A silver-haired dude dining alone on the other side of our high-top table suddenly bellowed into his white mobile phone: “That’s outrageous! I can’t pay that.”

He was speaking with his mouth full – of low-GI, fragrant Hainanese rice as it turned out. There were incoherent warbles before he ended his call and clicked his ­fingers at a waiter. He asked for a doggy bag and soon was scooping his leftovers into a round ­container.

“That’s probably his dinner,” said my dining companion.

“The trouble with shared tables is that you hear too much, or not enough,” he added. I agreed. We felt cheated the story was left hanging.

Some diners at Fat Noodle in the ­Treasury Casino in Brisbane might feel they, too, had been left hanging. I got a starchy reception when I arrived and ­requested to sit at a traditional table, not at the high table.

“Wait here,” barked a receptionist. It was an order, not a request.

She returned to say it was high table or nothing because the room was fully booked. But I can see a spare table, I said. And look, there is another couple leaving.

Another waiter was about to usher me to the newly vacant table when the tempestuous one returned. “Fully booked, fully booked,” she said.

This seemed a little odd because I had phoned earlier and was told it was walk-in seating with reservations only taken for groups of eight or more.

Nevertheless, I put up the white flag. I would be happy to sit at the high table, I lied. From this point on, I have to say, our luncheon was a splendid success with friendly, crisp service and plates of simple/complex/spicy/fragrant/zesty food that was unrelentingly tasty.

The flavours spoke flatteringly to one another. And Fat Noodle was abuzz with good fun. Asia is laid out before you on a menu that fires up the tastebuds. Go for Singaporean laksa ($26), Vietnamese fat pho noodles ($24), Korean chargrilled port and kimchi ($20), Malaysian mee goreng ($20) and Thai beef salad ($17).

We shared some delicious cold prawn and pork rice paper rolls ($16) with a hoisin dipping sauce before the main event.

My friend’s mee goreng turned out to be a wok star with a splendid combination of prawns, chicken, octopus, and sambal chilli over Singapore noodles. He vowed to bring his mother back to try it.

I also had the roasted duck noodle soup ($27). Superb stuff it was, too, with ­tender duck slices alongside a bowl of egg ­noodles and a chicken, pork and fish broth that had been carefully pimped with tamarind plum sauce.

And we had a side dish of Gai lan ­(Chinese broccoli) and zucchini in a light soy sauce. We drank green tea followed by Tsingtao beer ($9.50 per bottle).

Fat Noodle’s high table is a tight fit and you may touch elbows with the diners alongside you. But I am happy to put up with such minor inconveniences for food as good as this.

This review originally appeared on news.com.au.