Some of Dublin's top chefs swear by the Szechuan food at M&L Chinese, a busy restaurant which is slightly off the beaten track and popular with Chinese families and savvy locals alike.
On a small street connecting O' Connell Street and Malborough Street, M&L Chinese is in a functional room with simple decor and a scattering of Chinese lanterns and decorative paraphernalia.Tables covered in cream table cloths have drinks menus and some advertising leaflets on display beneath a glass table top.
While there is nothing obvious to distinguish it from the many other similar restaurants across the city, it is popular with a mix of Chinese families, locals who know the ropes and tourists who have been tipped to try it.
The website offers a “true taste of China” and it does exist here, but you need to seek it out. For the first time customer, the extensive menu - which includes authentic Szechuan items on the first two pages with more Western options on offer after that - may make it difficult to choose.
Service, while friendly, can be slow and a little abrupt, so a point and order approach is usually the best option here, and - if you are in search of authenticity - stick to the more adventurous options on the specials board to avoid the western versions.
Like most other Chinese restaurants, menus give no information on provenance or suppliers, but the quality is in the taste.
Steaming plates of delicious looking food can be spotted going to tables and starters like the pork steam buns are perfect for sharing. Pillowy rice flour dumplings are served in a bamboo basket filled with minced pork, mushroom, scallion served with a soy dipping sauce.
A popular seafod dish is whole seabass in spicy Szechuan sauce, although purists might find the sauce a little too sweet. One main dish is usually enough between two with rice and a side dish of, perhaps, the spicy green beans.
Prices are reasonable, with a meal for two from about €60-€70 including a couple of beers or moderately priced wine - a simple wine menu offers bottles from about €20 to €40, but none available by the glass. They also offer Tsintsao beer (about €3) and several Iced Green Teas and juices.
Avoid the grubby bathrooms and stick to the specials board for a true Chinese food experience.
