@Fiona: Yes!
@Peter G: You should give this place a try, it is so so so cheap
@Helen (grabyourfork): The som tum is fiery hot sensation! But now I have tasted even hotter in Laos, man it is an addiction.
@shez: Hehehe… helllooooo garlic!
@Tiffany: Yeah give this place a try if Chat Thai is full. I simply cant wait for that long and high price for thai food sometimes.
@Simon Food Favourites: I think it stays true to its authenticity with its hotness thats for sure. Just how I like it
@Yas: Tell me about it. I am not fuss so long the night ended with some good food.
@FFichiban: I want to go Chat Thai cuz of their desserts really… next time
@Thip: There is no pickled crab in the salad, I dont think. Perhaps I should ask for some next time. Thanks for the tips.
@Simon: Yep, it was a good cheap decent meal, I am not complaining.
@Y: Yeah, it is one of those places you will think twice to walk inside. but once inside, you will be overwhelmed by the food.
@clekitty: Glad I am giving you the “urge”! LOL Let me know what you think if you ever dine there.
@Forager: At least you were safe from dracula for a good night sleep..