Search Results

Ku Raudo Special sushi rolls and a good place to drink great wine Posted: 4 Jul 2018 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Ku Raudo is a somewhat under the radar, BYO sushi spot on Townsend Street, which opened in 2015 initially just serving just two dishes - a meat bento box and a vegetarian version. Soon after they expanded to sushi, noodle and rice dishes and after seeing it looking nicely busy recently on the way to somewhere else, we thought it was worth a visit. It's also open seven days a week, so great for that where to eat Sunday/Monday dilemma. Where’s good for a drink beforehand? We stopped into The Blind Pig , the formerly mystery location speakeasy, whose address is now on google maps (it's on Suffolk Street). After a mission to find the door (which at one point ended up in a utility closet in the ladies toilets), we were eventually directed to pull a picture frame at the bottom of the stairs and the bookcase in front of us slid open. This is properly impressive first date material. Cocktails are excellent, the beer selection decent, and the wines basic. Have a cocktail. If you're after a good boozer there are loads around, with Doyle's, Bowes, The Long Stone and Mulligan's all a few minutes walk away. We'd head for The Palace Bar on Fleet Street, which is one of those must-visit pubs that makes you feel happy to be in Ireland. Prepare to make friends. What’s the room like? Like a typical Japanese sushi restaurant abroad, with wooden benches, Japanese art and randomly, love hearts projected onto the ceiling. It's narrow, cosy, and intimate, just don't have any conversations you don't want your neighbours to hear. On our visit there was no music, ensuring everyone could clearly hear conversations from other tables, which is fine unless you're discussing illegal activity or admitting to watching Love Island. What's good to eat? When in a sushi restaurant, eat sushi. It's not all standout, the salmon nigiri was a lot better than the tuna, and the spicy tuna roll was average, but the more elaborate rolls are very good. The dragon special comes with Katsu prawns, avocado, capellin roe (masago), eel & a mayo sauce and was hard to follow. Special mention for arranging it in the shape of a dragon (okay it was more like a snake). We were tempted to order a second one but we'd over-ordered as it was. The spider special was a close second, with deep-fried soft-shell crab, lettuce, capellin roe and Japanese mayo. The menu is extensive with 20 different types of nigiri alone, but we think the value is more to be had in the special rolls which are a bit more flavour packed, than in the stand alone ones which depend on the fish to be of seriously superior quality. Salmon teriyaki soba was no better than you could make at home, but chicken gyoza and yasai tempura were both excellent, even if the dipping sauce for the later was a bit unbalanced in the direction of vinegar, but the batter was light and crisp and the vegetables perfectly cooked. What about the drinks? It's BYO with zero corkage charge so it's a brilliant place to take something special, even if it does suffer the fate of the majority of BYO restaurants by having terrible glassware. You can't win 'em all. Champagne and Sherry (the proper dry stuff) are great matches for sushi if you have a willing crowd. We took a Californian Chardonnay from Sandhi and a New Zealand Pinot Noir from Allan Scott that were so delicious they'd go with anything. And the service? Smiling and helpful, but needed to be waved down a few times, which isn't ideal for such a small place. Didn't take away from the experience though. The verdict? Quality sushi and a great place to drink good wine. The Japanese zen vibes are particularly nice when you want to step out of the Dublin bubble for a few hours, just stick to the more elaborate sushi options if you want to be wowed. Ku Raudo 185 Townsend Street, Dublin 2 kuraudosushidublin New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Hawksmoor We tried 27 items on the menu at Dublin's new steakhouse. Here's what to order... Posted: 5 Sept 2023 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What should we know about Hawksmoor? You probably know it all at this stage, but just in case you've been in Witness Protection for the past few months... Hawksmoor is the London-born restaurant that was named "best steakhouse in Europe" in the World's Best Steak awards, coming second globally (and it's actually not another nonsense awards situation - judges on every continent conduct visits anonymously). They're also certified as B Corp , meaning they have to continuosly prove that they meet high environmental and social standards, with accountability and transparency, and they were the world's first carbon-neutral steak restaurant group. Impressed yet? It was big news last summer that we were getting a Hawksmoor of our own in the old Abercrombie and Fitch site on College Green - their first outside the UK and New York (Chicago is coming soon), and despite making us wait almost a year for the doors to open, demand for soft launch tables was unsurprisingly through the roof. The 50% off food offer helped of course, with 8 days of bookings gone in minutes. We bagged ATF Insiders an exclusive first look at their famous Sunday roast (an offering badly lacking in the capital) but have been back a couple of times since, and managed to work our way through most of the menu - 27 items in fact - so we're here to break it down for you. Where should we go for a drink first? There's a beautiful bar at the front but each time we've been it's been empty - maybe they're still waiting for word to get out - so depending on the atmosphere we'd say here, The Blind Pig around the corner for a cocktail, Fallon & Byrne 's wine cellar for a glass of wine, or The Foggy Dew across the road for a pint. Where should we sit? There are a multitude of seating options in this arresting room with its dramatic ceiling dome, and considering how busy it's been you're unlikely to get your choice of tables, but for our money the large booths at the very back of the room when you walk in are the best of the bunch ( their wine manager agrees ). There are smaller green velvet four tops on both sides of the room, and long rows of banquette seating, as well as standalone tables, and the room feels masculine, clubby, and sprawling - it seats 200 at capacity. Exciting news also dropped last month that they were ready to take bookings for their 18-seater private dining room off to the side, 'None The Wiser', offering sharing dishes and family-style feasts. One to bookmark for your next work night out/group gathering/special occasion. Give us the menu breakdown. Starters, go... Right, are you strapped in? The menu starts with oysters, either Flaggy Shore dainties (natural or with scotch bonnet mignonette ) or Kelly Gigas roasted with bone marrow. We very much recommend the warm, savoury yet sweet, creamy, crumbly latter - even oyster deniers might get on board with these ones. The roasted currach-caught scallops with white port and garlic are pricey at €18 (€6 a scallop) but we loved them too - you just might not be kissing anyone for a while afterwards. Hawksmoor are famous for their bone marrow with toast, an animal part so rarely (and inexplicably) seen here, and if you've never experienced the joy of scraping well cooked marrow out of the