There’s lots of curiosity in Rathmines, Dublin 6, as Hawker, an upmarket Chinese takeaway, prepares to open. Even as the team last week readied the venue for opening, sweeping up builder debris and stocking the fridges, customers were trying to come in and order, only to be gently told by group manager Seana O’Brien to return later in the month.
Will Dempsey, owner of hip Asian Hang Dai on Dublin’s Camden Street, is excited to bring Hawker back to life. It was born during lockdown, at a time when only outdoor dining was allowed.
“When Hang Dai closed in the early days of Covid, we had a staff meeting where we all wanted to work and keep the restaurant alive. So we chose dishes that would work for takeaway and we got set up on Deliveroo,” says Dempsey.
It was an immediate hit, with high demand for Hang Dai’s modern take on traditional Chinese dishes – its Instagram account still has more than 3,000 followers.
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“It was actually a bit overwhelming. We’d turn on the Deliveroo machine and the dockets would just hit the ground. Eight delivery drivers could be waiting outside, but we got to a point where we were doing seven orders every 15 minutes and we kept it going.”
Eventually, restrictions were eased and outdoor dining was allowed. This gave Dempsey and the team the chance to do something different, and so the first iteration of Hawker was born outside Hang Dai.
“I’ve always been a big fan of street food,” Dempsey says. “When I’m in Thailand or Hong Kong, I love sitting at stalls – and they’re the best meals I’ve ever had.”
When post-Covid normality kicked in, the street food concept was temporarily shuttered in favour of resuming full restaurant service at Hang Dai. But it was not forgotten, and eventually opportunity came in the shape of the former Bombay Pantry premises in Rathmines.
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“Even though it’s a takeaway, with very limited high-stool seating, I wanted it to look as good as Hang Dai,” says Dempsey. He recruited former collaborator and sound system designer Toby Hackett, and together they visited Hong Kong earlier this year.
“It’s quite important to me to kind of do something different and I think Hong Kong is one of the best places for that. It’s a futuristic Asian New York, you get so many ideas,” Dempsey says.
The end result is a bright interior with yellow tiled walls, sleek light fittings, a retro menu board and a custom ceiling made from bamboo wood featuring intricate inlay and elegant arches. The same attention to detail is evident in the brand design which combines bold black characters against a cream and gold background. A little birdcage logo is a nod back to the one that hung outside Hang Dai during the original Hawker days.
The kitchen will be overseen by Thiago Guerra, head chef at Hang Dai, and Jason Xu. “We will be doing lots of testing. We’ll pack up the food in the containers, let it sit for up to an hour, send it all around the city, so we can see how it travels,” says Guerra.
The new menu will be bigger than the original Hawker menu, with some of the Hang Dai classics such as the cheeseburger spring roll available in the new location. Starters will include double-fried crispy chicken wings with Chinese sauce and Grandma’s red braised short ribs, based on an authentic recipe recreated in Ireland.
A selection of dim sum and soups will sit alongside mains such as spicy braised beef hot pot, and sweet and sour crispy Iberico pork and mapo tofu which will come in both pork and shiitake mushroom varieties. Dempsey and Guerra have conceded to more contemporary tastes by developing a katsu chicken spice box.
Large sharing plates from the grill – such as an Irish cote de boeuf with green beans and black bean sauce or seabass fillet with chilli oil, garlic and ginger – will appeal to customers who want to quickly put something special on the table. Limited edition weekend specials will keep the menu fresh and, for the value seekers, there will be a family meal deal of two starters, two adult mains and two junior meals along with ice-cream.
Prices are still being finalised but will likely range from €4-€10 for starters, dim sum and soups, while mains will be from €14 to €20 and the larger sharing plates will be in the €25 to €55 range.
Customers will also be able to order from a short selection of wines, beers and soft drinks, but the star attraction will be a range of individually bottled cocktails, developed by manager Paddy Cannon, formerly of Bar 1661, which will bring an Asian riff to classic drinks.
Hawker is scheduled to open on August 27th and will operate Monday to Sunday, 5pm to 11pm.
