Kopitiam Dublin — Restaurant in Dublin

I’ve come to Kopitiam twice with a good friend of mine last and have received good service so of course I brought my partner here also on July 17th.

We ordered two deserts for takeaway and waited patiently but when the deserts arrived we noticed that in one of them we were only given a Tupperware with milk and sago. When I addressed this to the woman at the counter she told us that they generally don’t add ice cream to the deserts with takeaway (the deserts have ice cream initially) and as that was a bit of a let down, I still understood and respected the rules and just take one of the deserts to go. I told the woman I did not touch the food and that NOBODY told me that it would not come out as expected on the menu for takeaway that I will only be paying for one of the deserts and leave the other. ( I’ve never taken anything for takeaway here and this is only my 2nd time going) To my astonishment she continued to FORCE the payment onto me as she said it would be unfair as they had already made the deserts.

Still with much consideration to this woman and the rest of the staff I told them respectfully that it was unfair for me to pay for something I was not told would not have the promised ingredients and fully prepared by menu when given to my partner and I for takeaway. That they should have at least told us in the beginning as now we are being forced to pay against any consideration for us..

Long story short - I told her that I understand (AS A WAITRESS MYSELF) that I do not like complaints either but as a customer it was unfair for me and she responded with “BUT THE CUSTOMER IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT” and this was horrible to have seen. When I told her that I never confronted a customer this rudely in my 5 years in hospitality she responded with “ I HAVE WORKED IN HOSPITALITY FOR 10 YEARS AND AM OLDER THAN YOU SO I AM RIGHT” and that I am either to buy both or receive neither orders. This upset me greatly as I had told my partner beforehand how excited I was to introduce him to Kopitiam from previous visits.

Above all, I’ve observed that not only did I receive judgment from what I can only expect was the manager/supervisor from my rights as customer, but also that they had the audacity to speak badly about me in another language in front of myself and my partner in clear frustration. To make matters worse her pride did not allow for any profit for the company and instead had me choose between receiving the deserts or leaving both as punishment. I spoke with respect and explained reasonably but still I was still met with disrespect and forced to pay. One thing I can understand in hospitality is that of course customers are not always right, but you do not say this to their face and/or embarrass them openly with anger when I was only trying to make them understand. My friends, partner and I will not be...

I loved this place! As soon as I stepped in I was welcomed warmly. The lady who showed me to my table explained a little about Malaysian food and then recommended a dish Rendang (I chose chicken).

I had requested that I would like it "as spicy as it's made in Malaysia" and explained I had travelled in South east Asia and enjoyed local spicy food. She double checked I was ok with spice and then asked which chicken meat and I chose chicken thighs (best choice for flavour!).

I ordered a western tea because Malaysian tea is served with condensed milk and I am allergic to lactose. The teapot was massive! They served tap water on arrival which is a refreshing touch compared to many restaurants that try hard to get you to buy still water.

The food came out quite quickly and the dish was beautifully presented. It was one of those moments where you feel you have to take a photo to make your friends envious! The meat was very spicy (again because I had asked it to be) and was delicious. I absolutely loved it! It was served with coconut rice, poppadom, and a surprise (under the poppadom) of crispy salted whole peanuts, crispy fried anchovies and a relish (I think of red onion).

Everything was yummy. I felt really satisfied and buzzed from the chilli. I think the prices are good value and I left stuffed with just a main course for lunch.

I would go back every week if I lived in Dublin City Centre and anyone looking to get authentic Malaysian food or try out Malaysian food for the first time will have a great experience.

Last thing, if you ask for spicy, it will be spicy, which is amazing in Ireland...

All dishes were so so good, sedap sangat sangat. We kept coming back countless times in just less than a year 😭💸 And we often order full course, can never walk away from just ordering main meals, really. So tempted to have it all. Please have some kind of discount or membership for people like us 😋

Wat Tan Hor were the best. This is my third time ordering it. I cannot move on

Banana fritter were very crunchy and combination with ice cream was out of this world.

Singapore Laksa Lemak, broth were thick and cukup rasa.

Marmite chicken, nobody can nail it like them.

Tauhu sumbat was a little surprise for me (because of presentation different from back home 😆) but the taste even when i have it the next day, were still good. No need to reheat with the cucumber there obviously.

Cendol, i ordered with red bean asing because the combo isnt a thing for me. Cendol was so thick with coconut milk (in a good way) and melts in your mouth ✅

Beware, you will be very very full after eating dishes here so maybe can consider walk home instead of taking the bus 😂

Also, best to dine-in for portions and freshness. Can just take away later if you cant finish it. Extra charge of €0.20 for the boxes though, just fyi.

Oh and of course, best part is, this Malaysian restaurant is a fully halal one. It serves alcohol yes but the glass were different sets from the...