bone and smearing it onto bread (like the best beef-flavoured butter), now's your chance - just don't forget a generous sprinkle of sea salt on top. Andarl Farm pork belly ribs were not what we were expecting, in the best way (they were boneless for one), with the tangy meat collapsing under our knives, and the vinegar slaw a bright, refreshing side show. There are two starter options for vegetarians and vegans, and we're relieved to tell you that both are worth ordering, whether you're a meat eater or not. A ripe, heritage tomato salad came with diced cucumber, thinly sliced shallot rings and fresh herbs in a vinegar-heavy dressing, which all tasted beautiful under a generous scoop of soft St. Tola goat's cheese. The vegan option (although why you'd bring a vegan into a steakhouse is beyond us) is ash-baked beetroot with pickled fennel and horseradish, and while that doesn't sound overly interesting, it really was - the sweet beetroot, tang of the fennel, punch of the horseradish (creamed and fresh), and a clever sprinkling of breadcrumbs pulling together a salad made for people who like their flavours turned up. The last starter we tried, and the one we liked least, was the smoked mackerel salad with new potatoes, horseradish and watercress. It was fine, but tasted like something we'd pull together for a midweek lunch at home, and the mackerel tasted like the big brand type rather than the local fishmonger type - it's the only fish item on the menu with no provenance. Got it. Tell us about the mains... Onto what you're probably here for - the steaks. There are four set priced ones on the menu, ranging from €26 for rump to €42 for fillet, and other cuts (Chateaubriand, Porterhouse, Prime-rib and T-bone) are priced per 100g, with available sizes listed on blackboards on the wall. From the set priced ones we tried the rump, sirloin and rib-eye. The rump was undoubtedly the weakest, drier and chewier than the others, but if you order the cheapest thing on the menu what do you expect. The sirloin was better, although the first time we had it it came pre-sliced without much of a buttery coating, the second time it came as a whole piece with far more fatty flavour from the pan. You can add a half native lobster in garlic butter onto the side of your steak, but at €28.50 when we visited this is not good value for money (you can get a whole one in King Sitric with chips for €40) so we'd skip that splurge unless you're living the high life. The rib-eye was far and away the best steak we tried of the three, beautifully browned outside, the additional fat bringing all the flavours. All of the steaks we tried were cooked more or less the way we asked for them, with a couple coming more medium-well than medium - if it had been any further in one direction we would have asked for a redo, and at these prices so should you. The sharing steaks are where you'll really want your debit cards greased up, and have the potential to make people nervous - you'll need a calculator to figure out what they cost. There's been quite a few complaints about the availability of only very large sizes when guests have visited, and we found the same on two visits. We did manage to get a 550g Prime-rib for two (they recommend 300g of meat per person) but at €71.50 we would have liked more meat (we presume the bone was part of that weight). One hungry person could easily have eaten this alone. When it comes to fish they've got Dublin Bay monkfish, whole native lobster in garlic butter (which will come in at €55-60 depending on size with no sides), and 'Dublin Lawyer' - a whole lobster baked with whiskey, leeks, cream and Cáis na Tíre, at the eye-watering price of €75. When one of our party wanted monkfish they were told the smallest size available was 300g, which came in at €42, with just a lemon for company. This is big money for most people, and will be pushed towards €50 with a single side. It was well cooked but we can't say we thought it was worth the price tag. There's one option for the vegetarian in your life (nothing for vegans but again, it would just be cruel to bring them here) - a Ballylisk Wellington with celeriac, mushrooms and Ballylisk cheese. While we loved the originality of this dish (and are die-hard Ballylisk fans) it's very heavy, dense and meaty from the mushrooms, and it would be more suited to a cold winter's evening than a sweltering day in summer. Our token veggie liked it, but as it went on found it a bit much, and didn't finish it. Okay, what about the sides? There are triple-cooked chips and beef-dripping fries, and it's fries or die for us. They're as close to McDonalds as you'll get without having to step under the golden arches, while the triple-cooked ones were disappointingly beige - lacking crispness and fluffiness. The Hawksmoor caesar comes with Cantabrian anchovies and plenty of cheese, and we loved that you eat it leaf by leaf, each its own vessel for the lovlieness within. The macaroni and cheese is also worth your money, with just cooked pasta, a rich, well seasoned sauce (clearly made with good cheese) and a browned breadcrumb topping. Creamed spinach, a steakhouse must, is done very well here, with the right amount of cream to spinach and a perfect sprinkling of nutmeg, but the grilled hispi cabbage on the menu is not hispi cabbage - it's buttered spring greens. While they taste as they should, it's quite the comedown if you're expecting grilled hispi cabbage - they've gotten us twice on this now and we're not sure why the menus haven't been reprinted (it does say buttered greens online ). We tried all the sauces, and here's our verdicts: Béarnaise - textbook perfect Young Buck hollandaise - blissful, if you like blue cheese you'll love Anchovy hollandaise - as above with anchovies Porcini hollandaise - a mushroomy version of the same but not as interesting Bone marrow gravy - gravy but better Peppercorn sauce - don't do it. It doesn't resemble anything you know as peppercorn sauce and is more like a dishwatery gravy. Should be deported immediately What about the Sunday roast? It's €23 for dry-aged beef rump (cooked deliciously pink and so tender), beef-dripping roast potatoes (nice but missing the crunch, which always seems to be the issue with roasties made en masse), Yorkshire pudding (huge but ours were dry and papery - other diners don't seem to have had this problem), roasted carrots (lovely), buttered greens (ditto), roasted garlic (why isn't this served with every roast) and bone marrow gravy (a joy). We ordered an additonal side of cauliflower chese and it was as good as it gets - al dente cauliflower, a rich cheese sauce, and perfectly browned on top. If you want to pop your Hawksmoor cherry you'd do worse than starting with the roast, it's up there with the best in Dublin (albeit that's a very short list). Tell us about the desserts? If you're still reading fair play to you. The 'Peanut Butter Louis' is the unmissable one here - a layered, crispy, peanut butter and caramel filled, chocolate covered rectangle, served with salted caramel ice-cream. If you've gone for the full kit and kaboodle it will probably push you over the edge, so we recommend sharing. The same goes for the sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream, which is British pud perfection. You should also share this one, for your stomach's sake, but you'll find it difficult. The tiramisu comes covered in