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Madame Pho The Belfast-born Vietnamese chain is expanding rapidly, but it needs a Pho-King rethink Posted: 29 Oct 2024 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Ronan Doyle What should we know about Madame Pho? Established in Belfast in 2020 by a second-generation restaurateur, Vietnamese street food chain Madame Pho has seen explosive growth since its sale to new management last year, with four new openings in the North of Ireland in the space of just six weeks – a manic pace by any standard. Not content with keeping that many plates spinning, they’ve now begun an incursion south of the border, slipping into the Exchequer Street spot vacated by Ukiyo’s recent shock closure . Their livery can also be seen on the Thomas Street Boojum that’s lain idle since lockdown, due to open before the end of the year, with the sheer speed of scooping up long-term dormancies and high-profile casualties showing the surplus of ambition here. Where should we sit? The layout isn’t wildly different to what was there in Ukiyo, with the ground floor bar scaled-back to make room for a few additional two-tops on the floor. A fresh lick of paint, wood wall panelling, and Vietnamese light fixtures and décor join colourful new chairs and banquettes for a casual reinvention of the space that’s fresh but familiar. The basement level is a bit more lavishly appointed, with a less crowded layout and more upmarket banquettes retained from the previous tenant – we’d bet on this space getting a lot more use in the evenings. The wraparound booth tucked in the corner has to be our top pick if you’re in with a crowd. What’s on the menu? We got stuck straight in with the Vietnamese mainstay gỏi cuốn (summer rolls), plump parcels of rice paper-wrapped prawns, vermicelli and shredded veg. With a fair serving of fat prawns and a pleasant tang of pickled daikon, these are a strong start and a solid option for a quick snack on the go. Peanut sauce on the side isn’t our top pick for pairing at the best of times, but all the less with the one-note flavours of this version. It makes more sense, if equally little impact, with their chicken skewers. The menu lists these chargrilled chunks as satay-marinated but until we dipped in the sauce there wasn’t the slightest taste of peanut. Or, on that note, much to taste at all – under-seasoned and over-cooked, they were a bland block of middling meat with neither the fatty flavour nor crisp coating we’d expect. Wings were a massive improvement - tender, juicy meat basking in a sticky-sweet caramelised glaze for a showcase of all the skewers are not. The umami-rich tang of fish sauce is balanced with sugar and soy, with garlic and chilli bringing more assertive flavour. The little side serving of sriracha mayo will satisfy those seeking a more prominent kick, but it's a glaze that needs no adding to as far as we and our licked-clean fingers are concerned. The bánh mì marks a major bump in the road, with Madame Pho’s take on maybe Vietnam’s most famous street food staple not likely to have anyone booking a flight. The new owners have said they’ll be shipping their baguettes from Belfast until they find a suitable substitute down south, but short of cheaper prices up north we couldn’t detect anything in this basic bread worth importing – Dunnes across the road does them just as well. We’d believe you if you told us the “Vietnamese ham” came from there too, with little to note in the paltry pink slices. BBQ crispy pork neck has been pummelled to a thin, tough texture, with the coating joining the chicken skewers in the gravely under-seasoned stakes. We’d forgive some of this in a cheap and cheerful lunch joint; at €14 it’s a big misfire. The curry makes for a modest return to form, a substantial serving that’s creamy and rich with coconut milk and mild spice, studded with your choice of meat or veg. We went with roast duck and found more favour in the thin, tasty breast slices than the chunkier cuts, more flavour needing to be rendered from the fat. Still, the sum total worked well, with coriander and lemongrass lending a freshness and balance to the bowl. You could do a lot worse. Just how much worse we soon sampled, as we slurped up the broth from the Pho King and almost let it spill right back into the bowl. The menu talks a great game of deep sweetness and fragrant flavour derived from an eight-hour simmer, but perhaps they forgot to flick on the heat – this was as bland as it gets, less bone and marrow than… water and water. Short of the rich depth of a proper broth, the four kinds of meat are left to carry the can and they are, putting it mildly, not up to the task. With no hint of suppliers or provenance across their menus or sites, it's safe to assume Madame Pho isn't working with Ireland's best produce. Sliced beef hasn’t a trace of the medium rarity claimed, from-frozen meatballs have a denseness that’s deeply off-putting, chicken chunks are of a chewiness we’d sooner starve than relive, while more of those fat, farmed prawns practically come off as gourmet by contrast. We started to eat the side of sliced chilli by itself just to feel something, and left the bowl behind. Pho, the menu explains for those not in the know, is pronounced in Vietnam as “fuh” – we think this dish needs a Pho-King rethink. What are the drinks like? Vietnamese-style coffee is a big part of the pitch and happily more successful than some of the efforts elsewhere. Our iced black offering, drip filtered over a thick layer of condensed milk, was deeply tasty, and these are likely to sell well. Cocktails are an effort to parlay fast food vibes to a slower, more spenny atmosphere come evening – the relatively keen pricing at just under a tenner a pop should do a solid job. The Pho Signature we sampled was decidedly fruit-forward, with apple and passionfruit bringing a leading sweetness to hide any real trace of vodka or lime. Four Asian beer options and a short but sweetly-priced wine bottle list won’t rock the boat for anyone. How was the service? Like lightning – we were seated and served so quick we’d barely got our coats off by the time the food arrived. This is a machine well-oiled and well-intent on turning tables over as quick as it can. That’s not to say there’s any sense of being rushed, though the onslaught of food could leave you scoffing your starters for fear the curry will go cold. Textbook brand expansion is on full display, with a few Northern accents on the floor a sure sign that experienced staff from across the business have been parachuted in to see the new opening over the line. It’s all very slick, smooth and served with a smile. And the damage? Madame Pho’s owners have noted the far higher cost of doing business down south, with overheads running anything from 20 to 50% above what they’re dealing with in Belfast. It was a pleasant surprise then to see coffees and starters running in and around the same price both sides of the border. It’s a pretty good deal. That’s not a theme that holds up across the mains, alas, with the banh mis, phos and curries clearly making up the margins. Substantial mains will see you starting off at €18, while the cheapest banh mi comes in at €11. That makes for street food speed at sit-down spend, with the wildly varying quality making for occasionally very bad value. What’s the verdict on Madame Pho? Badly dropping the ball on your namesake dish is a very big stumble to recover from, and the Dublin debut of Madame Pho is already clocking up the sceptical user reviews to show it. There’s a lot of good will going for the OG Belfast branches, but everywhere we looked here we saw creaking signs of an overly cynical effort to cash in on a big brand name acquisition under this new management. Part of the case they’ve set out for expansion to these parts is a relative lack of competition in the Vietnamese food space, but what’s true in quantity isn’t at all in quality. At a ten minute stroll across the Liffey, Capel Street’s Aobaba is the one to beat at a far lower price point, with honourable mentions for Pho Kim and Pho Ta – Madame Pho isn’t just not in the same league, it’s not even playing the same sport. Even up against less established players in the market it falters, with Little Geno ’s bánh mì head and shoulders above for a full three euro less. The real USP Madame Pho offers is quick and cheerful service with enough space that you’re near-guaranteed a walk-in seat. In a city with restaurants that are often heaving and booked out weeks in advance, that might be enough to keep a hold of this corner for now, but it’s not likely to generate the same affection and repeat custom. There is much more of the business of food here than the pleasure, and maybe that's a sad sign of the times. