At Bangkok, Haymarket Chinatown

Nam Prik Krapi $12.90
Shrimp paste chilli sauce with prawn crackers

I've never trusted hip Asian restaurants. Fancy chairs and slick logos make me think my money is paying more for overheads than the overly-sweet and under-spiced food on my fancy white plate.

But you can't always judge a book by its cover.

@Bangkok has funky white tables and plush ottoman stools in rich chocolate brown. So I'm delightfully surprised to find the dishes here are uncompromised in flavour and enthusiastic with heat.

The Nam Prik Krapi chilli sauce is pure fire on the tongue; the Som Thum green papaya salad packs a punch.


Som Tum $12.90
Green papaya salad with salted duck eggs


Khao Tang na Bangkok $12.90

Khao Tang is a thick creamy paste of shrimp and chilli that we ladle generously onto fragrant prawn crackers.


Hoy Jor $8.90
Minced prawn and pork with water chestnuts
wrapped in tofu skin, steamed and deep-fried

Hoy Jor--made from prawn, pork and water chestnuts--is rolled up with bean curd sheets and deep-fried until the skin blisters.


Yum Sam Grob $15.90
Thai salad with deep-fried dried squid, prawn and fish maw

My favourite dish is the Yum Sam Grob, a seafood salad made with cuttlefish, prawn and fish maw. Dried cuttlefish jerky is deep-fried until super crispy, the fish maw (the gas bladder that allows fish to float) has also been deep-fried to a golden puff that reminds me of pork crackling. We've excluded the prawns due to a guest allergy.

The dressing on top is typically Thai - a perfect balance of sweet, sour, salty and hot. A jumble of shallots, coriander, mint, chilli and kaffir lime leaves make you know you're alive. White radish, carrot and lettuce leaves cool the tongue, roasted peanuts and sesame seeds add extra crunch.


Pad Pak Ruam Mit $12.90
Vegetables stir fried with garlic and oyster sauce


Nam Tok Pla Salmon $15.90
Grilled salmon with fish sauce

Nam Tok Pla Salmon is sweet with fish sauce, and I'm a sucker for the Khai Yeaw Ma Ka Prow Grob, a chilli pork mince stir fry garnished with deep-fried whole basil leaves.


Khai Yeaw Ma Ka Prow Grob $15.90
Thousand year old eggs topped with
stir-fried minced pork, chilli, garlic and basil


Pla Muek Nueng Manow (not on the regular menu, so ask)
Whole baby squid

The Pla Muek Nueng Manow is the crowd pleaser, two whole baby squid dressed in a spectacular riot of colour. The squid has been cooked until just tender, bathed in a garlic and lime dressing and sprinkled liberally with chilli.

I've learnt my lesson now. Eat first. Judge later.


@Bangkok (At Bangkok Restaurant)
Shop G11, Capitol Square Building
730-742 George Street, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9211 5232

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