a mascarpone mound, with Irish whiskey and coffee-soaked sponge, and coffee ice-cream hiding right in the middle. It's very good. For something marginally lighter, the strawberry pavlova with custard cream and strawberry basil sorbet was a bright, summer-filled ending, and the salted caramel rolos (€6 for three or €15 for eight to take away) are a good choice if you can't face a whole dessert (or just be greedy like us and have both). What about drinks? They take cocktails as seriously as meat in here, and everything we tried could compete with the city's best cocktail bars, including the 'New Cork Sour', 'Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew', and the 'Sour Cherry Negroni', although we did have one incident involving the 'Ultimate Gin Martini' (€14). On ordering we were told that the latest batch wasn't ready yet, it was in the cooling stage, and were offered a regular martini (a bit of a comedown from the "ultimate" but okay). We were asked to pick a gin, Tanqueray (on the cheaper end of the scale) was selected, and all was fine until the bill arrived and we'd been charged €19. A elongated debate with a bar manager followed about why a basic martini was €5 more than the "ultimate" one, and eventually it was removed altogether, but it didn't make a whole pile of sense and the drawn-out mansplaining episode seriously delayed our departure. The wine list is towing a line between crowd-pleasing (including an own-label Malbec we imagine will be popular) and wanting to appeal to the city's wine lovers (and big spenders), and you might not be surprised to hear that there's not a lot under €50. Our best advice is to ask the wine manger for her recommendations and tell her what you want to spend - she steered us towards a Slovenian Furmint which went beatifully with some seafood, and a Georgian Saperavi, which we went straight out and bought a bottle of afterwards from The Corkscrew . The best way to drink wine in here is to visit for the BYO Monday wine club , where corkage on any bottle is €5 - if you like the good stuff it won't take long to figure out the savings you could make on the bill - you can even bring a magnum for the same price. Oh and pro tip - always offer the wine manager/sommelier a taste. You will instantly become their favourite customer of the night. How was the service? Better when it was quiet, lacking at times when it was very busy. Servers were all very pleasant, knowledgeable and helpful, but at times we found ourselves straining to get someone's attention in the 200-seater space, and on one visit we reckon we sat for an hour more than we'd planned to because of delays in ordering, calling the bill and paying it. It's not the intimate service experience you'll get in places like Etto or Library Street, and some people might prefer that, but we could have done with a bit more checking in. What was the damage? It can vary wildly depending on what you order, but we'd budget €100+ a head before tip if you want to do it right - that estimated €4 million fit out has to be repaid somehow. The clever money's in the express menu , served Monday - Saturday until 6pm, with two courses for €29 or three for €33, including rump steak, monkfish, the sticky toffee pudding and more. And the verdict? How anyone could deny that Hawksmoor is a remarkable addition to the capital is beyond us (and there are always dissenters out there). There's nothing else like it in the city, and it does feel a bit like little 'ol Dublin is joining the dining big leagues - where one international outfit goes, others tend to follow. However highstreet steak house chain this is not - it's premium dining at premium prices, with generally the provenance to back it up, and if you get your head around that and budget accordingly you should have a great time here. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Venezuelan-born Nigely Maasud came to Ireland with hopes of starting a tour company, but after realising the capital was lacking a bonefide 'churreria', she started making them with her mother. Their market stall eventually morphed into a Temple Bar café where the crunchy, airy churros are the main attraction (don't miss the Spanish hot chocolate to dip the plain ones in), but ice-cream, crêpes and savoury Venezuelan tequenos stuffed with cheese are more reasons to take a Temple Bar pitstop. Sweet Churro Website sweetchurro.ie Address 3/4 Crow Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Venezuelan-born Nigely Maasud came to Ireland with hopes of starting a tour company, but after realising the capital was lacking a bonefide 'churreria', she started making them with her mother. Their market stall eventually morphed into a Temple Bar café where the crunchy, airy churros are the main attraction (don't miss the Spanish hot chocolate to dip the plain ones in), but ice-cream, crêpes and savoury Venezuelan tequenos stuffed with cheese are more reasons to take a Temple Bar pitstop. Where It's At Nearby Locales Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery

A natural wine shop/bar, model on the type that seem to be on every corner of Paris. You'll find a regularly changing by the glass list on the board above the till, or you can drink anything from the shelf and pay a corkage fee. Iconic cheese toasties and small plates are also available, and you can carry on the party by buying more wine and cheese to take home. Loose Canon Website loosecanon.ie Address 29 Drury Street, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story A natural wine shop/bar, model on the type that seem to be on every corner of Paris. You'll find a regularly changing by the glass list on the board above the till, or you can drink anything from the shelf and pay a corkage fee. Iconic cheese toasties and small plates are also available, and you can carry on the party by buying more wine and cheese to take home. Where It's At Nearby Locales Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery

Brazilian food get a fine dining showcase at this elegant first floor restaurant adorned with Brazilian artwork, facing The Westbury Hotel. Chef Viktor Silva takes every day dishes and ingredients and presents them in beautiful, fascinating ways during the course of his no-choice tasting menu, and while there might be a lot going on, it never feels like too much. Staff pride themselves on their welcome and hospitality, and a Caipirinha is a must order. Amai by Viktor Website amaibyviktor.ie Address Amai by Viktor, Harry Street, Dublin 2, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Brazilian food get a fine dining showcase at this elegant first floor restaurant adorned with Brazilian artwork, facing The Westbury Hotel. Chef Viktor Silva takes every day dishes and ingredients and presents them in beautiful, fascinating ways during the course of his no-choice tasting menu, and while there might be a lot going on, it never feels like too much. Staff pride themselves on their welcome and hospitality, and a Caipirinha is a must order. Where It's At Nearby Locales Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery

