Tom Yum Goong or Hot and Sour Prawn soup is Thai cuisines’ most famous dish both within The Kingdom and in the many Thai restaurants around the globe. In Thailand, it is served in a charcoal steamboat and eaten with rice. Each region in Thailand has a different recipe for this ubiquitous dish but the version below originates in Bangkok and is probably the most common.

Last year on November 29th Chedi Restaurant was honored to host a dinner in support of the Hands Across the Water Bike Ride 2011. Ailish Gary and Davina O’Hara, who are two friends from Ireland working in Australia, organized the dinner. The girls were inspired to be part of the long ride from Bangkok to Kao Lak after hearing Peter Baines talk of the children from Bann Tharn Namchai orphanage.

Merry Christmas from Greg, Kai and staff at Chedi Restaurant

Due to our location at the city end of Newtown in close proximity to Sydney University, Chedi Restaurant attracts many foreign tourists to dine. Often when these visitors are paying the bill, I hear them say to each other “in Australia you don’t have to tip”. This I find surprising as in countries like America, a mandatory tip of 15% or more is added to your bill in most restaurants. And if you are in a place like New York and leave a restaurant without tipping, angry waiters will confront you in the street to extract their tip by force.

A great way to enjoy a Thai meal with a group of friend is to order a variety of dishes which covers the 4 main Thai food styles; which are “wet” curries and soups, “yum” salads, “phad” meaning stir-fried and “phet” meaning everything spicy.

During service at Chedi Restaurant, I am often asked by customers “how big are the serves?” My standard response is that we offer quality sized portions. What else can I say? Eating in Thai should be a shared meal with a variety of small dishes and perhaps a larger fish or mixed seafood dish. But unfortunately, many Thai restaurants are now serving super size portions of muck on rice.

Newtown is a great place to eat; with the best selection of mid-priced restaurants in Sydney. A leisurely stroll along King Street, from Newtown station to Sydney Road at the peripheral of Sydney University, will take you past cafes and casual dining restaurants to suit most palates.

Our location in the heart of Newtown’s entertainment quarter makes Chedi Restaurant ideal for pre-theatre dining. Perfect proximity to The Vanguard, Carriage Works, Enmore Theatre and of course The Seymour Centre allows patrons to relax and enjoy a meal before the curtain rises.

The cover story in The Sydney Morning Herald Good Living “Dining in the Dark and other Restaurant Gripes”; was a pleasure to read. The article by Scott Bolies is a collection of complaints of what most annoys our restaurant critiques when dining out.

This delightful and very photogenic little girl came to dine at Chedi Restaurant with her family. She ate all her food and was forced to give up the spoon only with a bribe of a vanilla sundae.