Good World Chinese Restaurant — Restaurant in Dublin

Good World on South Great George’s Street is not so much a restaurant as it is a full-blown sensory assault — and I mean that in the best possible way.

I went in with a few mates and my Chinese girlfriend, who, thank the culinary gods, took one look at the vast and frankly bewildering menu and assumed full command of the ordering process. She tried to explain what we were having — bless her — and I nodded along like a Labrador being shown a calculus textbook. I understood nothing, but I trusted the process.

And then… the food avalanche began.

We ordered three starters and three mains to share, and my friend and his girlfriend did the same. The table — clearly built for a quiet meal between two people with no elbows — quickly disappeared beneath waves of steaming plates and sizzling platters. By the end, we were strategically stacking bowls like it was a game of dim sum Jenga.

The wan ton starter? Sensational. Delicate, hot, salty — everything you want in life. My girlfriend fell head over heels for the cheung fun, which I can best describe as silky tubes of joy. And then came the star of the show: the Ma Po tofu. A spicy, punch-you-in-the-face kind of dish that had me sweating and grinning like a madman.

Now, let’s talk atmosphere. This place is loud. Not the kind of loud where you raise your voice slightly. I’m talking aeroplane hangar full of revving V8s loud. Why? Because the tables are crammed so close together you could genuinely sample someone else’s crispy duck by mistake and no one would notice. Intimacy? Forget it. This is communal eating in stereo.

The décor? A bit tired. Paper tablecloths, old furniture, and that slightly worn-down charm that says, we’ve been here for decades and we’re too busy serving food to care what you think about the lighting. And they’re right. You’re not here for interior design tips. You’re here for serious Chinese food done properly.

Location-wise, it’s bang in the middle of town, so you can’t fault that. But if you’re planning to drive, don’t. Unless you enjoy the kind of parking experience that ends in tears, tickets, or both. There is zero free parking nearby. You’ll end up abandoning your car somewhere illegal and hoping for the best — just get the LUAS or a cab and save yourself the stress.

In summary: Good World is gloriously chaotic, comfortingly authentic, and just the right side of unhinged. Come hungry, come curious, and bring someone who knows what they’re doing — preferably someone fluent in both Mandarin and...

Update: 2024/01/30 We visited again because we want to eat fish. My husband pointed on the menu's EN words (Deep fried oysters), the same Malay/China woman from last year took the order. She keep asking my Irish husband "炸大腸"? My husbands says oysters. She points to the chinese word, speaking in chinese. I don't even know that term, could be the restaurant's fancy name for the deep fried oysters. Food came and she say that Intestines are what my husband was pointing on the menu, she also tried to smudge my name by saying that I said yes. I did not speak a word when she is confirming with my husband in chinese. Please educate her to speak English and learn to read the menu! The young boy staffs were really nice everytime.

2023/03/30 Food is fantastic and 98% authentic. Had almost spoilt my birthday mood. GordonRamsey once said:"If the Chefs & floor staff don't give a sh_t, it is the Manager's role to lead, enforce them and correct their actions, or hire someone who does the job." My Irish husband booked a table for 1 pm a few days ago, as opening time was 12:30 noon, and told the staff it was for my wife's birthday 30/03.We went in and got seated.After writing down our food on a PC of white paper, we passed the paper to a Malaysian/China waitress(there was only a young boy and a manager on the floor) to ask to check any peanuts in them for husband.She can back,"Chef say EVERYTHING on the paper has peanuts. 12 dishes has peanuts, despite ordering 2 takeaways past few years and sitting in just months ago for late Christmas dinner. Felt Chef refused to serve us.Boy Manager in 20s-30s saved the day, double checked, told us no peanuts, but might have TRACES OF CONTAMINATION, which is the word we are looking for.The items totalled to €92.Chef didn't only began prep SiuMai when we ordered it, doesn't make sense as prep work shd be done...

We generally find ourselves in Hong Kong once or twice a year and enjoy ('wollow in', to be more precise) the local cuisine ... but accept that Chinese cuisine, removed to other world locations, tends to evolve to suit local tastes (London is, perhaps, a shining example of Chinese cuisine that would be unrecognised by those who are native to China). So it appears to be with 'Good World Chinese Restaurant', Dublin.

Table for two without reservation, Wednesday evening, 2030 (ish). No problem. About 50% occupied. Ok, but not entirely reassuring for this 110% tourist location in the Temple Bar area where 99% of restaurants are overflowing.

Two glasses unknown Italian Pinot Grigio, ok. Crab and sweet corn soup (x2) to start. Unexpectedly 'fishy' smell but otherwise not offensive. 1x 'special fried rice' (without gravy) and 1x 'sweet and sour pork Hong Kong style' to share. Fried rice reasonably generous serve but far too dry with far too large pieces of beef and chicken and a rather mean total of three (3) prawn ... aw c'mon, prawn aren't the expensive delicacy they used to be prior to commercial farming by every second food farmer in Asia. Almost totally devoid of any 'fried rice' taste ... let alone 'special'. Sweet and sour pork similarly excessively oversized 'lumps', with usual capsicum, onion, pineapple ... but floating in an oddly brown (as opposed to the expected sweet and sour pink) gravy. Very vinegary. Not particularly pleasant.

Genuine tasty Chinese cuisine ... 'but not as we know it' ... 'beam us...