Bless Up Home-inspired Afro-Caribbean food to feast on and to share in Posted: 31 Oct 2023 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Ronan Doyle What's the story with Bless Up? With a history more steeped in emigration than immigration, Dublin has often sadly lagged behind many even comparably-sized UK cities when it comes to the diversity of food on offer. This has started to change and change quickly in recent years, but we’re still playing catch-up in many terms. That’s a big part of why Bless Up caught our eye as it opened in Tallaght back in September: this isn’t the first restaurant in Dublin to offer Sub-Saharan African food, but the scale of its fit-out suggests plenty of confidence that it could be the best. The flashy décor speaks to the ambition to make this a community space as much as a restaurant, and there’s an impressive speaker setup in place to allow Bless Up to host all kind of music night events. The Nigerian-Irish and Nigerian-British owners have plenty of front-of-house experience from the likes of Carluccio’s and Fifty50 but this is their first time manning a kitchen. Where should we sit? Expect to walk in and be wowed – the space here has been transformed with low lighting and red curtains pairing with the smart seating and marble-effect tables for a premium late-night lounge vibe. To the rear there’s an area closed off by a sliding glass door that can be booked as a private room. The tables lining the walls have cosier seating than the wooden chairs of the handful of two-tops out on the floor; we’d recommend sticking to the wall that runs perpendicular to the bar to avoid the minor annoyance of an Instagram-friendly flashing welcome video projected on the wall. What's on the menu? We knew going in that half the mains were going to need our attention so for starters we stuck only to suya, a spiced and grilled meat dish made in this case with a mix of beef, chicken and goat. You’ll more often find this marinated in the characteristic dry-rub – a deep-flavoured powder of roast peanuts and spices including paprika and cayenne – and barbecued on a skewer but here it’s doner-thin slices layered up in a bowl. The meat is tender and juicy, teeming with flavour from the rich rub; the three kinds of meat make for a mouthful-to-mouthful variety that keeps it from ever seeming one-note. This is a great starting salvo apart from the tragic side salad – it’s there to add colour, but it’s really just taking up space. For all its pitching itself as an Afro-Caribbean restaurant, there’s no doubt Bless Up skews solidly to the former part of that hybrid. Jerk chicken on the mains list is the major exception: this Jamaican dish is a classic of Caribbean cooking, spicy-sweet from a lengthy marinade in an allspice and hot pepper-dominated mix and smoky from the grill. Those duelling flavours play well off the thigh’s fatty richness but we would have liked a little more heat – especially given they asked if we wanted it really spicy (of course). “Rice and peas” (actually kidney beans, as per tradition) on the side are simmered in coconut milk and the same spicing for a complimentary, more mellow flavour – these work really well together. Back to Nigeria for the efo riro, a seasoned and sauteed spinach with full flavours from a fried onion and tomato base. If we’re honest we had lowest expectations for this plate but the depth of flavour had us eating our words along with our greens. Our server suggested a side of goat meat to go with it and who were we to argue – this was a definite highlight of Bless Up’s simple satisfactions, gorgeous grilled slices of succulent meat with a sprinkle of spice. Goat remains a real rarity in Dublin restaurants and it’s a great shame – the quality take on it offered here is one of the major reasons to haul yourself out to Tallaght. Both efo riro and jerk chicken come served with a generous side of fried plantain – here they cook the starchy banana varietal to a caramelised crisp that’s positively addictive. It's good news for the greedy that two of the mains are also available in smaller side form, and that’s how we opted to enjoy the jollof and chakalaka – both come with plantains and grilled meat when ordered as a full-fledged main. The jollof – a staple West African rice dish seasoned with spice and simmered in tomato sauce – is delicious, a warming feed of flavour we can see working especially well on those coming colder nights. Chakalaka, a spiced-up riff on baked beans from the south of the continent, has more of that stewed vegetable complexity and gets great texture from the corn and peas flecked through the bowl. We would have happily eaten both of these as mains. We can’t tell you how much our eyes lit up when our server said the dessert of the day was a plantain split – we weren’t through with this delicious fruit yet. Three scoops of caramel-drizzled vanilla ice cream straddle the two wedges of banana, and if it isn’t quite as crisp-charred as its savoury dish cousins, it at least has all the same sweet softness. Puff puff is the menu option we most often saw praised by diners across early reviews on Google and TikTok and it’s hard to argue: these icing sugar-dusted deep-fried dough balls are airy, indulgent, and absolutely addictive dipped in the caramel on the side. Both desserts have a kind of confident simplicity that makes for a nice finish to a meal characterised by layered, complex flavours – a pared-back wind-down to send you out into the street well and truly stuffed. What about drinks? The wine list is relatively slim and with little of any real interest – we expected to see a bit more South African options but it gets no more attention than the other typical regions with three to four bottles and one or two by-the-glass each. Prices are fine, but there’s nothing here that’s good enough to count as a bargain. How was the service? Lovely! Everyone we spoke to seemed genuinely delighted people were trying the place out and keen to know how we’d come across it. Staff are attentive and all over the menu, quick with suggestions to help you try out as much as you can. Everything was ready in super-quick order too, though there was no speed the other side in trying to hustle us out of the place – you will feel very welcome here. What was the damage? What we ordered came to much more than enough for two – though we still ate every bite – at a very reasonable €88. Portion sizes are plentiful, so if you’re watching your spend you could happily fill up on just a main with plenty of change from a twenty. Families will be keen to know they’re very kid-friendly with high chairs on standby and a special kids menu offering goujons, jollof or fried rice for €6.95. And the verdict? At a time when slimming margins and uncertain outlooks are (understandably) pushing more and more new openings to go for the same style of small plates, it’s a thrill to see something as unique as Bless Up land in Dublin. There’s a clear confidence to both the space and the cooking here that seems to suggest those behind it know they’ve got something special on their hands. This is great hospitality, home-inspired food to feast on and to share in. With the broad range of cuisines that fall under the Afro-Caribbean remit we can only hope they continue to add to the menu – already since we’ve visited they’ve added gizdodo, the Yoruba delicacy of gizzards and plantains, and honestly we’re checking the timetables to Tallaght as we write. