Asia Market — Local services in Dublin

If there's ever a deco contest for ethnic minority shops or markets in Dublin, Asia Market will be the No.1, at least in the Asian section.

It has not only a wide range of Chinese, Malaysian, Korean, Japanese and Thai fresh, dry or frozen goods at reasonable price; but it also provides you a seasonal oriental shopping atmosphere, with an authentic yet aesthetic layout that is blending with the products they sell.

The bright yellow window frame easily  draws passerby's attention to the Lunch Boat they offer in a see-through glass steamer right at the front counter. With 5.50 you can have the dim sum of your choice red hot from the steamer. If you woukd like a drink, there are different flavour of bubble tea you can try (milk tea with round bouncy jelly like little balls made from tapioca).

You won't miss the terracotta soldier holding his sword standing solemnly on your left, with a little wooden side table next to him showcasing the seasonal goods. One might need to watch out for the red lanterns and oil-paper umbrellas hanging overhead while gazing at the Asian recipe books on the tall left bookshelf.

Neon lights on the walls show you the way to go. Before you enter the vegetable and fruit section, you will see 4 or 5 tall wooded shelves full of kitchen utensils. Plates and spoons arr reflecting the lamps, with a gentle glow on.

As you just turn right, you would notice there is a dark green moped leaning against the wall with a giant 3 tiers steamer on its back. Ladles of different sizes are used as candlehodlers hanging on the wall.

You will see lanterns hanging all over the shop. I remember in spring time the deco was a tree of sakura in different shades of pink.

The design and layout of the market is full of care- all the fruits and vegetables are clearly labelled with price marked out: fruits on the left and vegetables on the right. There is another terracotta soldier half kneeling down amongst the fruits. You won't find any rotten vegetables blesables or withered fruits on the shelves.

In the chill section, there are locally picked and packaged green vegetables weighted and priced. Freshly cought sea food and locally sourced poultry or meat can be found there too.

Only  until just now I realized why I keep going back to Asia Market while there are about nearly 8 other Chinese/Asian markets nearby. The riental aesthetic interior design is one part of it (30%) -- so culturally relevant to the season; overall reasonable price is the second reason (20%); humane layout is the third reason (20%) -- all the shelves are not too high so I can reach everything I can see; good variety and quality of the goods (10%); clean and bright space (10%) and smiling friendly shop assistants (10%).

Definitely a 5-star review and recommendation If you have loyalty card, I will sign up for sure and will definitely recommend it to...

Excellent selection of Asian pantry staples - Korean, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Thai - as well as as fresh veggies, bread and cakes, frozen food, and even tableware, alcohol and cookware. There is a front section just inside the door which is a kind of pop-up shop selling snack size baos and mochi. It’s nice enough, but I recommend Hong Kong Bakery on the North side if you want freshly baked buns.

They have regular events celebrating street food from different cuisines (such as Chinese New Year or Autumn Festival), as well as recipes on their website showing how to cook with different items. These things in combination has led me to explore more of Korean and Malaysian cuisine in particular.

You can order pantry staples and non-perishable goods through their website too, which not that many independent stores do. We ordered from them when Dublin was under lockdown, and the orders always arrived quickly and well-packaged.

The only somewhat negative thing about the store is that it can get very crowded during events and weekends, and space is tight. But early mornings and weekdays are...

Glad I found what I was looking for, BUT when I was about to pay my card was rejected several times at the till. It happened before at this shop, but last time I got cash with me so it wasn't a problem. Today I couldn't pay, I don't know why my card was constantly rejected by the card machine. When I told the cashier I didn't have cash with me, she called a supervisor. Well, she was very rude to me. She said it was my problem. I was using the card earlier that day, and there was money in the account, so I didn't understand it. She finally said it was a problem with AIB cards. She said she could take the payment in a different way, oh la la, ...manually. I said yes please and she proceeded to do it, obviously very upset. She did in a very upsetting way and she didn't even say "thank you' or "good bye" when transaction was done. Like she was doing me a favor when I am spending my money there. Next time I will buy online to a different asian shop and will save myself to be treated like s tup...