This is a regular haunt of my brother's and I'd heard accounts of their prawn and scallop stir fry so many times, I had to try it. Restaurants come and go in a town like Malahide, where fashions can change like traffic lights, but The Orchid has remained and thrived, in its own, quality driven and industrious style.
It's on New St, beside Fowlers Bar and opposite Gibneys. The entrance is unobtrusive, with the main lichen downstairs and the public seating, upstairs.
We went in around 6.30 but even though they have a comprehensive and inexpensive early bird, we opted for the a la carte.
The staff were friendly, inviting and well informed. My brother ordered the chicken satay starter - there's a touch of Malay about the menu, in parts - I had the pork bok sum(?), y'know that dish made of minced pork and rice noodles with iceberg lettuce leaves? It was delicious.
Then we both had the scallop and prawn stir fry. The shellfish is obviously from frozen but it's cooked with delicacy and light to taste. The accompanying vegetables are served at a crispy freshness that lifts this dish beyond the mundane. We washed it all down with a couple of Tsing Tsaos and a bottle of house red. Ball park of €80, in cost but out of the park, in terms of service, attention and atmosphere. read more