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Host The neighbourhood restaurant every neighbourhood wants Posted: 5 Mar 2019 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Host was opened in September 2017 by partners Chloe Kearney (front of house) and Niall McDermott (head chef) after 10 years working in London, and the residents of Ranelagh rejoiced to have another quality looking restaurant on their door step, with a definite London feel. Initial reviews were mostly very positive, with Catherine Cleary calling it "a shiny new star", and Katy McGuinness calling the pumpkin capellacci "a magnificent dish", and pretty soon it was difficult to get a table. Fast forward 18 months and Host is as popular as ever. You'd still want to give plenty of notice to get a weekend table, and every time we ask our followers what their favourite restaurants are, Host is mentioned again and again. It's not often we see somewhere with such a loud, loyal following, so that alone rocketed it to the top of our 'must-eat-in' list (it's a long one). Where should we go for a drink first? Ranelagh has loads of good drinking options. The Exchequer Wine Bar is a few doors down for wine or good cocktails, The Taphouse is a two minute walk away and has an enormous selection of beers on draught and in bottle, and there's always McSorley 's for a bit of nostalgia if you had a tendency to hang out in Ranelagh in your twenties because it was so much posher than town (just us?). Where should we sit? Once again you have quite the array of options. For twos we'd advise sitting at the counter, having the chats with the lovely staff and getting a proper look at the open kitchen. If you're after a bit more intimacy and/or hand-holding, the standard tables will do the job. Otherwise there are high tables, or seats in the window if you'd rather look outside than into your dinner companion's eyes. What's good to eat? Short menus where everything appeals are fast becoming our firm favourites. Host has that, but goes one better by offering a chef's menu for two with what seems like most of the main menu (except the mains where you just choose one) on there. They also tell you exactly what you'll be getting so you can make an informed decision. No messing around. It's also better value than if you ordered everything separately. Job done. Homemade focaccia to start comes with bright green, grassy olive oil, and oozing, creamy burrata on a bed of smokey aubergine with fresh mint leaves on top and more excellent olive oil at the bottom. Save some bread for moppage. The other starter of tuna, black radish and sesame came with pickled onions, barely seared tuna and thinly sliced radish in a really delicious dressing. Also, black radish - new favourite radish. The portion also felt generous for what's normally a pricey fish. Both homemade pastas we tried were standout, and if we lived around here, dropping in regularly for a plate of pasta and a glass of wine after work would be way too tempting. Duck papardelle came with the richest ragu, the type that tasted like it had started cooking 36 hours earlier. Pumpkin Cappellacci with sage and walnuts was so naturally sweet it was almost caramel like, the bite from the walnuts and the scent of the sage taking things to another level. It hasn't become their signature dish for nothing. For the main event there was a choice between Piri Piri chicken, Hake or Rib Eye, and after hearing so many people talk about the steak it had to be that, even with the €21 supplement, and it was an excellent piece of meat from Peter Hannan , perfectly seasoned. Bonus points for not asking us how we wanted it cooked - there's only one way with a steak like this. Our only complaint is that we would have liked some kind of sauce with it - maybe we're too married to the bearnaise at Etto. A side of charred broccoli with pistachio yoghurt and hazelnuts was good enough to order as a veggie main, and another of roasted peppers, onions and chorizo was also good with a nice tang, but we could have done without more meat on the side of meat. Could definitely see the appeal with the hake. Dessert was burnt ricotta cheesecake and it was a simple, seasonal, not too sweet end to a meal full of colour and interest. The only major thing we felt was lacking is more provenance information on the menus, as apart from the steak we didn't know where any of the meat, fish or vegetables were coming from, and as nice as the staff were, it's always uncomfortable giving someone the third degree about their food sourcing. What about the drinks? The wine list is exactly the type of esoteric, natural focused list we love. There's a really nice selection of bottles, but we would have liked to see more than four whites and four reds by the glass (although we enjoyed everything we had), and anything other than prosecco for sparkling - it just feels jarring in a place where everything else is so slick and sophisticated. To be fair they said they've tried them and they haven't sold, so please people, whenever you see crémant, cava or Champagne by the glass, order it. You're doing the wine lovers of the city a public service. And the service? Everyone was super charming and helpful and the food came at a really nice pace. They also asked us a couple of times if we were ready for the next dishes, which is a really nice touch that we don't see enough of, ensuring guests are having the experience they want. They also seemed really laid back yet in control - the best combination. The verdict? It's really clear to see why Host has so many devoted fans - it's the neighbourhood restaurant every neighbourhood wants. They have all of the boxes ticked when it comes to food, wine, service and general vibe, and it really does feel like it's been lifted out of London and placed on the main street in Ranelagh. Now if only we could convince them to bring Host number two to the Northside. Host 13 Ranelagh, Dublin 6 www.hostrestaurant.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Liath Damien Grey raises the game to a different level Posted: 19 Mar 2019 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Heron & Grey opened in Blackrock Market in 2016, and after winning a Michelin star within their first 10 months, the 22-seater restaurant, only open three nights a week (with one sitting per night, so 66 people per week), was soon the most sought after reservation in the city. It only became more difficult as time went on and word got out, and each month when the seats for the following month were released they sold out in minutes, leaving tranches of disappointed Dubliners virtually sobbing on social media. When owners Andrew Heron and Damien Grey announced in December that they were going their separate ways, it came as a shock - why would anyone give up on such a good thing? - but Andrew wanted a more balanced family lifestyle, and Damien wanted to change the feel of the restaurant, so they decided the time was right for them to part, and Damien to morph Heron & Grey into Liath (meaning grey in Irish - a name his daughters came up with), alongside kitchen team Róisín Gillen and Josef Radacovsky. They closed at the end of January for a two month refurb, and rumours of white tablecloths and an ambition for a second Michelin star started to abound (Grey has technically lost his star with the change, so needs to win it back with the new format). When the first block of tables for the March reopening were released on the 1st of February, 3,500 people tried to book a table simultaneously at 10am, leading the website to crash, and once again leaving lots of disappointed wannabe diners in their wake, but