Hidden between a solicitor’s office and a fast-food chain on Dame Street, Dalang is an inconspicuous hidden gem offering affordable traditional Korean food, sushi, and bubble tea from a seemingly endless menu. The star of the show for hungry students is their lunch special for 10 euro—if you’re bored of the Sprout repetition, venture further and dare to leave Dawson Street for a bowl of steaming-hot ramen or a bento box.
Rest assured that this place is a crowd-pleaser. I took my 74-year old German grandmother to Dalang because she is a frequent connoisseur of the one (decidedly German-ified) Japanese restaurant in Dresden. I had the Dakgangjeong—piping hot fried chicken, crunchy and coated in a vibrant gochujang sauce. There is something to be said for a meal that leaves you with an empty plate—the side salad is also a delicious complement to the meal. This is a rarity for a side that is usually an afterthought, tossed haphazardly on the plate and left behind, hidden under cutlery by children and destined to be scraped off later.
My grandma ordered a large bowl of chicken ramen — and I say large, not because there are size options, but because the portions here will always leave you full. A broth is something of a divine liquid that not many alchemists can conjure up correctly — but call the chef at Dalang Paulo Coelho, because they have mastered it. The broth is rich and umami, bursting with flavour and richness. The chicken is tender and plentiful and the soft-boiled soy-marinated egg is the star of the show. I can attest that the German-Japanese restaurants will no longer be receiving her patronage. Restaurants like Dalang in Dublin have given her a taste for the finer culinary options, incomparable to those of the local shopping centre. For students looking to save some money, their lunch menu includes sushi, bento, fried rice and ramen options. They also offer Korean BBQ, for those looking to have a unique (and pricier) kind of restaurant experience.
This is not an ad, so I must warn you of one thing: at lunchtime, this is not the place for ambience, but it makes up for it with quality of food and price. The music choices are overstimulating. I noticed this when visiting Dalang again under the guise of taking photos for the article. I was quickly distracted from the music by the bulgogi, which I highly recommend and is a new favourite for me on the menu. An extensive menu is usually a red flag for a restaurant (how can they do everything well?), but I have never been disappointed by anything at Dalang.
A final quote from The University Times Photo Editor after her recent experience of dining at Dalang: “Fay was right”!
