Located in the heart of the city, Big Fan is just a stroll away from Stephen's Green and all the sights. While they had the misfortune to open in September 2020, right between Covid lockdowns, they piqued interest with their photos of colourful and vibrant looking Chinese food and the experience in the flesh is just as exciting as their social media promise.
An open frontage creates an airy venue and you can smell the delicious food as soon as you get to the front door. Inside, the décor is simple, with dark walls and a striking red lacquered ceiling, and the music is loud but cheerful, which makes for a fun atmosphere.
The charming and enthusiastic front-of-house staff will gladly talk you through the complex and unusual menu which caters to meat lovers, vegetarians, and vegans alike. The head chef is from Hong Kong and he is clearly enjoying creating dishes that are beautiful and fun to look at and eat, with fresh, delicate flavours and pleasing textures.
The rare featherblade steak at around 12 euro is probably the best value beef dish you are likely to find in in Dublin. The tender, very rare, meat is sliced thinly, carpaccio style nearly. It comes garnished with fermented beans, ufra pepper and micro greens which lift the whole dish. If you order nothing else, you cannot miss this dish.
On the other hand a stunning vegan dish that any meat lover would be lucky to eat is the Lady Fingers; Okra is difficult to cook right and, cooked perfectly and seasoned beautifully here, this gorgeous dish is a particular highlight .
Work your way through baos (steamed bread rolls filled with meat or vegetables), dumplings and house cocktails too, but don't forget to leave some room for dessert, some of which are ideal for sharing. A beautiful example is the deep fried montou,(a brioche style dough) comes with a condensed coconut milk dipping sauce and there are four portions of the dough, two of which are perfumed with pandan.
There is a lot of joy and laughter at Big Fan and diners are clearly enjoying themselves. Smiling front of house staff navigatie between tables, checking in that the guests aren’t overwhelmed by some of the more unusual dishes.
A fun place to try for an adventurous night out wih friends - and great value too.