we were lucky enough to bag a table for night two, purely so we can tell you all about it. Where should we go for a drink first? We'd be tempted to say just don't, as why muddy your palate with anything else before sitting down in here, but if you insist, the best boozer on the main street in Blackrock is probably old-man style Jack O'Rourke's , there since 1897. Where should we sit? The new restaurant configuration has one table for six, three tables for four, and two tables for two, and lets face it, you'll be doing well to nab any of them, but we always like being closer to where the action (i.e. the kitchen) is, so you could request it when you book. Otherwise the two-seater at the far end looks very cosy and as private as you'll get in such a small space. What's good to eat? The menu consists of a ten-course tasting menu for €78 (they will cater for allergies but not dietary choices), and despite the fact you will leave with a hefty bill when drinks are included, it really does feel like excellent value - there are non-Michelin starred restaurants in the city with more expensive tasting menus whose food isn't at this level. This is boundary-pushing, sometimes head-exploding stuff, and often while eating here we've found ourselves shaking our heads in amazement at how someone's brain even begins coming up with ideas like these. Our 10 courses were a rollercoaster of tastes, textures and striking visual compositions, and there wasn't so much of an instant of boredom or a dish that didn't work, just a succession of wows from beginning to end. If absolutely forced to pick favourites, we'd single out the celeriac, the smoked eel cone, the pork and pineapple and the kaffir lime meringue, but you can see everything we had below in all its glory. Chicken broth with wild peas, cabbage and mushrooms Celeriac cooked on the yakatori grill with sheep's yoghurt, pesto and rosemary powder Pigeon with fermented beetroot and liver Textures of lemon with rapeseed oil Mackerel, sprouting broccoli, kimchi, lardo Feuille de brick with smoked eel, shallot, aged parmesan and fennel pollen Pork, allium, pennywort, pineapple - a riff on Grey's favourite dish from his Chinese take away, pork yuk sung An idea of a mango Rhubarb, kaffir lime, meringue Dark chocolate, preserves, raspberries What about the drinks? Most people at Heron & Grey used to go for the wine pairing, of either six or nine courses, with Andrew Heron showing up at the table throughout the meal with another white or red option once your glass had run dry. Liath is starting off with a six wine pairing for the time being, and there's been no major changes as of yet to the killer wine list, featuring tonnes of interesting wines (lots of them from the minimal intervention canon). We went for the pairing on this occasion and unfortunately a few of them didn't work (despite them all being very good wines in their own right), but we're putting it down to the fact that they'd only gotten into the space 24 hours earlier and didn't have the usual amount of time to painstakingly try each dish with a variety of wines. We're confident that this will sort itself out over the next few weeks once they have time to bed in and get back into their regular routine, but the á la carte list is full of great bottles at non-gouging prices if you want to fly solo. And the service? As poised and professional as always, without the formality that can often hang around Michelin-starred restaurants making everyone a bit uptight. Long-standing floor team member Ailish had slotted into Andrew's old place on the floor when we were there and was typically warm, welcoming and generous of time. The chefs also delivered a couple of plates to the tables, which we love because we get to quiz them on exactly how some of these mind-boggling dishes were born. The verdict? When we heard Grey wanted to make changes to his restaurant, like adding tablecloths, we didn't really get it. We thought it was pretty perfect as it was. But on walking in we realised that by doing what he's done, he's raised the game to a whole new level. This doesn't feel like a sparsely decorated corridor in Blackrock market any more. With the etched glass on the windows, the wooden slats, the black banquettes and the wall of wine, it feels more like Copenhagen or Stockholm than SoCoDub, the type of place that culinary tourists get on a plane for. The food scene in Dublin has never been as vibrant and fast-moving as it is right now, from street food trucks to fine dining, but we've never really had a restaurant to put us on the global culinary map. We only have one two-starred Michelin ( Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud ), haven't had a contender in the World's 50 Best Restaurants since Thornton's was included in 2003, and the main Michelin Instagram account doesn't follow any Irish restaurants and just one Irish chef (Martijn Kajuiter at Michelin-starred House at The Cliff House Hotel ), but things are moving fast, and we can't shake the feeling that Liath could be the one to change the game. We have no doubt that Grey's going to reclaim his star when the 2020 Michelin guide is released in October this year, but it's the very real prospect of a second that's just made things a whole lot more interesting. Liath Blackrock Market, 19a Main Street, Blackrock, Co. Dublin liathrestaurant.com New Openings & Discoveries More >>

One of Dublin’s best places to buy and drink wine, with a small kitchen serving up cheese, charcuterie and tinned fish to go with it. Choose from their shelves of brilliant wines to drink in house with a set corkage fee (€15 at the time of writing), so the better you drink, the better the value. Green Man Wines Website greenmanwines.ie Address 3 Terenure Road North, Terenure, Dublin 6W Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story One of Dublin’s best places to buy and drink wine, with a small kitchen serving up cheese, charcuterie and tinned fish to go with it. Choose from their shelves of brilliant wines to drink in house with a set corkage fee (€15 at the time of writing), so the better you drink, the better the value. Where It's At Nearby Locales Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery

Hawker Street food and Shanghai cocktails at Hang Dai's little sibling Posted: 15 Jun 2021 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? A summer of outdoor dining you say? We may have collectively raised our eyebrows when it was announced that the despite the likelihood of this summer being like almost every other summer, we'd be spending most of it eating and drinking outdoors. We pictured rain in our risotto, wind blowing our wontons down Wicklow Street, but walking around town at the weekend, tables and chairs lining what felt like every street, pavement and car park space, we thought why didn't we do this years ago? Yes the Santorini-style weather helped things, but after the past 15 months we'd take a wonky table on the Maumturk Mountains with a monsoon fast approaching. Adding nicely to the city centre's holiday feeling and general "we can't believe we're allowed out of the house again" vibes is Hawker, the new street food and cocktail set up outside Hang Dai on Camden Street. They've taken out the window, applied to take over part of the footpath and car parking spaces (the latter still pending), and put together a menu of Asian street food, inspired by