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Restaurant Review - Street Food

Restaurant Review - Street Food

Thursday 19 April 2012

 

The passion for Asian Street Food rages away and there is no denying its satisfying and seductive attractions as new eateries open apace. Emmet Daly of Café Sol has entered the market with his new Neon Asian Street Food on Dublin’s Camden Street to both dine in or take away. 

Friend Rena and I liked the whole experience from start to finish.  It’s a really cool comfortable canteen style space centred with a long long refrectory table down the middle, and individual tables for four down either side.   You order, McDonald’s style, at the service point, where they have a row of cinema seats to wait for takeaways, or if you are dining in the food arrives to your table in cartons on a cute little tray, but where they also have white noodle bowls stacked for use.  Chopsticks, plastic cutlery, and napkins, are at service stations. 

Starters €4.50/€5.50 had all the usual favourites such as duck spring rolls with hoi sin sauce, baby pork ribs, prawn rolls with sweet chilli sauce et al, whilst mains €9.95/ €11.50 covered everthing from Singapore and Pad Thai noodles thru’  the spectrum of green, red and yellow Thai curries, the Paks, the Priks and the Krapows, on to Wok dishes of varying aromas, spices, oysters sauces and nuts and varying heat. 

The Neon Mixed Starter Box for 2 (€10.50) had a selection of four freshy and tasty starters: duck spring roll, chicken satay skewers, prawn roll, and vegetable spring roll, all with appropriate sauces.  A big tub of Tom Yam Goong (€5.50) - hot and sour clear prawn soup – was ace and hit all the right sensory notes for me on a cold night.

To follow we shared Mekong Duck (€11.50), delicious succulent chopped up rich roast duck mixed with chilli, Pak Choy and Chinese leaves in soy sauce.  Penang Curry with prawns (€10.95) was an equally good execution of the dish which has coconut milk, green beans, chilli and kaffir lime leaves. Noodles and rice were included in the price.

There was a really nice relaxed atmosphere and the guys on the service counter were very friendly and helpful.  As we finished our mains, two icecream cones arrived courtesy of the house with directions to the icecream machine to help ourselves.  They have Singha, Tiger or Heineken beers (€4/€4.50) and a brace each of red and white wines (€12/€15).  They also have a quartet of kids dishes at €4.50.  With a bottle of Villa Argento Pinot Grigio (€15) our bill was €54.95 for a really nice night with good grub, a good vibe, and no crap. 

Musashi on Capel Street is a new Japanese spot, long narrow and stark, but very comfortable welcoming and friendly.  They have an extensive range of Sushi and Sashimi of all sizes shapes and selections, as well as Tempuras, noodles and traditional Japanese Grill dishes. We kicked off with a House Mix Tempura (€8.50) of black tiger prawns  paired with aubergine slices; Pork Gyoza (€5.95) which were tasty little dumplings, and Agedashi Tofu (€4.95) - three big squares of the bean curd sitting in a sweet ginger and daikon sauce.  All very good.  However, Yaki Udon (€7.99 ) and Yaki Soba (€7.99), two noodle dishes on the 12-5pm lunchtime special, with varying stirfry ingredients of prawns, beef, oriental vegetables, red pickled ginger, both lacked punch and flavour, which was a pity as they let down the starters.  With two Cokes (€2 ea) and optional service our bill came to €43.38

Toki Doki on a corner facing Christchurch Cathedral is also new, and a great location for the tourist trade.  Mainly takeaway with a couple of bar stools, they offer Chawmin or Singapore noodles in medium or large size cartons,  in two strengths, mild or spicy.  You can have your noodles plain, or with vegetables, chicken, beef, duck or mixed seafood, priced succinctly between €2.50 and €5.50.  A medium sized Spicy Duck Noodle at €5 was hot and tasty and sure hit the spot!

Neon,
17 Lower Camden Street,
Dublin. 2.

Tel: (01) 405-2222

Musashi,
15 Capel Street,
Dublin. 7.

Tel: (01) 532-8068

Toki Doki Noodle Bar,
9 Lord Edward Street,
Dublin. 2.

Tel: 087 699-4654

www.lucindaosullivan.com

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