Yo Thai In Dublin
22-24 Donnybrook Road
Donnybrook
Dublin 4
Ireland
Billy and I were back visiting the motherland some weeks ago and were brought to a new (well… new to us anyway, and that’s all that counts) eaterie called Yo Thai. It’s placed a fair distance from the city centre; so it’s an unlikely visit unless you live near the area. Which is unfortunate as it would, we feel, be better received around Grafton St or its environs.
Surprisingly, given the name, its real expertise is Japanese; sushi. Good sushi is not easy to come by in Dublin since Aya began to serve mashed potato and the occasional hamburger (WTF!!!) on its conveyor belts.
Yo Thai certainly seems incongruous for Donnybrook. It’s a fairly pleasant area; with beautiful Georgian residences and small greens and parks; but hardly known for its cuisine. This is one of two difficulties that Yo Thai has; exemplified by our going in a quiet family group on the night of a rugby game. Yo Thai is a large well-kept restaraunt over one of the larger pubs in the area, and was crowded to breaking point with tables of gregarious drunken lads laden with plates of chips and ketchup. Not in itself a bad thing if we were looking for a loud night out; but one generally doesn’t choose Japanese food for the singing drunken craic. We had to feel bad for the waiter who was forcibly pulled down to a table beside us to sing Happy Birthday, or another who had difficulty containing her distaste when delivering aprons/bibs to one table a moment too late…
The second problem with Yo Thai I’ll mention later.
The food came, course upon course upon course, and was of a very high standard. It was a set menu, selected by the main chef upon recognising one of our companions; a Japanese girl who had been there before. One of the most interesting things about Yo Thai is the flexibility and genuine enthusiasm of the chef; who will happily produce items not on the menu if requested and will even suggest such items if he feels the customer would appreciate them. We had excellent sashimi; tuna, sea bass and salmon. A very high quality of fish; cut into pieces thick enough to relish every bite. This was followed by steamed sea bass & pak choi in soy; onigiri; udon and miso and finally azuki bean ice cream, which is excellent.
The green tea was rejoiced even by littl’ Billy when it finally came to announce an end to the generous courses in the form of a much needed digestive aid.
The main chef, coincidentally also named Billy, is certainly the best and worst thing about the place simultaneously. Though, it should be stated immediately before going further; ‘worst’ for the best possible reasons.
He’s Thai and this certainly shows through in the menu and in the crisp tastes her serves. He also trained for a few years as a sushi chef in Japan. He’s incredibly enthusiastic about his customers (you feel more like an honoured guest), proud of the food he serves, and almost a floorshow in the whirlwind of smiles, laughs and chat he creates about the restaraunt. Like some crazed dervish delivering great food and a genuine smile to each and every table.
He is however, in doing so, one of the problems I think Yo Thai faces; Billy is stretched far too thinly in his workload. He engages in conversations that he is forced to cut short before they’ve really begun, his food gives the impression that he doesn’t quite achieve as highly as he could (this is meant as a compliment), and the menu is largely limited to dishes that can be quickly and efficiently prepared.
He’s aware of this and even apoligised several times while delivering genuinely fine fare. A new restaraunt and a menu were mentioned and we’re both very much looking forward to trying it out sometime in the New Year.
Eoin: 7
Billy: 9
Link to gmap here