markets in China, Hong Kong and Thailand. Where should we sit? First things first, there's no reservations - see "typical Irish summer" and "uncovered footpath dining" - so you'll take what you can get. At the moment there's three tables and a few more seats at the window, but if that permission to use the car parking spaces comes through there's going to be more steel-top tables on beer crates and plastic stools for all of us, so come on Dublin City Council. If there's nothing available when you get there you can bum a drink wherever you can find space and they'll call when they have seats for you. What's the food like? There are few things we like more than menus that make you want to order one everything, but one of those things is when the prices and numbers of diners and dishes perfectly aligns so that we actually get to say "one of everything please", which is what we did here. It's such good value that you'll easily cover it between three or four, but even if you're a two we recommend it - if there's anything left you can take it home for the next day. There's an obligatory salty edamame order (got to get those greens), perfect for warding off any building hanger, and the Buddha's delight salad was the only other vegetarian/vegan option when we visited, but you can order off the main menu inside too. Said vegan salad had interest swinging at every taste bud, with vermicelli noodles, veggies, nuts, seeds, herbs, chilli and a tangy sweet soy and black vinegar dressing. They've been going back and forth between pork dumplings in sweet soy and chilli oil and pork dumpling soup depending on the weather, but they brought us both, and while soup in 20c might not sound ideal, whatever way they're on the menu when you visit order them. The ones in soy and chilli sauce were so good we summoned a second portion, but both were generously filled and flavour-packed. Cod and crab wontons could have tasted of non-descript fish, but Hang Dai don't roll like that. Both cod and crab were discernible in their shatteringly crispy coats, with a (homemade tasting) sweet chilli sauce for dipping. Stir-fried noodles with prawn and XO was another one of those dishes it was just hard to stop eating, even though egg noodles aren't our favourite of the noodles. It was smoky and savoury with crunchy vegetables and just the right amount of heat. Two dishes in particular have been playing on repeat in our brains since we visited. The BBQ beef skewers with satay were perfection on a stick. Beef so tender it was almost falling off the skewer, finished on the barbecue for that smoky char, then lovingly drowned in satay sauce and topped with peanuts, spring onions, sesame seeds and chilli. We're talking last supper territory. The other is the cheeseburger spring rolls, not a dish we ever thought would grace the pages of ATF. Being the unapologetic food snobs that we are, Maccy Ds is not somewhere we frequent these days, but some kind of kitchen witchcraft here has made these taste EXACTLY like a Big Mac (okay better), with none of the corporate fast food ick factor, or the concern about exactly what part of the cow went into your "100% Irish beef" burger. Even if you're passing Hawker on the way to somewhere else, just grab a portion on the go. You'll thank us. Dessert of deep-fried ice-cream with butterscotch sauce was the only thing we didn't love, but it was probably a victim of its impressive size. The deep-fried ball of ice-cream was still ice hard in the centre, with the inside of the batter under-cooked, so something had gone amiss with cooking times/temperatures. A smaller (albeit less-Instagrammable) ball might have solved the problem and allowed us to savour that buttery sweet sauce a bit more. What about the drinks? Cocktails are the draw here, and something Hang Dai have always done very well. While a lot of takeaway cocktails in Dublin over the last few months have been unforgiveable (lest we forget the Pornstar Martini that tasted like watered-down vodka with cheap orange juice), the ones at Hawker are worth your time and money, and you can even get a Fat Frog to go with your Big Mac for the ultimate in early noughties nostalgia. Unlike the ones of our youth, this is a step more sophisticated, with vodka, limoncello, kiwi, bergamot, spiced cloudy apple and ginger, and we also loved the Shanghai spritz with gin, rose, pomegranate and prosecco. The wine list has also had a step up in interesting options from the last time we visited - we even spotted a rosé txakoli by the glass. And the service? So warm and welcoming, with everyone seeming buzzed to be back serving actual humans instead of answering the phone and packing food into boxes. We'd asked for the food to be paced which they might not have heard as it all came out very quickly, so if you want to enjoy a few dishes before moving onto the next ones, it might be worth ordering in stages, rather than excitedly insisting you need every dish from the get go. The verdict? Hawker is exactly what we want to see more of in Dublin right now. Fun, fresh, phenomenal value and reminding us why we love going out to eat so much. We'd like to see the menu play with some more unusual Hong Kong/Singapore street food dishes (like curry fishballs), but this is a kitchen that's doing everything so well that whatever's on the menu we're quietly confident that you'll enjoy it. Our summer of outdoor dining is off to a bright start. Hawker 20 Camden Street Lower, Dublin 2 www.instagram.com/hawker_dublin New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Chef Niall Davidson's nomadic restaurant finally settled down in Grand Canal Dock in 2024, with an à la carte menu of the country's finest meat, fish, vegetables and more, cooked in surprising, inventive ways. Industrial space with seating at low tables, the kitchen table or the bar. Allta Website allta.ie Address allta, Three Locks Square, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Chef Niall Davidson's nomadic restaurant finally settled down in Grand Canal Dock in 2024, with an à la carte menu of the country's finest meat, fish, vegetables and more, cooked in surprising, inventive ways. Industrial space with seating at low tables, the kitchen table or the bar. Where It's At Nearby Locales Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery

Open since 2007, Pakistani Kajal is consistently booked out at prime times, and locals know to reserve special tables weeks in advance. Staff are charming, drinks are thoughtful, and the chargrilled lamb chops are what meat-eating dreams are made of. Kajal Website kajjal.ie Address 7 The Green, Malahide, Co. Dublin Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Open since 2007, Pakistani Kajal is consistently booked out at prime times, and locals know to reserve special tables weeks in advance. Staff are charming, drinks are thoughtful, and the chargrilled lamb chops are what meat-eating dreams are made of. Where It's At Nearby Locales Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery

