OLD TOWN DELIGHTS is a Thai restaurant in Mascot with a very focused but delicious menu consisting of only a few choice options.
The interior of the restaurant is a strange layout of a few tables for dining in and a couch for those waiting for their takeaway orders. There is a string of televisions behind the counter, but only one was on, playing YouTube videos of acoustic guitar music. There are also two electric guitars and an amplifier – not being skilled in music myself I did not try them.
Old Town Delight’s traditional duck noodle soup ($15.90) was excellent. The soup had a really deep, rich, umami flavour thanks to its inclusion of an array of Chinese herbs. The noodles themselves were surprisingly tasty, having been infused with some of the same flavours that makes this dish so great. There was a generous serving of gai lan and bean sprouts which added a degree of freshness to contrast with and complement the soup’s flavours. Unfortuantely the soy duck leg itself wasn’t really great – I felt it was a bit too lean and dry, but the beef balls that came with the soup were delicious. Despite the duck being a bit disappointing I can definitely recommend this dish. Absolutely wonderful flavours.
The spicy fried rice with chicken ($13.50) was also very good. It had a bit of pad kee mao quality, with basil and chilli flavours mixed into the rice. The chicken pieces were quite thick and juicy. I had a few mouthfuls in the restaurant fresh, and a few around 4AM that night at work and the food maintained its good quality despite microwaving.
THOUGHTS
Old Town Delights in Mascot is an absolute hidden gem. Both dishes I had were really good, and I would readily recommend them to a friend or colleague.
Old Town Delights
830 Botany Rd, Mascot NSW 2020
(02) 8339 0889