Chat Thais can be found all over Sydney. But each one has its idiosyncrasies and differences. The one found on the 6th level of Westfield – all brick and dark wood – in the city centre definitely stands out. After all, you can do a spot of high-end luxury shopping at Hugo Boss, Givenchy, Gucci, and Kate Spade while you’re there. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Whether you’re using a meal at Chat Thai to refuel during a whirlwind day of shopping, or it’s the main event, there’s plenty to get excited about on the menu. The Padt Thai is rightly the stuff of legends, and will most likely be making appearances at nearby tables, if not your own. Made with stir fried thin rice noodles with chicken, hen’s egg, dried shrimp, bean sprouts, garlic chives, tamarind and palm sugar, it’s iconic Thai food in its own right, as well as being utterly delectable here. But that’s just the tip of the Thai iceberg at Chat Thai. There’s todt mun bpla, fried fish cakes with pickled cucumber relish, and “Crying Tiger”, a dish of beef tenderloin served with the Thai dried chilli sauce, nahm jim jaew. A spicy, salty, and slightly sweet green papaya salad – som dtum thai-bpu – studded with peanuts, pickled crab and dried shrimp. Hot and sour pork rib soup, stir fries, curries, and more.

When you get to dessert, you can cool your palate with creamy coconut ice cream, mango sticky rice, or even the ethereal khanom buaing (sweet thin wafers filled with meringue and threads of candied egg yolk, or sweet and savoury with candied herbs). The list goes on. In fact, you’d be forgiven for feasting heartily here. It’s understandable.