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Clanbrassil House A new kitchen team, bistro vibes and people-watching in D8 Posted: 26 Oct 2021 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Clanbrassil House was opened in 2017 by Bastible owners Barry and Clare-Marie Fitzgerald, as a more laid back, neighborhood spot for small plates and wine. It rose up the Dublin restaurant charts rapidly with Gráinne O'Keefe (now head chef/owner of Mae in Ballsbridge) cooking with fire in the kitchen and earning a Michelin Bib Gourmand , and dishes like their hot smoked trout, rib-eye steaks and infamous hash brown fries were soon appearing on every social media feed you own. Covid upended most restaurants in the city (and the rest), and when O'Keefe announced in May she was going solo with her own restaurant, we weren't sure what was going to happen with Clanbrassil House - would be business as usual or time for a switch up? We started to see glimpses of the new incarnation in July, and whilst initially subtle, there was obviously a more grown up feel starting to emerge from their feeds (and all traces of the old CH have been wiped from their Instagram page ). Soon after it was announced that the new head chef was James Dobson (formerly sous chef at Potager in Skerries, a restaurant we have a whole lot of love for ), and that he'd been joined by David Bradshaw, a chef we've been watching closely since he returned from Lyle's in London during the pandemic - a restaurant we're borderline obsessed with. It sounded like the new Clanbrassil House was in very good hands, so we went to check it out. Where should we sit? The major change in the dining room has been the move from high tables to low, and with the sage walls, exposed brick, wooden floors and barely audible music, there's a neighbourhood Parisian bistro feel about it all. It brought back memories of the much worshipped Le Baratin - right down to the chalkboard menus on the wall. If there are two of you, beg, borrow and steal to get the window seats, which is some of the best people-watching real estate in town. We felt a warm glow at hearing a newborn baby cry in the back - what a great place for exhausted parents in need of a treat to hide out and get a bit of headspace. What's the food like? It's a straightforward affair of snacks, starters, mains and desserts, with two courses for €38 and three for €48. There's also a six course option for €65 which is their choice so unfortunately you can't pick what you want, but might be good if you're feeling indecisive. Of course we ordered all the snacks (always on brand), and a Connemara oyster with smoked poblano pepper, tomatillo and prawn shell oil was fresh, full of flavour and beautifully presented. In the most exciting dough-based news since Scéal started Pastry Bae Thursdays , Bastible's fermented potato bread with cultured butter is now available at its sister restaurant. Genius move, genius bread. Don't leave without having ordered it or we'll be really mad at you. You may not have come across salsify before (a delicate-tasting white root vegetable that's part of the dandelion family), so it was a welcome sight to see it here in a light, crispy tempura batter with a zippy burnt lemon and chilli dip. This was such an elegant, different opener to a meal, and it's made us wish more chefs were using it (although this example was particularly good). Our first starter was a delicate, fragrant broth with roasted onion tortellini, girolles and tarragon. Less of a flavour slap in the face, more one of those dishes that develops and gets better with every bite. Grown up, restrained but a beauty of a dish, and felt very apt for an Autumnal night looking out at hat and scarf clad pedestrians on Clanbrassil Street. Our other starter of carrots, hazelnuts, house curd and bitter leaves was another beautiful looking dish, but tasted like it was lacking something, and overall felt a bit flat on flavour. More creaminess in the curd and a smack of acid (not that kind) probably would transformed it. A main of BBQ organic pointed cabbage with black garlic, lovage and potato crisp was probably the dish of the night, and would make us sidestep meat every single time. How anyone gets this much flavour into a plate of vegetables and vegetables alone is something that evades us in our own kitchens. The cabbage was swimming in a litany of sauces and swirls, each spoon tasting better than the last, and the crisps ended every bite with a satisfying crunch. Our other main of Salter's pork belly with barley, Hokkaido pumpkin and Szechuan pepper was another slow burner. At the start we were slightly underwhelmed, but as it went on the subtle flavours seemed to open up and become more identifiable, with the barley giving a lovely chew, a deeply flavoured jus underneath, and just the merest hint of Szechuan pepper. A very grown up, sophisticated dish, but the cabbage won for memorability. We're having a bit of a love affair with potatoes recently. The once boring, stomach filler sides seem to be becoming more interesting by the week, and the herby, buttery ones that arrived here were no different. It took all of our efforts to not finish the bowl so that we'd have room for dessert. We'd seen their new dessert of baked cream with fennel and wild blackberries on Instagram and immediately thought of Lyle's in London, so no surprise to find out this was David Bradshaw's creation, and he even foraged the blackberries himself - this is the kind of commitment we reserve internal claps for. It's made with egg whites only so is airy and light, the blackberries have the flavour that you only get from the wild ones (and will probably trigger memories of Granny's jam, Mum's crumbles etc.), and it's topped with a blackberry granita and fennel pollen. We adored it, and it's hard to think of a more perfect Autumn dessert, and a more perfect way to end a meal here. What about the drinks? The wine list here is right up our street, and for the first time in a long time we would have happily drank any bottle from the list. Prices are punchy though, with the cheapest bottle €38 (the lovely but simple Cantine Rallo Ciello Rosso), and margins are generally high. We drank the Fumey Chatelain Arbois Chardonnay (€50) which worked well with all of the dishes, but didn't have as much of the Jura character as we were hoping for. And the service? Very calm and collected, almost like they were performing a ballet. It would be difficult to imagine anyone front or back of house losing their cool in here, it looked like a very well-oiled ship (plus it would echo across the relatively quiet dining room). The head chef also brought a few dishes to the table, which we love because we get to fire a million questions at them about the dish in their hand. And the damage? Around €90 a head for three snacks, two starters, two mains, one dessert, a bottle of wine and two dessert wines. You could eat and drink here for cheaper, but we had a civic duty to take it for a proper spin. The verdict? There's a new Clanbrassil House in town. The lively, fire-filled restaurant has turned into a more grown up, bistro-style affair, with evident talent in the kitchen. Things feel a tiny cautious, albeit with flashes of originality, but often it's softly-softly when it comes to changing up a well-loved concept, and we're extremely interested to see how this one develops over the next few months. They've got the team, the room and judging by the amount of weekend tables already booked up between now and the end of 2021 they've got the clientele, so if you want in here for a pre-Christmas date/friend reunion/work night out, you need to get on it soon. Consider yourself warned. Clanbrassil House 6 Clanbrassil Street Upper, Dublin 8 www.clanbrassilhouse.com New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Potager Ex-Chapter One head chef makes Skerries a food destination Posted: 25 Jun 2019 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? In January this year it was announced that The Red Bank restaurant in Skerries, open since 1983, would close, and the site would be taken over by ex- Chapter One head chef Cathal Leonard and his partner Sarah Ryan. Interested eyebrows were raised, more so as the industry rallied behind them on social media to tell the world what lovely people they were and how great their first solo venture was going to be. Cathal had most recently been working with John Wyer at Forest Avenue , but also worked in UK restaurants like the Michelin-starred Clove Club in London, before coming home and settling into Chapter One. Sarah had been selling fish wholesale to the trade, which is how they met 10 years ago, and Potager has been their dream practically since they met. Despite being one of Dublin's most popular seaside villages, Skerries has been lacking a destination restaurant in recent years. A trip out there at Christmas was less than inspiring, and left us scratching our heads as to why no one was pushing the boat out (sorry). And as if by magic along comes Potager. 