Dodee Paidang Chatswood

Overview

When you can't be bothered to cook and you're craving something reliable and delicious, Thai food has always had your back. And few restaurants do it better than Dodee Paidang. Dodee Paidang's house special is tom yum noodles — the recipe comes from the hugely popular Dodee Paidang chain in Thailand. Owner Somporn Phosri bought the recipe and opened up Sydney's three outposts — this one in Chatswood, plus Bondi Junction and Haymarket.

The legendary soup in question is a sweet and sour broth flavoured with lemongrass, galangal, lime and Thai herbs and jazzed up with seafood and meat. All you have to do is choose how hot you want it: the spice level ranges from 'monster' (level one) to 'super nova' (level seven). Not a big chilli fan? Opt for the no chilli broth, cheekily named 'nursery'.

Entrees include classics such as chicken wings, crab and prawn rolls, xsan sausage and fish cake and satay chicken. The fried rice is cooked to perfection and served with king prawns while the pineapples option adds a sweet and sour element which is especially delicious. The ginger and shallot sauce stir-fry is the pick of the bunch while the massaman beef is tender and melts in your mouth.

If it's seafood your after, there are numerous whole fish options served up with variations of chilli, garlic, lemon and tomatoes. For something lighter give the som tum and soft shell crab salad a go. Basically, there's an almost never-ending of dishes at Dodee Paidang in Chatswood. You can easily come back over and over again and still find new dishes to try.

Images: Cassandra Hannagan