From the constantly evolving world of 'street food' themed restaurants in Galway, 'Papa Rich' is one of the younger kids on the block, covering all the bases from Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Singaporean, Soul Food, Taiwanese, Thai and Vietnamese. Papa Rich uses the freshest ingredients to create Asian street food inspired dishes from family recipes at affordable prices.
From the time they opened the door in late December 2015, husband and wife team Rebecca Tan Lee and Kevin Tan's 'Papa Rich Asian Street Food' became a firm favourite on the thriving casual dining scene in Galway - and, while you may still get lucky, it is prudent to book ahead in the evenings and weekends.
Papa Rich is situated in Woodquay, above Bar an Chaladh and just across from McSwiggans where they are doing a stellar job of attracting those who love Asian fare with huge plates and bowls of steaming food.
Follow your nose up the stairs as the smells from the kitchen lead the way into the first floor dining room, dominated by a dark wood bar where colorful murals set the scene. Tables are bedecked with a large bottle of Sriracha sauce and pots of chopsticks.There is a warm welcome from Rebecca at front of house, working along side her very talented husband, head chef, Kevin.
This passionate and enthusiastic couple from Malaysia felt the time was right for their own business after a long time working in the industry. This is an old fashioned, family-run restaurant and all the better for it. Most things are cooked from scratch in the kitchen, including stocks and condiments.
Chef Kevin had worked previously at the Asian Tea House and Neo on the docks and he and his team like to keep the cooking as natural as possible, using beetroot and turmeric as colourings and no MSG.
Service is attentive and considerate, water bottles arrive quickly and there is plenty of advice on what to order. This is a restaurant that adds its own heat, commendably, it is not dumbed down to suit the sometimes bland palate of the Irish. There are little red flames after each menu item, alerting you to the heat level you can expect. Have your picture added to the Wall of Flame for finishing a dish rated with five 'flames' (or more).
Try the noodle bowls - minced pork and prawn dumplings with plenty of vegetables, mountains of coriander, lime, thai basil, and mint all piled onto Dan Dan noodles and a very flavoursome broth makes this one of the best and most affordable bowls of food in town. The most expensive items in this restaurant are just ten euro.
Other menu highlights include the crunchy salads drizzled with light coconut and tamarind dressing and spicy Vietnamese noodle bowls. There is a great lamb Rendang and the authentic peanut crusted Korean chicken wings have built quite a following.
The desserts deserve more than just a glance - unusually for this type of cuisine they are made on the premises and not bought in frozen. As much thought has gone into the sweet courses as the savoury. The homemade ice-cream with peanuts and Oreo soil is nothing short of addictive.
Kevin also gives occasional, and very popular, cooking classes in the restaurant for customers eager to recreate the Papa Rich experience at home.