'Potager' means kitchen garden, and theirs comprises the wealth of vegetables and fruits being grown in North County Dublin, as well as fish caught locally and meat like Lambay beef from Lambay Island just across the water. They describe the food as modern, Irish and seasonal, built around Irish producers and their ingredients, and with Cathal being originally from Rush just down the road, he was no doubt familiar with the glut of produce in this part of the country, that few places seem to be taking advantage of. All of the pre-opening talk about it being a showcase for local produce made it sound like the type of restaurant we might have dreamed up, so we were full of anticipation heading off on the Dart. Where should we go for a drink first? We would come straight here and have an aperitif in the lovely waiting/bar area. Cosy up beside the fire (in June) with a sherry or an Irish G+T and enjoy a few moments of calm before heading into the dining room on the other side of the building. If you feel like a bit more action you could head into Nealon's a few doors down (who do a great trad session on Wednesdays), or to The Snug around the corner, which might be the most atmospheric (and snug) bar in the town. Where should we sit? The main dining room is down the corridor from the reception/waiting area, and is a good size whilst still feeling intimate. There are also two smaller rooms off the main one, which would be perfect for group dining or celebrations, or if you were looking for a bit more privacy. The room is very well lit despite there not being much natural light, so there will be no issues reading menus or getting those all important photos of your food. What's good to eat? At dinner it's tasting menu only, with a couple of choices to be made throughout. They say it's five courses for €55, but really it was eight when you include the bread (which you should) and the snacks, which for this amount of food at this level of cooking is incredible value. We imagine once the plaudits start coming in the prices will increase, so get in soon if you like bang for your buck. The first thing to arrive is bread, and it was the most perfect bread course we've had in years. A fluffy, white mashed potato bread, and a dense, fermented, crunchy crusted brown bread with pumpkin seeds came with cuinneog butter and ricotta with local lovage pesto. We could have left after this and it would have been a worthwhile trip. After this came snacks of a tapioca cracker with smoked cods roe, and white beetroot rolled and stuffed with more beetroot, walnut and mint. The cracker was the winner when it came to flavour, but both were interesting single bite snacks. Usually soup does little to get us worked up, but the next miniature course of potato soup with herbs, thickened cream and dehydrated bacon was about as exciting as liquid vegetables can get. We desperately scraped out every last drop out until becoming aware that we were probably disrupting the other diners. The next course of cured, then torched red mullet (a severely under used fish), in a red mullet sauce, with rush tomatoes, tomato jelly, tomato powder, basil and frozen buttermilk was probably the dish of the night, and one of those experience elevating plates of food that makes you wonder how a person even begins to put these flavours and textures together to create something with the ability to totally silence those eating it. After that came another highlight, and a curve ball in the form of strong blue cheese midway through a meal. A cashel blue cheese mousse sat on top of very finely chopped celery and apple, with apple jelly and pickled walnuts. So unusual, so dynamic, so insanely delicious. Then came a dish that we've thought or talked about daily since eating it - charred octopus with roasted cauliflower, Drummond House elephant garlic, and a milk and seed crumb. The garlic heightened everything without taking over, and the charred octopus tentacle was meltingly tender. There had been so much flavour by this point that our heads were spinning, in the best possible way. After that sensory rollercoaster it was onto the mains, and on the night there were two choices, both of which we tried. Hake came with broad beans, lemon confit, smoked mussells, samphire and Ballymakenny pink potatoes, while Aylesbury duck breast came with braised duck leg, cabbage and baby turnip. Both were faultlessly cooked plates of food, the hake probably winning it for us, but they somewhat lacked the excitement of everything that had come before. We wondered if they felt pressure to put on "a proper main course" for locals and former regulars, rather than continuing the theme of small and explosive. Dessert choices come on a separate menu with options for tea, coffee, dessert wine or any other after dinner drink you might want. Again there were two choices, and again both were eye-widening. A smoked chocolate mousse (genius) came on top of beetroot and cherries, with vanilla ice-cream in the centre and puffed spelt berries. Apparently Cathal has a thing about putting vegetables into desserts, and anyone that can do that and have us dreaming of eating it again is very talented. Another scraping the bowl scenario. The other dessert of set sheep's yoghurt from Velvet Cloud , came with the sweetest local strawberries, strawberry tea, strawberry sorbet, shortbread and burnt white chocolate, and it's hard to think of a more perfect, more delicious, Irish dessert at this time of year. And the drinks? The wine cellar is in the old bank vault, which must make it one of the coolest in the city, and they're fine for you to stick your head in and look around. There's a decent sized wine list with some real finds on there and they're working with great wine importers, but it's clear that there's no sommelier to refine it and give it a personality unique to the restaurant - they are looking for someone though. Servers were not versed on the list, so if you want a recommendation find Sarah the owner who will be happy to chat and talk through the options. They've played it very safe with the by the glass list, and the choices won't do much to excite wine lovers, but there's lots to try by the bottle with some really unusual options, and they do have plans to expand and change the wine list over the coming months. We had a really interesting white wine from Savoie in France made from the Jacquère grape - new one on us - and it was complex enough to cope with all of the flavours without over powering anything. And the service? Owner Sarah is a natural host, very generous with her time and clearly at ease working her way around the room making sure everyone is looked after. The chefs brought most of the dishes to the table, which is something we wish more restaurants did, giving us an in depth overview of what we were about to eat, but the few times that servers brought one (clearly as the kitchen was under pressure) they didn't know what they were bringing, and a chef ended up having to come out anyway. Things were very smooth and excellently paced up until the mains, which we had an abnormally long wait for, with no communication from staff about what the delay was. They did take two drinks off by way of apology at the end, but there were a few other issues that weren't dealt with as quickly or as fuss-free as they should have been. We think they're aware that service needs tightening and would be surprised if this isn't top of the agenda over the coming weeks. The verdict? There are a lot of panicked voices at the moment in Dublin about restaurant closures and how it's "carnage out there", but the reality is that most restaurants don't work out because they're missing a certain magic that makes it somewhere that people are desperate to eat in. Potager has that magic and feels like two people who've laid everything on the line to create their perfect restaurant, a chef who's finally been able to fully unleash his own creativity after years working for other people, and now it's exploding onto plates into Skerries. There is no doubt that this is a place that's going to get people very excited to get off their bums and go for dinner, and that's how you survive in a competitive restaurant market. Add to this that the menu seems to be changing daily and we're going to struggle to fight the temptation to hop back on the Dart on a weekly basis due to crippling FOMO. Potager 7 Church Street, Skerries, Co. Dublin potager.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

