Restaurant review: Lee's Charming Noodles more than lives up to its name

Buzzy and inviting on a dark evening, Lee's served up stunningly good aubergine, noodles and dumplings

Lee's Charming Noodles more than fits the bill for Leslie Williams.

• Lee’s Charming Noodles
• 105 Parnell Street, Dublin 1
• Tel: [phone]
• Noon-9pm daily
• charmingnoodles.weebly.com
• Instagram: @leescharmingnoodles_dublin

Can we call it Chinatown yet? There has been an ongoing petition to raise a Chinese gate at Parnell Street as you would see in London, Chicago or San Francisco, but it hasn’t happened yet. Perhaps Capel Street objected as they can make just as strong a claim — personally I would put at gate at both locations as a thank-you to the community and as a magnet for tourists and citizens.

I was born a culchie but I will always live in a city. I need the diversity, the buzz, and most of all I need the mix of food cultures. The Chinese, Korean, Brazilian, Eastern European, and Nigerian communities do not get nearly enough praise or thanks for having revitalised and effectively saved Dublin’s inner city. 

Streets such as Dorset St, Moore St, Parnell St, and Capel St were once dark and dead after 6pm, but now they vibrate with life every evening with restaurants, bubble tea bars, supermarkets, wig shops and nail salons.

Lee’s Charming Noodle Houses opened in 2005 making them one of the longest established restaurants on Parnell St. There are perhaps more glamorous-looking restaurants on the street such as Lao a few doors up, but Lee’s was buzzy and inviting for our early Sunday evening visit with a healthy mix of Chinese and Western diners.

The interior of Lee's Charming Noodles in Dublin.

I had visited nearby Lao, and Gushi on Capel St with thoughts of a review, but the best of the three is easily Lee’s. Having said that, do try Gushi crispy pungent Korean chicken wings sometime, and in Lao I enjoyed their razor clams, beef and chilli stir-fry, and the deep-fried crispy sea-bass which was drenched in moreish sweet and sour sauce.

What sets Lee’s apart for me is their homemade ethos with hand-pulled noodles, spring rolls and dumplings. Most Asian restaurants buy in gyoza and dumplings from Asian supermarkets and while they still taste good, you can’t beat a fresh-made steamed dumpling.

Staff did their best to help us choose but, in the end, we went with old favourites and some of my friend Mei Chin’s favourite dishes. Mei is one of the talented women behind the Spicebag podcast and knows Dublin’s Asian restaurants better than anyone — my visit to Lee’s was her recommendation (she also loves Ka-Shing on Wicklow St which I reviewed here in 2019).

Besides the (excellent) tea and bottles of Asahi beer the Salt and Chilli Squid (€6.80) arrived first. The cubes of squid were in a light crispy batter and tossed in salt and fresh chill: they were tender, creamy sweet and delicious — a perfect start. Home-made Dumplings with Pork and Chinese Cabbage (€5.50) worked out at a mere 55p each and tasted so good I’d happily pay triple. Meaty and subtle in a silky soft casing they livened up nicely when dipped in the chilli-garlic-soy dip. Our Chinese Special Platter (€13.50) was more conventional, but comfort eating at its best — crispy won-tons and spring rolls (made in-house), meaty rich bbq pork ribs and crunchy Sesame Prawn Toast.

Lanzhou handpulled noodles at Lee's Charming Noodles

Lanzhou Hand-Pulled Noodles (€9.20) are named for the city of Lanzhou in NW China which is famous for its beefy noodle bowls. The broth was typically clear, light, and fresh-tasting, the noodles al-dente and a little misshapen (proof of hand-pulling), and the veg and beef slices added extra textures while a spoonful of chilli oil added heft.

Pro-tip: always order Aubergines in a Chinese Restaurant. Lee’s Szechuan Style Aubergine in a clay pot (€10.80) were stunningly good — deep-fried and baked in a rich sauce packed with ginger and chilli.

Equally good was the Braised Japanese Tofu (€10.80) in a more Cantonese-style sauce packed with umami and subtle spicing — the 1cm thick discs of silky-soft Japanese Egg Tofu also added a pleasing textural contrast to the other dishes we tried.

Finally, an apology. I have been extremely remiss in my duties dear readers, the aptly named, hugely enjoyable, Lee’s Charming Noodles should not have had to wait so long for a review.

The Tab: 

Dinner for three including three starters, three generous mains, four beers and a pot of loose leaf Green Tea cost €78.10

The Verdict:

• Food: 9/10
• Drinks: 7/10
• Service: 9/10
• Ambiance: 8/10
• Value: 9.5/10

In a Sentence: 

Fine quality freshly-made traditional Chinese food in the heart of Dublin’s ‘Chinatown’ with charming staff and a buzzy atmosphere.