Review: Newtown Thai, Newtown

You know the feeling you get when you've walked up and down a street with a friend and compiled a long list of restaurants that you both want to try but you just can't choose? Well this was one of those days where WX and I had a lot of time on our hands, weren't particularly starving and just generally being indecisive. When you're faced with a street of eateries ranging from African and Italian to Japanese and Mexican, it really is hard to decide. But then again, when you're at the age that WX and I are at and you've been heading out to at least two 21st birthday parties every weekend, then the deciding factor is usually price. So after thirty minutes we finally settled on Newtown Thai.

Now, if you know me, you'll know that I have a ridiculously fast metabolism or digestive system. So when I mentioned that I wasn't particularly hungry, I wasn't lying - but by the time we sat down my stomach told me it was at the other end of the spectrum already and really needed feeding. For entree, we picked the Heavenly Crab and the Satay Chicken which I think was quite a nice balance between boring (but delicious) and different (but equally delicious) starters. If my parents had come along, I can just hear them saying, "It's not worth getting those fried foods, they're only there to attract Western customers - it's not worth the money blah blah blah!" I think both WX and I agreed that once in a while we actually wanted to disobey that rule and just eat fried foods to our hearts content, no matter how much it wasn't worth it. Aside from a bit of excessive batter taking away from the actual crab flesh, it sure did satisfy my craving!

Heavenly Crab (4pc) $6.60

When the Satay Chicken arrived, I was a bit taken aback by the large amount of sauce that overflowed from the dish. With that amount of sauce, I couldn't really taste much of the chicken but rather a huge flavour hit. I can't say I was particularly fond of this one in comparison to others I've tried but the satay sauce really spurred me on to finish the large bowl of rice that we ordered.

Satay Chicken (4 Sticks) $6.60

What followed the entree were two large dishes of what I'd like to call 'stomach impulse' or you could just call us greedy. WX ordered the Duck Curry while I went for a Chicken Pad See Eiw which, upon arrival, alerted us to the fact that plastic takeaway boxes were also in order. At this point, I was faced with a bit of a dilemma. My recent food fetish for duck meant that I was constantly attacking the former dish but trying hard to avoid the curry! Yes, I'm not a big fan of Thai curry but it seriously didn't stop me from loving the tender flesh of the duck. Next time however, if not for WX's determination to get curry, I will just get the stir fried form. Admittedly, for those who do like Thai curry, the duck really did absorb a lot of the curry flavour and aroma making it all the more succulent!

Duck Curry $12.90

The chicken was a lot nicer on my tastebuds and normally I would be complaining about the rough texture of the chicken breast but the way they cooked it made me keep my mouth shut for the duration of consumption especially with a nice balance of veges and flat noodles. By the time WX finished eating, these two dishes looked like they were virtually untouched and even though I tried to stomach as much as I could, we left the restaurant with two nice boxes of Thai to fuel our adventures of a new day.

Chicken Pad See Eiew $8.90

Newtown Thai might not be the best Thai around, but it's definitely value for money and generally a lot better than any of the Thai places in the heart of the CBD. Oh...and I forgot to mention, if you're ever in the area on the way home, this place does extremely efficient takeaway and although I haven't got any for myself, just sitting there for the duration of our dinner, we could tell that they're quite reputable in the area for takeaway - definitely worth a try! :)

Newtown Thai
177 King Street
Newtown, 2046
PH: (02) 9557 2425