The Rooftop at Anantara The Marker A new food and drink menu, but it's all about those 360 views Posted: 27 May 2025 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What do we need to know about the Rooftop at Anantara The Marker? Open since 2013, The Marker Hotel was bought by and rebranded as Anantara The Marker in 2023. This saw a multi-million euro renovation to the already five-star hotel, with all rooms refurbished, a fresh update to the lobby and bars, and bespoke cabinetry and custom furniture across the hotel. It's always been a place to see and be seen, with Influencers and Tiktokers frequently spotted draped across the rails, while their Insta-boyfriends wear out their fingers taking photos, but this year was the Rooftop's turn for a refresh, with the hard, white geometric furniture gone , and softer, neutral sofas and loungers brought in to replace them. On a clear day you can see the Poolbeg chimneys, the Aviva Stadium, and as far as Dún Laoghaire and the Wicklow Mountains, so you won't get many better places for a 360 view of the capital. Indoor and sheltered zones are mixed with outdoor terraces, with the addition of a new fire-pit. There's a new menu for summer 2025 too from Executive Chef Gareth Mullins, which they say is " fusing bold Thai and Asian flavours with fine Irish ingredients ", a nod to their Thai-born parent company. A new cocktail list with similar Asian flavour inspiration completes the refresh. What happens if it rains? When you book online it doesn't specify seating areas, but you can request in the notes if you want to be in a particular spot. We had initially booked during the short-lived summer of 2025 and requested an outdoor table, but when the day (and the rain) came we called to ask what happens if the weather is particularly inclement. They said they can generally seat bookings inside or under cover, and only if conditions get extremely bad would they close the whole space and move people to the downstairs bar instead. There's room for around 20 in the fully enclosed bit, and three couch-based seating areas under a permanent structure, so a bit of drizzle won't ruin your plans. So if it's sunny where should we sit? First you need to get up there - arrive early for your booking as we were waiting at least five minutes in a queue to see the host. The days of taking yourself to the lift and pressing the button are over. There's lots of radio-ing back and forth from reception to bar to tell them that you're here, that you're en route, and you'll either get all the VIP feels or find it a bit OTT. This rooftop has wraparound views across the city so there aren't really any bad seats, but we prefer to face out over the Liffey and Grand Canal Dock, as the views the other way aren't as expansive. Your seating preference here might also come down to the type of chair you want to sit in - options range from single rattan chairs, to couches, to soft fabric loungers with little back support, so if this is an issue for your party, request the appropriate seating before you get there. What if we just want drinks? No problemo. They've made a big deal about their new cocktail list, " weaving exotic ingredients and imaginative storytelling into every glass ". Drinks have names like " Elephants: Love and Bananas" , and " Storm in Bangkok" , using ingredients like Szechuan peppercorns, pandan leaf and Kaffir lime leaves (whose name is a debate for another day ). If that all sounds too adventurous they cover the bases too with Margaritas, Old Fashioneds, and the lesser-seen-these-days Cosmopolitan. There's a compact, not very exciting, list of wine and Champagne with all the popular grape boxes ticked - including Whispering Angel rosé for the Insta huns just back from their hols in the South of France. A glass of cava will set you back €16, Ayala Champagne €28, and wines by the glass range from €10.40 for Pinot Grigio to €17.40 for Chablis. There's no added value in buying a bottle - it's the same price to buy four 175ml glasses, so you can mix it up without penalty. We tried the " Elephants: Love and Bananas" (based on the natural diet of elephants), and the " Storm in Bangkok" , and while on first sip we thought they weren't half bad, a few more sips revealed far more sugar than we want in our drinks on a night out, and everything else fighting to be tasted over the inert sweetness. At €18-€21 a cocktail we were hoping for more balance and refinement. As tempted as we were to try the "Celtic Sea" with it's "salmon-washed Method and Madness gin", we needed a mouth cleanse, and a glass of 3 Rios Vinho Verde and an Espresso Martini did the job. This cocktail was much better, with IStill vodka, Poitin coffee liqueur, espresso and Japanese buckwheat syrup. Next time we'll stick to the classics. What's on offer for food? The small plates are out in full force, at not so small prices. It's the kind of menu you'd expect to leave hungry after, and you could very easily drop €100 per person on food and a couple of drinks in a very short time, so keep an eye on your spending or prepare to get a shock. Hand-dived scallops (sliced so it was hard to tell how many there were but we guessed two-three) came layered with an aged oxtail soy broth, pops of trout roe, bursts of citrussy yuzu, and crispy potato straws on (€21). It would have been a knockout if not for the woolly texture of the scallops. We guessed they were over-cured, with too long an exposure to salt/acid causing the scallop slices to lose any bite they once had. The salt and chilli "spice bag" potatoes (€8) came next, with a spiced mayonnaise tasting mainly of Five Spice. With good flavour and just cooked veg this is one of the better dishes here, but those potatoes would have been so much better deep-fried instead of baked - maybe the crowd here are counting their calories. "Muu Grop Warn", is described as Caramelised pork and Dublin Bay Prawn, with Little Gem, pineapple and orange (€18). This was an absurdly sweet, chewy, crunchy mound of what could have been a multitude of things. Nuts? Sure. Fried chicken? Perhaps. Deep-fried noodles? Could be...? No Dublin Bay Prawn should have to suffer this fate. There may well have been none in here though - it would be impossible to tell without a kitchen inspection. Don't order this unless you've got a toothbrush in your pocket to get the sugar off your teeth afterwards. Handpicked crab sesame toast (€20) comes with "pickled cumcumber" (unfortunate typo) and sweetened Japanese mayo. If this had seen more time on the pan and been adequately drained of oil we would have had no complaints about this fancy spin on prawn toast. Crisp Gochugang chicken with Thai "nam jim" dipping sauce (€18) had one major problem - it was about as crisp as an over ripe banana (also if you want to taste nam jim in Dublin go to Achara, cos this overly sweet mixture isn't it). It was so soggy we flagged down a server and asked had it been sitting under a heat lamp since we asked them to slow down the food. What followed was an explanation of what panko breadcrumbs are, and how they absorb sauce, before they must have taken pity on our weary faces and offered to bring the prawn wontons instead. Thank God for happy endings because these were the best things we ate. The dumpling-like filling had proper chunks of fluffy Dublin Bay Prawns (€20 but they left them off the bill by way of apology), were juicy, crispy and just cooked, and only the non-existent Prik Nam Pla (a fish sauce and chilli dipping sauce) let it down. Was it supposed to be the soy dipping sauce? Prik Nam Pla has no soy. Thailand's ultimate, sour and spicy condiment would have taken this dish from "wow" to "holy cow". Dessert consists of three different combinations of soft serve ice-cream (€9), but as the meal ended up being more drawn out than we'd planned for we ended up having to leave before we'd had time to