Ireland's first Asian Tea House opened on Galway's Mary Street over five weeks ago, and already is establishing itself as a top eatery in the city.

The tea house, which is co-owned by Terry Commons and Alan Wong, is bringing a true taste of the Orient to the West of Ireland. The restaurant serves local and international produce in Oriental-style dishes from Asia, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and China.

After travelling extensively around Asian and China for years, Terry realised that there was a gap in the Irish market for an actual Tea House restaurant.

"About three and a half years ago we wanted to open up an authentic Asian restaurant that combined all the foods of the Orient. We wanted to do it right and I know now that we have done this.

"Tea houses have been around China for centuries so I thought, why couldn't I bring a tea house to Galway? It was clear to us from the start to do the restaurant accurately, it had to be authentic in every way possible.

From the front-of-house décor to the woks in the kitchen, the restaurant had to be an entirely Asian experience. "We travelled the length and breadth of China, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and Vietnam in order to get all the materials for the restaurant," remembers Terry.

Upon entering the restaurant you are greeted by uniquely designed doors, tables, cane woven chairs and a light fixtures. The floor is covered in a beautiful aqua green tile, setting off all the artwork, bronzed wall hangings and woodcarvings throughout the restaurant. "From our décor to our dishes, our aim is that our customers will experience a little bit of Asia," says Terry.

"Irish people are so well travelled now and have a real interest in eating good authentic foods from around the globe. All dishes are MSG (monosodium glutamate) free and are completely authentic to their country of origin. Our meat is supplied by Heaney meats and all our vegetables and fish are also sourced locally. The varied range of taste within Asian dishes is extensive, therefore we must import certain ingredients ourselves from Asia," Terry explains.

The menu ranges from starters that include Singapore, Vietnamese and bean curd spring rolls to home made prawn crackers and a selection of home made soups, starting from €6. The main dishes range from Vietnamese mango chicken to Thai sweet and sour chilli chicken, Malaysian potato curry to a selection of freshly prepared fish dishes that includes wok fried sea bass to lasi prawns all starting from €13.

"Our seafood dishes are so popular I would say that well over 50 per cent of customers are ordering fish dishes. We do a Hong Kong style fish and chips that is just divine. The batter is wafer thin and it's served with fresh home made chips," remarks Alan.

So, if you want a truly authentic Asian dining experience, look no further than the Asian Tea House on Mary Street. "A customer remarked to me last week at how when he leaves here he leaves with a happy stomach," smiles Terry.

The Asian Tea House is a small intimate restaurant that seats 46 people. It has a full licence and the restaurant also caters to larger parties. It accommodates corporate events, special occasion parties, and has already experienced its first wedding function.

"Our versatility with the above is that we cater, off the menu, to our customers' needs. How many courses would you like? Your needs are our challenge. We have the menu, ingredients and creativity to do this," says Terry.

The tea house is launching its take out menu and hopes to have this service available from next week. Take-outs are also MSG free, and the owners promise to adhere to the same in-house quality with their take-out dishes.

For more information or to make a booking, contact the Asian Tea House on 091-563749.

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