You’d be hard-pressed to find many Sydneysiders who won’t rally around a big bowl of pad Thai. In fact, Australia has pretty much adopted these sweet-tangy noodles as one of our honourary national dishes. Every restaurant in Thai Town cooks up its own version, but none do it like the wok masters at Ed Ae’ 1982. Wrapped in a rectangular egg net and crowned with three plump king prawns, their pad Thai is almost unrecognisable.
However, it’s not the noodles that draw crowds at Ed Ae’ 1982. When dessert o’clock strikes, you’ll find fans queueing down George Street for its colourful bingsu saimai (milk-based shaved ice dessert). You won’t find bingsu like this elsewhere in Sydney, as Ed Ae’ 1982 is the only café in town with a machine to make the fluffy, horizontal shaped ice noodles. We recommended sharing as the servings are generous and come in ten colourful flavours like rock melon, salted egg, Thai milk tea and brown sugar. Create your own dessert adventure by matching it with more than 15 housemade toppings like grass jelly, dango, matcha brownie and mini strawberry mochi.
Ed Ae’ 1982 chalked up another claim to fame in 2023 when it introduced the largest selection of hot pots of any Thai establishment in Sydney. Beyond the typical tom yom or coconut soup, you’ll find hot and sour beef brisket, spicy chicken feet and their best-selling kao lao beef where not a trimming goes to waste – we’re talking intestines, spleen, tenderloins and all. These hot pots are the real deal, heated over charcoal instead of the commonly used chemical gel.
All-day appetisers and mains pay homage to Ed Ae’ 1982’s Thai roots with a twist, featuring modern ingredients like crispy fried oysters, salmon spaghetti carbonara and a brick-shaped Wagyu stir fry with rice. Plus, all of their recipes are 100 per cent halal.
We won’t judge if you drop by this café and dessert bar for the sweets alone. While most people come for the bingsu, they’ve also got strawberry shokupan brick toast, mango sticky rice, mini parfaits with Hokkaido milk soft serve, and fresh milk tea with brown sugar grass jelly.
It’s no surprise Ed Ae' 1982 is such a success considering it’s owned by a quintet of Thai chefs who began their careers at Chat Thai alongside the institution’s late founder, Amy Chanta. Make sure to bring your mates and your appetite.