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Sailor's Thai Canteen
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Restaurant
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Sydney
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Credit Cards:
All major cards
Open:
Lunch and dinner 7 days
Price:
Moderate
Score (/20):
15
Reviewed By
Sue Dyson and Roger McShane
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Phone Number:
+61 2 9251 2466
Address:
106 George Street, The Rocks
Sydney, New South Wales, 2000
Country:
Australia
Food Style:
Thai
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Sailor's Thai Canteen is one of our very favourite restaurants. The long, gleaming stainless steel table seats about 50 people. You can either choose to join in conversation with your neighbours or you can dine 'alone'.When we were working regularly in Sydney, every week the first place we headed for was the Sailors Thai Canteen. Since then we have made it our first stop every time we have landed in Australia's most exciting food city.We often see people looking through the window and seeing the large, long table that seats 50 and being unsure whether they should go in. Well if you get to Sydney, don't worry. Go straight in and the waiting staff will soon find you a place to sit. And you can either choose to join in the general conversation or you can sit and dine quietly by yourself.We usually order three dishes between two and accompany them with a bottle of the white wine from the short but very well-chosen list. Recently we have been enjoying the Glendonbrook Verdelho from NSW which accompanies the spicy Thai food perfectly.We might order the popular Som dtam which is a green papaya salad that has been pounded to a pulp and then served with strips of green papaya, peanuts, dried prawns and accompanied by coconut rice and chunks of sweet and salty pork. Or we might order Geng sapparot which is a sweet curry of fresh mussels and pineapple or the fabulous Parlow gai which is chicken and bean curd that has been simmered with star anise and Chinese broccoli.But it doesn't really matter what you order. It is all wonderful and it is always skilfully cooked.At a recent meal we had an absolutely stunning beef and radish soup that was rich, unctuous, spicy and comforting, as well as being just delicious.A dish of a curry of grilled cuttlefish (pla meuk gorlae) that had been soured with tamarind was absolutely memorable as was the comforting kao mok gai - curried rice served with falling-off-the-bone chicken and chunks of potato.Every time we revisit we come away with a very satisfied feeling, knowing that food still reflects the soul of Thailand.
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