Chai Yo

100 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2

When the headaches start taking over the office, you know it’s time to get out and go Zen. And today, my search for Nirvana took me to Chai Yo.

Several years ago, I had lunch here, following a client meeting at BOI HQ opposite, and the positive memories stayed with me. I walk by the door a few times a week, and as there are few good and affordable Japanese places in Dublin (I am having sushi withdrawal since leaving Canada), I always tell myself to check it out again. I had some unwitting guinea pigs go through the hoops last night – I recommended it to some colleagues for dinner, and they seemed pleased notwithstanding the absence of tuna from the sushi menu (no, I don’t understand it either). OK, you get the drift: it had been recently tested and approved, I was itching to go, and the headache wasn't getting any better - so Chai Yo it was.

Greeted by an east Asian woman (not sure – Malaysian? Filipina? Not Japanese, anyway, but dressed in costume like a hostess on Singapore Airlines), I was asked if I had a reservation. On answering in the negative, I was escorted downstairs, and seated at a table partially hidden by a decorative Japanese screen. Not that I minded: it afforded me some privacy from most of the rest of the dining room, and allowed me read my newspaper in peace.

The first question my waitress asked was whether I would like wine. She must have thought: he's got a suit, and a newspaper; must be a banker in need of a boozy lunch. I imagine this is a popular restaurant with visitors to the finance houses around Baggot Street; indeed, Irish accents were in the minority among the other patrons (mainly English, some American). I asked for water.

The lunch menu is shaped by three types of meal: main courses (seafood or meat); teppan yaki; or the “lunch special”. It was this last that I chose, and was pleased to find it served within ten minutes. I progressed through the "starters", presented on a miniature Lazy-Susan, as follows: spring roll – good consistency, and accompanied by a rivulet of a tangy crimson sauce; chicken yakitori – three good-sized morsels of chicken, tender and well-cooked, and separated one from the other by slices of red or green pepper; and a salad – one slice each of tomato and cucumber, settled on a bed of chopped cabbage and lettuce, and what I detected as some Asian horseradish. All three starters were right on target for size, variation, and flavour.

I had chosen egg fried rice over the boiled variety, and a china bowl of it was ample to provide a carb base for the two main courses. First was sweet and sour prawns: five succulent crustacean samples, with semi-caramelised onions, and red and green peppers in a tangy, gelatinous sauce. Secondly, I attacked the ginger chicken, which came with baby corn, carrots, mushrooms, peppers and scallions. Again, both dishes were hungrily appreciated – though if I had one pointer for Chai Yo, it would be: go easy on the peppers. They’re very acidic vegetables, and too much of a good thing can make more sensitive diners feel that their stomachs are haemorrhaging, most of the afternoon.

The final course consisted of some fresh fruit – a generous slice of honeydew melon, a bunch of about 10 green, seedless grapes, and an orange wedge. Having decided that the peppers had provided more than enough ascorbic acid for one day, I left the citrus untouched.

Chai Yo is a strange place if you think you’re going for a Japanese meal; this is not exclusively a Japanese restaurant. But if you look forward to a taste of the (albeit Westernised) cuisine of several east Asian cultures, then you won’t be disappointed. Especially not when the bill comes - €14.50! In my opinion, this represents outstanding value for a full lunch in Dublin. The food is great, the service is snappy yet unfussy, and the bill tops it all off.

Finally, an insider tip: the downstairs room is fully in the basement, fairly insipid, and lacks natural light; whereas the upstairs room is bright, airy, and very attractive on a sunny spring day. On the way out, the woman who greeted me told me that the top room is available to diners also, but mainly to those reserving it specially. Next time – and there will be a next time, soon, and with a group of people – I will be sure to ring in advance and book the premium spots.

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The Damage (EUR)
Set Lunch Special

• 14.50 Spring Roll, Chicken Teriyaki, Salad, Sweet and Sour Prawns, Ginger Chicken, Fruit
  

Drinks

• Water
  

Service 2.00
Total 16.50
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The Score
4.0 Food and Drink
3.5 Service
2.5 Décor
3.0 Ambience
4.5 Value
4.0 Overall
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