Oriental Emporium

I used to be a big fan of this place as it has all the little bits that you need in recipes that can be difficult to find in supermarket, with the added bonus of being great value for fresh herbs, veg and dried spices. However, I went in a few weeks ago, having not been in a few months, and found it much, much more expensive. More expensive than any supermarket. It’s completely put me off. I’d try to go to one of the asian markets in Dublin before going back here.

This place has a great selection
I went in to see if they a big bottle of Kikkoman soy sauce and they had it — hurrah!
The last occasion we were in here was for a browse, but we bought some poppadoms, uncooked ones. They worked out great.
Will definitely be popping in here in the future for cooking supplies.

So I know everyone keeps ranting and raving about this place but I went there for the first time last week as I was craving homemade sushi and the prices are ridiculous. For example both the sushi rice and low sodium soya sauce were the exact same brands as in Tesco and yet more expensive. I don’t know how that is possible, the ginger was fiver and the nori (seaweed wraps), 8 euros! Will definitely be on the hunt for a new Asian supermarket.

I don’t know what it is about this branch of Oriental Emporium, but I love it. Yes, it’s small (perhaps the smallest), but not as small as you would think. They pack so much into this tiny space and the people who work there are so helpful. I especially love there refrigerated produce and fresh noodle room in the back. I also like the fact that they have bags of rice that even a weakling like me can carry. Great selection, great asian market even without the fresh meat or fish selection of their store on Abbey Street.

The place is good.
The five stars might be a bit extreme, but they were the only place I could find in Dublin that had barley (like beef and barley soup), and they have soy sauce in liter sizes. It was six euro, I don’t know if that was a deal or not, but for as much as I go through soy sauce, it’s nice to have a big jug of it around.

Don’t you just hate it when your stomach is aching for a traditional Asian meal, you’ve decided not to order take-​away but instead be experimental in the kitchen and head over to the supermarket only to discover that they stock only a fraction of the ingredients you need for the recipe. How many times have you found yourself in this annoying situation?
Well, it happened to me all the time, until I discovered Oriental Emporium. The store imports groceries from numerous Asian countries and is a true treasure chest full of exotic goods. Here you’ll get your coconut milk for the Thai soup, bean sprouts and bamboo shoot for the stir-​fry and packs of noodles with all kinds of flavours and plenty of spices, tasty sauces and rice of course, ready to be boiled or braised. Brilliant shop!

I’m a big fan of all things Asian, especially the food, so it is a fantastic coincidence that the Oriental Emporium in Rathmines is the closest supermarket to where I live.
They sell every type and shape of noodle imaginable here, from rice noodles to soba noodles to egg noodles to buckwheat noodles, and even the instant-​just-​add-​water varieties (go for the real Chinese ones — much tastier than Pot Noodle!).
All the big supermarket chains — even Aldi and Lidl — now sell things like coconut milk and soy sauce, but you can find these staples for much much cheaper in the Emporium. All the fancy veg like baby corn and pak choi is also a cut of the price. The walk-​in fridge at the back of the shop also sells bags of fresh herbs like lemongrass, kaffir lime, coriander and sweet Thai basil which are great for curries. The fridges and freezers in the main part of the shop are filled with unidentifiable meats which I have promised myself I will be brave enough to delve into some day.
The selection of ready-​made sauces, curry pastes and spices is fantastic — anything you buy here is guaranteed to make a tasty and authentic dish.
There’s also a shelf at the back with woks to cook your meal in and little bowls, spoons and chopsticks to serve — enjoy!

I thought I would try to cook something really Asian and not just Uncle Ben’s. Thank goodness for the Oriental Emporium. It’s brilliant. It has everything you could possibly need from ramen noodles to pak choi, seaweed to tempura, an assortment of bowls, spoons and chop sticks and of course the obligatory crazy looking sweets and biscuits.
There are loads of shelves full of dried goods. Fridges for the obligatory crab sticks and sea food. Don’t forget (and be brave enough) to go into the cold room at the back that has all of the fresh veg. Great for spring onions and yummy greens.
Just don’t do what I did and ask where I can find teriyaki sauce. I knew that while the Chinese people behind the counter chatted together, they were saying «this eejit thinks she can just buy teriyaki sauce, doesn’t she know that you just make it with soy sauce and brown sugar!?» and rolling their eyes at me!
Only tip is to try to know what you need and what it looks like before going in. All the names on the packets are in Chinese :)

Oriental Emporium is pretty much the same deal as the Georges street and Abbey St branches only little smaller and in Rathmines.
As well as a great range of Asian foods, curry, spices, herbs frozen meats, fish etc they also have the only two things I ever buy there, which is noodles and green tea. Everyone is in on the noodles and green tea act now with even dull as dullest Tesco stocking them both.
But if you are a bit of chef and want authentic Asian ingredients and don’t want the trek into town then they have it all here.