10. First established in 2016 at number 9 Quay Street, Galway, Xi’an Street Food shares its immense love and passion for food with the people of Ireland. The firm’s mission is straightforward – to bring modern Asian cuisine to the Irish customer. “We here at Xi’An Street Food in Dublin believe in real food and also real flavours,” explains a spokesperson for the company. We understand that food should taste good and be good for you, so we use only the finest ingredients, including 100% Irish beef, Halal chicken and Halal beef, so that our food can be enjoyed by all.” All of Xi’an Street Food’s dishes are cooked to order with fresh ingredients and with no artificial flavouring. Customers will taste the difference in the dishes which combine a rich mix of herbs and spices, and no MSG! And it is thanks to its ethos of using only the very best food, along with its signature dishes, that has seen the restaurant go from strength-to-strength and allowed it to expand. A spokesperson says, “Due to the overwhelming popularity we have received over the last few years, we now have seven restaurants, and we are working on launching another branch soon. All our restaurants do delivery, takeaway and dine in as well, so there are many different options for the customer to enjoy our food.” Other than Xi’an Street Food, the company owns Renao Xian Bar and Restaurant which has a completely different concept. At Renao, the focus is on giving a world class dine-in experience with a huge emphasis on vegan options and hand-crafted cocktails alongside its usual specialities. There is also Retea, which is a bubble tea speciality place, which serves Jianbing too. Both are located in Galway. Differentiating from competitors, especially in such a fierce marketplace, can be tricky however Xi’an Street Food has a unique selling point to ensure that it stands head and shoulders above the rest. This is a deep understanding of what its customers like and need. “We have found a great balance between authenticity and modernity,” the spokesperson Best Street Food Restaurant – Dublin Bringing the food experience of the famous historical and cultural city of Xi’an in the east, to the vibrant city of Dublin in the west, Xi’an Street Food is leading the way in authentic Chinese dining. We profile the company, and the ethos which underpins its core values, in the wake of it being recognised in the Irish Enterprise Awards 2023. Jan23810 enthuses. “Our chefs have more than 20 years’ worth of experience and bring great knowledge and culinary skills to the table.” Speciality menu items include hand pulled noodles, which are made fresh every day, the spice bag with the firm’s secret Xi'an spice mix, and a variety of dishes from the Xi'an district in China. The love and passion that goes into creating such specialist dishes is clear. For instance, the hand pulled noodles are made from a dough that is rolled, twisted and stretched into long strips, exactly the way it was traditionally done in Xi’an city (used to be called Chang’An) more than 4,000 years ago. While labour intensive, the finesse and technique in the preparation style of these hand pulled noodles, handmade dumplings, roujiamo, jianbing and traditional Chinese dishes, is what also sets the company apart. The Xi’an meat burger (known as roujiamo) is like a hamburger but with a much longer history. Roujiamo is possibly the world’s oldest sandwich, or hamburger, since this bread dates back to the Qin Dynasty and the meat to the Zhou Dynasty. There are just two elements - baked leavened bread and shredded braised meat. “A good Chinese burger (jiamo) should always be baked using a traditional furnace instead of the more common electric oven,” continues the spokesperson. “Lean pork is braised for hours then hand-shredded and, finally, pocketed in the bread.” Another popular menu item is Biang Biang noodles, which is a very popular dish in the Shaanxi province. This is where it all began! Biang Biang noodles are named after the unique sound made as the large belt-like noodle dough is slapped against the counter when they are being pulled. The result is an extremely long, thick noodle topped with chili, pork and vegetables such as carrots, greens and potato. “Don’t forget to bring your camera as it is likely to be the longest noodle you’ll ever have! This is like food theatre, as you can watch the food being prepared!” Due to Ireland’s large student population, and also in part thanks to the Covid-19 lockdowns, there is a really strong dinein and takeaway culture in the country - this is particularly helpful for Xi’an Street Food as its main target audience is young professionals and students. More customers are also opening up to trying different options, often going beyond their comfort zones, means that Xi’an Street Food is able to really stretch its legs and excel. This gives it the flexibility to introduce newer items onto the menu that would traditionally have been popular in China, and which are picking up in the western world now. The spokesperson tells us more, “In the last few years, the awareness and popularity of traditional Chinese food items, like bubble tea, roujiamo, jianbing to name a few, has been on the rise,” he states. “We are constantly trialling new items on the menu and customers are more and more curious to try them.” Internal culture is of the utmost importance at Xi’an Street Food and the firm is careful to hire its chefs directly from China, for a truly authentic experience. The restaurant organises their relocation and takes care of all official steps in order to provide top notch food and experience, using quality ingredients, to its customers. “The great skill set that we have in our kitchen also sets us apart,” says the spokesperson. “Our floor staff are also meticulously trained to be highly observant, have an eye for attention to detail, and care deeply for the customer. Our company ethos is simple - always do what's best for the customer!” And it is thanks to this core value that is so intrinsically ingrained in the dedicated team at Xi’an Street Food that the firm recently gained recognition in the Irish Enterprise Awards and was named Best Street Food Restaurant – Dublin. This highly coveted, and very well-deserved accolade is testament to the hard work put in by the owners, managers, and all the staff who help to create an authentic eating experience. Company: Xian Street Food Dublin Ireland Contact: Kee Chen Web Address: www.xianstreetfooddublin.ie/
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