Issan Thai Street Food, 10 Droop Street, Footscray. Phone: 9689 9404
Footscray central – ahhh, so much wonderful food, so many lovely people.
Apart from the central themes of Vietnamese and Ethiopian tucker, I can think of at least half a dozen other food varieties without even trying.
But Thai?
Nope.
Never has been hereabouts – or not in my 15-year memory of western living.
The nearest Thai restaurants have been in West Footscray, Seddon and Kensington.
With the arrival of Issan Thai Street Food, that is no longer the case.
And by adding another strand of diversity to inner Footscray, I think Noi and her hubby Vince are being very smart indeed.
As well, they’re adding some welcome life to the mostly moribund-over-the-years Westville Central building.
I know that in the wake of the Little Saigon fire, there were suggestions that Westville Central could – even if only temporarily – play a similar role.
I am not party to the commercial or real estate dynamics involved, but it is good to see some life around the place.
After a solo visit by myself for reconnaissance purposes, a happy group of seven CTS pals hit Issan and have a swell time.
We find the service fine and the wait times appropriate for the food we ordered.
The sharing platter som tum tard (top photo $18.90) is a doozy – a big mound of excellent spicy green papaya salad is surrounded by pork crackling, chicken wings, wet-smooth noodles, bean sprouts and chargrilled diced beef.
Even the hardboiled egg halves are superbly done, with the yolks gooey, not runny.
Our order of satay tofu ($6.90), fuelled by the intense curiosity of three members of our group, doesn’t impress greatly – I think we have been expecting tofu a little more crusty and crunchy. This is OK and the peanutty sauce is good.
The pork skewers of moo ping ($10.90) are outstanding.
The meat is perfectly cooked, packed with chargrill flavour and served with a zingy tamarind-based sauce.
Our serve of Penang curry with beef ($15.90) is of modest proportions but all good.
Here, it’s the deeply, richly flavoursome sauce/gravy that is the hit, with some of us continuing to mop it up with rice long after the curry’s main protagonists have gone and other dishes have arrived at our table.
Pad thai with chicken ($13.90) is a fine version of this popular dish.
The chicken salad of larb gai ($13.90) really impresses with its freshness and tang.
Likewise with the equally sexy moo narm tok ($13.90) – sliced grilled pork with lemon juice, herbs, chilli and toasted ground rice.
My photo here doesn’t adequately convey the fatty, chargrilled gloriousness of the dish!
At Issan, you’ll find not much by the way exotica, offal or regional specialties.
But our general consensus is that the Issan fare is a considerable cut above what is generally found in your typical suburban Thai restaurants.
We double ordered several dishes – the moo ping, the larb gai and the moo narm tok – and ate substantially and satisfyingly well.
Yet the bill for seven of us comes to a few cents under $20 each.
consider the sauce 
Looks really good! Will be great to have a good Thai joint in the neighbourhood. Correct me if I’m wrong, but did Noi and Vince used to run Thai By Night in Bellair St, Kensington?
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Yes, they did – though I was told that was a few years back and that those Kensington premises have been under new managements since then.
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They were the original owners. Vince ran the cafe by day (forgot it’s name?) and then after a while Noi extended the offering to Thai food in the evenings. I remember the food as being very good. This was about 8-9 yeas ago though.
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Hi! have you reviewed ‘Thai Angels’ in West Footscray? If not, is there an interesting reason?
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No. And no reason. Do you like it?
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Thai is not my favourite Asian food, but went when it opened and enjoyed a chef’s choice banquet for about 10 people, albeit pretty pricey! I can’t comment on how it has progressed except to say it has doubled in area and is always busy! di
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Thanks! I think part of it with us that we’re often already in full-on biryani mode by the time we get to West Footscray!
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Before it was Than Vinh, the restaurant that occupied 152 Hopkins St, Footscray was Thai Tho. Not a very impressive Thai restaurant, but at least we had one for a while. We went there a few times before it closed about 3 years ago.
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Ha! Thanks for that!
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I recognise Noi from my old Thai massage place in Seddon! Such a lovely lady, I can’t wait to come and visit – the food looks so good!!
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Kenny the Pad Thai dish with wide rice noodles looks more like pad see eew.
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Maybe – but pad thai is what we ordered. Must be my pic!
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Come and meet me in the city for lunch and we’ll do Pad Thai. One of the better versions in Melbourne.
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Is a deal!
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Yes I think you are right Krapow! Pad Thai is traditionally made with thin rice vermicelli noodles. Not the super thin glassy transparent ones though. I good pad thai is to die for.
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All the food looks authentic and delicious! Is Noi from Isaan? I’m staying in Isaan now, and I can’t get enough of the delicious food here!
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Yes, she is!
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