While the likes of Chapter One and The Winding Stair keep the high-end diners of Dublin well fed, the emergence of Joe Macken’s growing culinary empire has broadened the wealth of choice for those of us with less wealth of wallet.
But what about if you want something properly cheap? Those of us who like to dine out for under a tenner without feeling like we’re committing horrible crimes to the food industry, not to mention our own personal well-being, can find ourselves at a loss in this city. Sure, there are plenty of burrito places (most of them quite good) dotted around town. But what if you’ve had your fill of Mexican beans?
Neon on Camden Street opened at the beginning of this year with an aim of adding to the choice of the more frugal diners of our fine city. If you’re ordering this Asian Street Food for delivery or take-away, you’ll no doubt be treated by the staff with the same efficiency and consistency on the evening we visited. The design aesthetic of butcher’s tiles and communal tables an faux-casual stacks of bowls beside chopsticks and plastic cutlery arranged on the tables for those wishing to dine in hints at a franchise element. It’s all too…well thought out. If you’re not already aware, Neon has been engineered by Emmet Daly, the man behind Café Sol, a chain that there’s little chance you haven’t bought something from since it opened in 1998. This connection to a chain might disappoint some of you but it doesn’t take away from Neon’s success at filling a gap in the fast food market.
Myself and Niall went on a Saturday evening for a pre-gig bite and, authentic or not, we were fed well and didn’t feel ripped off afterwards. We sat on the long communal table after ordering from the counter and having a peek behind the servers shoulder at the bustling kitchen. My Vietnamese Pho Soup (€5.50) and Roast Duck Salad (€6.75) and Niall’s Pad Thai (€10.95) were delivered on a tray by our server, which also carried two empty ice-cream cones. “You can help yourself to free ice-cream when you’re finished your meal,” he said, nonchalantly pointing to the Whippy Machine in the corner.
“WHAT?!” I spluttered. It’s probably safe to say Neon had me when they offered me the chance to realise one of my childhood dreams – to use a Whippy machine and take control of my own ice-cream cone.
The promise of ice-cream aside, my Vietnamese Pho Soup was a budget diner’s dream. I’d be hard pressed to think of a better value dish of its kind in the city. It was practically a bucket’s worth of truly tasty beef broth swimming in Asian vegetables, chunks of beef and rice noodles, a meal in itself. My Roast Duck Salad would also have sufficed on its own, too, with a good balance of the sweet and spicy making it a flavourful little number. Niall’s Pad Thai (€9.95), however, was only all right while his Prawn Rolls with Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce (€5.50) fared a little better. We washed the flavours down with a bottle of Singha beer each at €4 a pop.
Neon will have you fed and watered fast, but won’t leave you feeling horrible afterwards. Not least because you’ll be walking out of its doors slurping on an ice-cream that you put together yourself.
Neon
17 Camden Street
Dublin 2
01-4052222
