Sailors Thai Canteen, George St, The Rocks

Sailors Thai Canteen, George St, The Rocks
Monday 3 July, 2006

First things first....can Sailors Thai do something about their website? It is pretty lame and is not a true reflection e.g. the menu is out of date. The tag line is, 'This is a Thai Restaurant like no other.' however if I didn't know any better I'd be turned off by the half baked website immediately and have no knowledge that it is a highly awarded restaurant that is worth a visit.

Tonight, my tennis buddy and I decided to visit for an early meal. We arrived at 6.45pm and were lucky enough to grab seats at the end of the long share table that runs the length of the restaurant. Within 15 minutes the entire table was full and there were people milling around the entrance waiting to sit down. You can't book at Sailors Thai Canteen so prepare to wait if you arrive after 7pm.

The staff at Sailors Thai Canteen amaze me - they could be from the local sandwich bar - they are not engaged, you have to ask for service and for the specials to be relayed and they do the bare minimum....deliver the food and walk away. It's staggering to experience this at a restaurant that has received as many accolades as Sailors Thai.

I've been a fan of David Thompson's since Darley St Thai. He famously took Thai food to the Thai people and knocked their socks off, wrote the definitive Thai cookbook aptly called Thai Food and then ventured to the UK to open Nahm. It was the first Thai restaurant to be awarded a Michelin Star.

However I've never been blown away at Sailors Thai Canteen. When I last visit in March the experience was much the same. Don't get me wrong the food is good it's just not great. Sydney is full of good restaurants. Tonight we ordered the red curry chicken with pumpkin and the grilled pork with lemongrass and chilli. This dish had a massive kick to it and the red chicken curry was absolutely delightful over steamed rice.

Sailors Thai Canteen is a place to go for a quick meal on the way to somewhere else. It's not the type of place to linger or enjoy a bottle of wine. They feed you & you move on.

I expected much more.

Sailors Thai Canteen - 106 George St, The Rocks - (02) 9251 2466

http://sydney.citysearch.com.au/E/V/SYDNE/0052/00/21/1.html