try one. How was the service? At times we felt like we were stand ins for a training session. Our lovely waiter seemed very new and didn't have the answers to most of our questions, having to go and fetch other team members each time. Eventually answers on portion sizes and ingredients were answered, but it was all a bit protracted. Food and drinks were also slow in arriving, which was surprisingly given it was early on a rainy evening and there were only a few tables occupied. Is there anything worse than watching your cocktail slowly warm up on the counter with no one to rescue it. After a decent wait for food, three of five dishes landed on the small table at one time causing anxiety to hit, so we asked them to hold the other two until we'd finished what we had. This request seemed to throw them, and much was made about whether or not the kitchen was already making the food and if they could halt the order. We dream of a day where we no longer have to have the conversation about wanting to eat food while its still warm. Also, where were we supposed to put the extra dishes? On our laps? What about the prices? Sky high, which is no surprise. Cocktails are at five-star hotel prices, coming in at less than The Sidecar in The Westbury, but well above almost everywhere else like The Mint Bar (€16.50), Peruke & Periwig (€15) and Bar 1661 (€5-€16). For those prices we would have expected more polish in those special cocktails. Food wise you're averaging €20 a small plate - pricey by anywhere's standards, but we did feel full after sharing five plates between two. Two cocktails each and five sharing plates and you could easily be down €200 after adding a tip. What's the verdict on The Rooftop at The Marker? Let's be real. The Rooftop at Anantara The Marker is all about the views, and you'll pay for them on your bill. While it would be a dream come true for Dublin to have a rooftop restaurant with food to match the 360 skyline, there's plenty here to keep a mixed crowd (with deep pockets) happy on a glam night out. If you're on a budget you can pop in for a pre-dinner glass of wine and some complimentary pretzels, and if you've got money burning a hole in your pocket on the next sunny evening in Dublin, you could spend a dream-like few hours here on a lounger floating above the city with a glass of rosé in hand, nibbling on tuna sashimi. There are far worse ways to spend an evening. When's it open? Wednesday to Thursday from 5pm, Friday and Saturday from 3pm, and Sunday from 1pm. There are plans to open daily from June, weather permitting. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Chameleon A reinvention for Indonesian tapas in Temple Bar Posted: 2 Apr 2019 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Indonesian-inspired Chameleon 's been part of the fabric of Temple Bar for an incredible 25 years, and recently made the clever decision to do a bit of a brand update - they got a new logo, changed the outside of the restaurant from black to bright blue, and invested in a beautiful new spray-painted shutter . It's a shrewd move to stand out in a city that's currently seeing a record number of restaurant openings each month, and one that got them onto our hottest restaurants in Dublin list for March. We hadn't visited in a long time, and after a very well-eaten foodie told us they were "hitting all the right notes" when it came to Indonesian cooking we thought it was worth a visit. Where should we go for a drink first? The temptation is always there to dance into Oliver St. John Gogarty 's and act like a tourist for an hour - you'll leave with a lighter wallet but a newly invigorated sense of national pride that only twee Irish music, aran jumpers and barely passable bowls of stew can summon up (but best to avoid the toilets if you can - €5 million a year in profit clearly isn't enough for a new paint job and some air freshener). Roberta's and The Liquor Rooms (below) do great cocktails, and for wine both Piglet and Loose Canon are within a 5 minute walk. Where should we sit? Upstairs all the way, ideally at the lower tables with the cushioned seating for the full experience. Anyone with a dodgy back or who likes proper tables and chairs can opt for the standard tables. There are more tables downstairs, but we don't think it has the same atmosphere or feel as the first floor. What's good to eat? The main part of the menu revolves around set menus that are either meat, fish or vegetable based, from €36 - €40 per person. There are also 'Asian Tapas', a lot of which are found on the various set menus. We thought it would be a good idea to get one Java (meat-based) and one Sumatra (fish based) to try as much as possible, but we hadn't realised that four of the seven dishes were the same on both (noodles, vegetables and a fish cake), so if we were choosing again we'd pick one set menu and other dishes from the Asian tapas section so that we could try more. The best thing we ate was probably the fish finger bao, with tiger prawn and squid katsu and sambal (a type of chilli sauce) in a homemade bao. Immediate regret for not having ordered all the bao. Other highlights included the Sweet Sambal Udang - marinated prawns with pineapple and chilli mango sauce - which walked the line perfectly between sweet, savoury and sour, the Kari Java - a Javanese curry with braised shoulder of Wicklow lamb and sweet potato that was incredibly rich in flavour, and the sesame fried vegetables with sautéed onions and toasted sesame seeds, which managed to make cabbage addictive. Both the crab cake with haddock and the chicken satay (props for using free-range) were enjoyable, and the beef rendang had great flavour but the meat could have been more tender. We weren't keen on the noodles which had an overpowering taste of molasses, and the salad with cucumber, mango and Chinese leaves could have done with having the dial turned up on the dressing - or maybe just needed more dressing. A dessert of Kahlua and organic dark chocolate pannacotta with peanut brittle had the perfect wobble, and was a nice midway point between coffee and dessert, when your heart says espresso, but your head says it's too late, don't do it. And the drinks? The wine list is pretty compact, with half on tap and half in bottle. The advantage of those on tap is that they're available in small and large glasses, carafes and bottles, so everyone can drink what they want in exactly the amount they want, but we would have liked to see a few more options that would specifically compliment the food in either format, like off-dry Pinot Gris or Gewurztraminer. We drank the Hobo Workbook Californian red blend on tap which is a great all-rounder, and for white we would have gone for the Peter & Peter Riesling in bottle, a grape that tends to work well with Asian flavours. And the service? Really warm, and couldn't do enough for us. The only issue with the set menus is that everything comes at once, and it's a lot of food, so by the time we reached the end some of it was cold, but retrospectively if we had asked our lovely server to bring a few things first like the bao, satay and fish cake, we think she would have been more than happy to oblige. That would be the plan next time. The verdict? There are a lot of good flavours going on at Chameleon, and we kept thinking what a perfect place it is for group dining - bag one of the big tables upstairs, order all the food and a load of carafes of wine, and we're pretty sure everyone would leave happy. Keeping a restaurant open for 25 years is no mean feat, and keeping people talking about you for that long is even more difficult, but we think updating their image was just what was needed to put Chameleon back on Dublin diner's agendas. Chameleon 1 Fownes Street Lower, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 www.chameleonrestaurant.com New Openings & Discoveries More >>

