Mark and James’ Kiwi uber driver recommended coming to Fat Noodle for our pre-theatre dinner, on a Monday night (the show, the final Hats Off fundraiser was SO good, an incredible array of performers from the world of musicals and shows). Going through the food court, it was absolutely packed with everyone else going to the show. So, why not? We headed up to the casino, where it’s tucked into a corner surrounded by pokie machines and other gaming areas. It’s a weird place to be.
We had a good mix of food. James got the taxi driver-recommended chicken pad thai; I think Mark got a pho, and I had a South Taiwan Dan Zai Mee, which turned out to be a flavourful broth, not very interesting noodles, and other stuff with it. The others seemed to really like theirs. Mine was fine. Come to think of it, the stewed meat was really nice and I like a hard-boiled egg in my Asian dishes.
I’ve learned that Luke Nguyen is behind this place, so that, and its location means that the prices were about $20 each for the noodle soups and dishes. I know that it’s sour to think that if you find the right noodle soup elsewhere, it might be $10, and I really need to block from my mind that in Canada, where I’m from, these dishes would definitely be below $10. Then again, I remember being with Thai colleagues when they walked by a place with Pad Thai for $30 (overpriced, Circular Quay) and could see them calculating how much this was compared to the $2 or $3 they would pay.
So, sometimes it’s not really paying for the food, but for the best option among many, for rental of a seat and table in a comfortable place, where one can split a bottle of pinot grigio. It was definitely an excellent choice if you want to be fed, and the food court is packed, and you want to get away from the crowds.
