Mars

This place is small and unpretentious. They have just a few wobbly tables, or high stools if you like staring at a wall while eating.
But, you get more than you pay for. It very cheap, but very tasty. The Chicken Satay with Fried Rice or Orange Chicken is a nice variation from the norm. If getting a takeaway, you are probably going to be pleased if you like large portions.
The staff are polite and friendly. In fact, they could give some more expensive places a lesson in being nice to customers. There are plenty of Chinese customers who eat there too, so that might be a signal of authenticity.
I’m giving Mars 5 stars because it does what it sets out to do perfectly. Good value, tasty Chinese food without any bells or whistles.

No, no, no, no… Have had take away from here twice it’s greasy, flavorless, just not good. The first time I specifically told the women I’m allergic to peppers and when I got home, starving after a long day’s work I opened the bag only to discover that my noodles were full of green peppers. Fail! Second time it was just… bland, on the bright side though, there were no peppers :)

I’ve been using Mars on and off for the last ten years or so (It used to called Man Wah don’t you know).
These days I don’t really go for Chinese food as much as I used to, which is because I’ve discovered a lot more diverse food in the area that served up relatively fast. I also think its difficult to find good Chineses in Dublin any more. But Mars is one of the better ones. And you see Asian people eating in there, which can’t be a bad sign.
I used to be addicted to their Chicken balls, which I would get with either sweet and sour sauce or curry sauce.
But recently my attention has been drawn to their Singapore Fried Rice. The guy who I sit beside at work has it for lunch at least once a week, if not twice a week. And he reckons its difficult to find a Chinese in Dublin that makes a really good Singapore Fried Rice.
Whether that’s true or not I don’t know because I’ve never had Singapore Fried Rice before. But last week I made the trek there for Singapore Fried Rice to go and I’m sure glad I did. Yummy in my tummy.
I’ll be back for the SFR.