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Allta's more casual operation next door focuses on great cocktails and an even greater burger, with a laid back vibe and good tunes. Sit at the bar or kick back at low seating over Cromane Bay oysters, Wood Town jersey steak, and roast potato ice-cream. Allta Bar Website allta.ie Address Allta Bar & Bottle Shop, Three Locks Square, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Allta's more casual operation next door focuses on great cocktails and an even greater burger, with a laid back vibe and good tunes. Sit at the bar or kick back at low seating over Cromane Bay oysters, Wood Town jersey steak, and roast potato ice-cream. Where It's At Nearby Locales Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Kaizen Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure 3fe Five Points Bujo Terenure Southbank Allta Bar Ruchii Reggie's Pizzeria Brighton Road

Vietnamese fusion food truck in the beer garden of the characterful Glimmer Man pub in Stoneybatter. Milly Murphy and Alex Gurnee starting serving their banh mi and Saigon tostadas in early 2018 using local and organic ingredients, and the menu is predominantly vegetarian, vegan and gluten free. And utterly delicious. Vietnom Website @vietnomdublin Address The Glimmer Man, 14 Stoneybatter, Dublin 7 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Vietnamese fusion food truck in the beer garden of the characterful Glimmer Man pub in Stoneybatter. Milly Murphy and Alex Gurnee starting serving their banh mi and Saigon tostadas in early 2018 using local and organic ingredients, and the menu is predominantly vegetarian, vegan and gluten free. And utterly delicious. Where It's At Nearby Locales Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Kaizen Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure 3fe Five Points Bujo Terenure Southbank Allta Bar Ruchii Reggie's Pizzeria Brighton Road

