Georgina Campbell
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Fans of real-deal Thai street food should make a beeline to Parliament Stree,t where Thai chef Ju McCarthy and her Irish husband Derek have garnered quite the fanbase since opening early in the pandemic (July 2020). Chef Ju hails from Isaan in north-east Thailand, which explains the prevalence of certain regional specialities – hello green papaya salad! – and the strong influence of Laos, which borders Isaan across the Mekong river.
The dining room is bright and airy with lots of exposed brick, blond floorboards, bistro-style booths and high-top bar tables, with a couple of tables out front under cheerful blue awnings for al fresco fans. They do a brisk take-away trade too, and a good value lunch special.
On the menu you’ll find all the usual suspects beloved of Thai food fans here in Ireland: an ubiquitous green curry that packs more of a punch than many insipid versions; suitably springy textured deep-fried fish cakes packed with fragrant seasoning and served with a sweet chilli dipping sauce topped with crushed peanuts and chopped cucumber; various wok and noodle dishes including a nicely piquant Pad Thai.
The real draw is in the lesser-spotted regional dishes, such as various street food salads and snacks. Khao Tod, a Laos snack of curried crispy rice balls with a tangy tamarind sauce, would make great soakage with a Thai beer (Singha and Chang), local brew from Dublin’s Hope Brewery or glass of Kung Fu Girl Riesling from the short list, while you peruse the full menu.
An extensive salad section features several laab salads – a Lao speciality starring crispy minced meat, in this case duck or pork – and a half-dozen different takes on green papaya salad, including with or without the pungent fermented fish that makes it such a distinctive dish. This street food classic is made to order by shredding and pounding unripe papaya with various seasonings. Friendly staff are happy to guide you through your options when ordering this in-house, in terms of how pungent or spicy you want it: novices might like to start with the sweet-sour-salty notes of Tam Thai (with tamarind juice, tomato and crushed peanuts) while adventurists can ramp things up with choices like Tam Plu Pla Raa, made extra pungent with fermented soft-shell crab as well fermented fish. Do pay attention to their warnings on heat levels: this is a kitchen that leans to authenticity rather than Western-friendly versions.
Don’t miss the fish dishes which deliver on drama, heat and flavour. Pla Kapong Luy Suan (fish in the garden) translates on the plate as a show-stopping sea bass fried whole and served whole – complete with crispy head and tail – topped with a chunky spicy relish and herb-heavy herb salad. A gentler option is Pla Rad Prik, or deep-fried sea bass fillets encased in a light batter and topped with a pungent sweet-sour-spicy sauce. Keep room too for a classic Thai dessert of sticky rice cooked in coconut milk with mango.
All in all this feels like the kind of cheap, cheerful and flavour-focused Thai neighbourhood eatery that you wish you could bring home with you from your travels. Somewhere to go with a gang and order a spread.
