Younger sister to Diep le Shaker off Fitzwilliam Square, this colourful little place quickly gained a reputation as the in place for discerning young things to meet. It has a great atmosphere, chic, clean-lined decor and - as if a mixture of Thai and Vietnamese food weren't fashionable enough - a cocktail bar too.
This Dublin restaurants closely packed tables reach a long way back down the long narrow room, and you can be fairly sure it will be packed, any night of the week, which adds to the ambience.
Service is a strong point from the moment you arrive and the menu - which offers plenty of noodle dishes, and much else besides - points out that no monosodium glutamate is used and that food arrives, Asian style, just as soon as it's ready, rather than in courses.
Whether the freefall attitude to meal structure works is, perhaps, a matter of luck - if you order well, it's fine and adds to the fun, but you could end up with too much or too little of one thing, or a feeling that dishes are arriving in the wrong order. Individual dishes are not expensive - a classic Phad Thai, for example, is around €13.95, Tom Yaam Goong (hot & sour soup with prawns) €6.95, Vietnamese noodle soups all around €9-10, and curries and stir-fries in the €15-16 region; but by the time you've had a couple of cocktails, ordered a bit of everything and had an Asian beer or a bottle of wine with your food it can add up surprisingly fast.
There's a sense of excitement to this little restaurant - it's a place to have fun; so first time out, order carefully - old hands know how to work the menu.
Open 7 days: L 2.30-5.30, D 5.30-11.30. 2/3 course Set L. €11.50/14.50. Early D from €24.50 (5.30-7.30); also á la carte. Wine from about €17.50. Closed Mon to 5.30, 24-31 Dec (re-opens 1 Jan at 5.30). Amex, MasterCard, Visa, Laser.