Micro bakery Fable were given a rarely found opportunity when Sprout announced they were offering the front of their Dawson Street site to an up and coming food entrepreneur. Fable’s pitch won out, and within weeks there was a steady supply of almond buns, cinnamon knots and fruit danishes circulating around the city centre. There’s a decent amount of Sprout seating which they also share, and a coffee from Imbibe is the perfect add on. Fable Bakery Website fablebakery.com Address 3 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Micro bakery Fable were given a rarely found opportunity when Sprout announced they were offering the front of their Dawson Street site to an up and coming food entrepreneur. Fable’s pitch won out, and within weeks there was a steady supply of almond buns, cinnamon knots and fruit danishes circulating around the city centre. There’s a decent amount of Sprout seating which they also share, and a coffee from Imbibe is the perfect add on. Where It's At Nearby Locales Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Kaizen Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure 3fe Five Points Bujo Terenure Southbank Allta Bar Ruchii Reggie's Pizzeria Brighton Road

Charming local wine bar filling a big hole for glasses of the good stuff with nice nibbles. Bread comes from sister bakery Arty Baker, dishes are simple but effective, and pours are on the larger side. The petit space is always busy, so go early and be prepared to wait. Le Petit Reynard Website instagram.com/lprwinebar Address Le Petit Renard, Sundrive Road, Crumlin, Dublin 12, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Charming local wine bar filling a big hole for glasses of the good stuff with nice nibbles. Bread comes from sister bakery Arty Baker, dishes are simple but effective, and pours are on the larger side. The petit space is always busy, so go early and be prepared to wait. Where It's At Nearby Locales Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Kaizen Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure 3fe Five Points Bujo Terenure Southbank Allta Bar Ruchii Reggie's Pizzeria Brighton Road

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Café by day, contemporary restaurant by night, Hen's Teeth is about snacks, sharing plates, and very good drinks. Their events programme is unparalled with visiting chefs and cookbook authors regularly flying over for special dinners. Hen's Teeth Website hensteethstore.com Address Blackpitts, Dublin 8 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Café by day, contemporary restaurant by night, Hen's Teeth is about snacks, sharing plates, and very good drinks. Their events programme is unparalled with visiting chefs and cookbook authors regularly flying over for special dinners. Where It's At Nearby Locales Baan Thai Mosaic Wines Little Washer Suertudo Hera Forêt Chiya Doom Slice Hong Kong Wonton The Orange Goat Killester Surge Coffee Pickosito Sprout & Co Camden Street Caribou Harry's Madame Pho Parrilla Handsome Burger Sultan's Grill Floritz Coppinger Lotus Eaters September Achara Le Petit Reynard

Gerry Godley’s home-based micro-bakery started in lockdown and has blossomed into so much more than just sourdough. It’s become a pillar of the Rialto community, with orders for breads, brioche boxes and basque cheesecakes taken in advance, and a ‘middle aisle’ to tempt visitors further on collection. Seasonality is second nature around here, and some customers bring produce from their own gardens and allotments, which Godley is more than happy to barter for. Get your order in early, or brave the queue on Saturdays. Breadman Walking Website instagram.com/bread_man_walking Address Rialto, Dublin 8 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Gerry Godley’s home-based micro-bakery started in lockdown and has blossomed into so much more than just sourdough. It’s become a pillar of the Rialto community, with orders for breads, brioche boxes and basque cheesecakes taken in advance, and a ‘middle aisle’ to tempt visitors further on collection. Seasonality is second nature around here, and some customers bring produce from their own gardens and allotments, which Godley is more than happy to barter for. Get your order in early, or brave the queue on Saturdays. Where It's At Nearby Locales Baan Thai Mosaic Wines Little Washer Suertudo Hera Forêt Chiya Doom Slice Hong Kong Wonton The Orange Goat Killester Surge Coffee Pickosito Sprout & Co Camden Street Caribou Harry's Madame Pho Parrilla Handsome Burger Sultan's Grill Floritz Coppinger Lotus Eaters September Achara Le Petit Reynard

Portugese specialties like enormous meat-packed Francesinha sandwiches, seafood rice and Portugese stew arrived in Dundrum when Alfama opened its doors in late 2022. Named after Lisbon’s oldest neighbourhood, it’s a casual spot whose blue and white tiled exterior has brought a slice of the Riviera Portuguesa to SoCoDub. The pasteis de nata are some of the best in Dublin so no skipping dessert. Alfama Website alfamarestaurant.ie Address Irwin Court, 39 Dundrum Road, Farranboley, Dublin 14 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Portugese specialties like enormous meat-packed Francesinha sandwiches, seafood rice and Portugese stew arrived in Dundrum when Alfama opened its doors in late 2022. Named after Lisbon’s oldest neighbourhood, it’s a casual spot whose blue and white tiled exterior has brought a slice of the Riviera Portuguesa to SoCoDub. The pasteis de nata are some of the best in Dublin so no skipping dessert. Where It's At Nearby Locales Baan Thai Mosaic Wines Little Washer Suertudo Hera Forêt Chiya Doom Slice Hong Kong Wonton The Orange Goat Killester Surge Coffee Pickosito Sprout & Co Camden Street Caribou Harry's Madame Pho Parrilla Handsome Burger Sultan's Grill Floritz Coppinger Lotus Eaters September Achara Le Petit Reynard

Grafton Street - Kildare Street Our Take Walk east from the capital's famous shopping street for private dining rooms, quality steak and sensational salads. Where to Eat Aperitivo Dolce Sicily Dunne and Crescenzi Featherblade Library Street Lotus Eaters One Pico Tiller And Grain

Blackrock - Monkstown - Mount Merrion Our Take South Dublin on the sea has plenty of options to keep you happy after a swim or stroll through the character-filled villages of Blackrock and Monkstown. From market stalls to Michelin stars, fresh pasta to French fine dining. Where to Eat 3 Leaves Big Mike's Bresson Fable and Stey Fellini's Hatch Coffee Blackrock Liath Little Forest Lobstar September That's Amore Volpe Nera

Clontarf - Fairview - Killester - Artane Our Take Follow the sea north to Fairview and Clontarf, and suburbs Killester and Artane for some of the city's best Indian and Pakistani food, as well as brunch and toasted sandwiches by the sea. Where to Eat Happy Out Kinara Kitchen Clontarf Surge Coffee Taza The Orange Goat Killester Two Pups Fairview

Drumcondra - Phibsboro - Glasnevin Our Take The northside's closest suburbs to the inner city are home to Middle Eastern food you'll want to shout about, breakfast sandwiches people travel a long way to eat, and a food market with constantly rotating vendors, and always something new to eat. Where to Eat Bang Bang Eatyard at The Bernard Shaw Elliot's Shouk Sushi Sakai The Washerwoman Two Boys Brew Yeeros

Aungier Street - Wexford Street - Camden Street Our Take Just past the city's main throughfares, follow Aungier Street as it turns into Wexford Street and then Camden Street, for one of the city's best selection of independent bars and restaurants. Where to Eat Big Fan Chimac Delahunt Frank's Hang Dai Chinese La Gordita Las Tapas de Lola Mad Egg Mister S Nomo Ramen Pickle Sprout & Co Camden Street Two Faced Tír Uno Mas Yeeros Wexford Street

Pearse St - Merrion Square Our Take From gut-friendly food on the quays to one of the city's coolest wine bars, with all the baked goods on Pearse Street sandwiched in the middle. Where to Eat As One Bread 41 Camerino Bakery Merrion Square Cloud Picker D'Olier Street Gursha Honey Truffle Il Caffe di Napoli Jean Georges @ The Leinster Note Tang Cumberland Place Vice

Portmarnock - Malahide - Skerries Our Take North county Dublin suburbs Portmarnock, Malahide and Skerries are a bit lacking on the exciting restaurant front, but there's enough to keep visitors happy with sushi, handmade roti for 'Pop's potato curry', and a Michelin-starred experience we really rate. Where to Eat A Do Harry's Honey Honey Kajal McNally Family Farm Café Noisette Old Street Paddy's Pizza Pies Póg Malahide The Rock Bakery Wasabi Portmarnock

Harolds Cross - Terenure Our Take Southside suburbs Harold's Cross and Terenure have suddenly gotten interesting over the past few years, with several neighbourhood restaurants worth leaving your neighbourhood for. Where to Eat Craft Green Man Wines Orwell Road

Dún Laoghaire - Sandycove - Glasthule - Dalkey Our Take Dún Laoghaire's food options have improved vastly over the past few years, and more options can be found further south along the coast in Sandycove, Glasthule and Dalkey. Where to Eat 64 Wine Arty Baker Bibi's Dún Laoghaire Daata Deville's Grapevine Hatch Coffee Oliveto Rasam Soup Ramen Strudel Bakery Zero Zero Pizza