Head north from Smithfield and you'll hit every food and drink lover's favourite suburb, Stoneybatter. It's been called 'Dublin's coolest neighbourhood' by Timeout Magazine, and from Calabrian pasta to craft beer, southern Indian dosas to homemade dumplings, it's frankly a bit rude how much good stuff locals have on their doorstep. Stoneybatter Our Take Head north from Smithfield and you'll hit every food and drink lover's favourite suburb, Stoneybatter. It's been called 'Dublin's coolest neighbourhood' by Timeout Magazine, and from Calabrian pasta to craft beer, southern Indian dosas to homemade dumplings, it's frankly a bit rude how much good stuff locals have on their doorstep. Where to Eat A Fianco Grano Hakkahan Korean Table L Mulligan Grocer Slice Social Fabric Sorrento's Vada

Table Wine Parisian vibes on Pleasants Street Posted: 7 Dec 2021 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? When it comes to capturing the Dublin zeitgeist, not many business owners are as adept at it as the guys who opened Meet Me In The Morning, Reference Coffee, Loose Canon, Benedict's Egg Shop, and now, Table Wine . They've evolved as needed over the years, recently closing Benedict's (which seemed less to do with its success and more to do with logistics/staff issues and/or the ability to make a decent living from egg sandwiches), and while there were tears shed across the city when they announced they were getting out of the brunch game and closing MMITM, the nooooos slowly turned to ohhhhs when it transpired they were opening a wine bar on the same site. Formerly named Reference Coffee next door is now "The Morning", and MMITM is now "Table Wine". Loose Canon is sill Loose Canon. Up to speed? In truth these guys have always wanted to bring more to the Dublin wine scene ( Loose Canon was pretty ground-breaking when it came to natural wine in the capital), and Table Wine has been in their heads for a long time. Co-owner Brian O'Keeffe used to live in Paris and came home with his head spinning about why Dublin didn't have more dimly lit, caves à vins, serving interesting small plates in casual surroundings alongside the best natural wines around - even if it meant importing them direct. The pandemic put a halt to their plans (them and everyone else), but at the end of November they quietly opened the doors on Pleasants Street with only those in the know clued in enough to visit - which obviously includes us, and you if you're reading this. Where should we sit? It's the same set up as MMITM, with wooden tables and chairs on the lower and upper floors. Tables are well spaced out, but this means they have less seats than before, so we imagine it might be challenging to get a table at peak times if not booked in advance. Downstairs there's a nice bird's eye view into the kitchen, as well as the perfect people watching perch inside the door. Upstairs would be better for more intimate dinner dates or when you've got all the goss to spill. What's the food like? Sharing plates, i.e. our favourite, each one sounding more appetising than the last. Nothing really constitutes a "main", so even the rogue friend who doesn't like to share will be forced to - *evil laugh*. We started with perfect plates to pick at over that first glass of wine - pink pickled eggs with mayo, soy pickled mushrooms, and they brought sourdough, because everything's better with sourdough. The mushrooms in particular deserve singling out for their especially complex, floral flavours with the mildest bite of acidity. We would fling these in a toastie, risotto, on a cheese board - you name it, we'll try it. There's a nice amount of vegetable/cheese based dishes for any veggies in your life, and spuds are a highlight here. The firmer, pink fir apple variety are cooked beautifully, then tossed in garlic butter topped with chives - the new chips. Another dish everyone seems to be loving (us included) is the Crown Prince pumpkin (McNally Farm's finest) with Cais na Tire cheese sauce. The Tipperary sheep's cheese can do no wrong in our eyes, and we would eat it on practically anything, so how could you not love this dish, although it would have been nice to have an element of crunch, so maybe save some sourdough crust if you have the willpower. You're probably sick of us bemoaning the lack of ceviche in the city, so we jumped to order the one here, but it didn't quite have the bracing, slap around the face we like when it comes to citrus cured fish. Ours was made with seabream (we'd also love to see a move to lesser known fish or by-catch), lime leaf oil, chilli and kombucha, and while flavours were pleasant, it was too mild for our Peruvian-loving tastes. You're going to be seeing Table Wine's crab sandwich everywhere, and while you may initially think, "€20 for a sandwich?", this is no ordinary sandwich. It's a triple decker, Lambay crab stuffed, Hegarty's cheddar covered masterstroke, with deep-fried Jerusalem artichoke crisps the icing on the cheesy-crab cake. A warning however - it's as heavy as it sounds, and even one between two will make much of the rest of the menu moot - one between 3 or four would be perfect if you've come to work your way through their offering. Saying that there would be worse ways to slip into a food coma than popping in here for one of these and a glass of wine after a hard day. We love flower sprouts, or kalettes as they've now been renamed as apparently that causes sales to go up, but didn't think they worked here in a simple tempura batter. They needed something to be dipped into, and the kitchen brought a fantastic tomatillo relish on request which rescued things. That tomatillo relish was destined for our dish of the night - the unmissable veal salami, red chilli and poblano pepper croquettes. If we'd had these first, a second (and maybe third) order would have gone into the kitchen, but sadly we were too stuffed full of crab to consider it for more than 5-6 minutes tops. Perfect bites of endless flavour, and that tangy relish underneath just gave them added pizazz. Dessert currently consists of sorbet and ice-cream, and we ordered one of each. Crown Prince pumpkin ice-cream was full of spice and all things nice, brown butter ice-cream literally takes browned butter and churns it in there (how could that not taste good), but the one that disappeared fastest was the yoghurt sorbet with elderflower, whiskey and brandy snaps. A simple but effective ending to a meal full of different flavours. What about the drinks? This is a natural wine bar first and foremost, so if you're not into it, one of the major cornerstones of this place will be lost on you. If you are, you'll be in funk-filled heaven, and there's loads of unusual bottles to work your way through. There's currently only five wines by the glass - hopefully that will expand over time - and bottles start at around €40. We drank a really beautiful gamay from Alexandre Bain in the Loire Valley, and a simpler but still very enjoyable Langhe Nebbiolo from Trediberri, which is an entry level wine on the list. Staff will be delighted to make recommendations for you. And the service? Happy, welcoming and confidently relaxed. Staff seemed like they'd been there years, and everything was very smooth. The chef brought out most of the dishes himself, which gave us a chance to quiz him on their contents and cooking methods. It wasn't full, which always makes thing easier, but the whole places gives off a very chilled out vibe, and it's hard to imagine that changing, even with more bodies in the place. And the damage? €70 a head, which felt like decent value for what we had. The verdict? A UK-based food writer visited here a few weeks ago and whilst in the food planning stage mentioned that she would like to visit several of the best restaurants in the city, "to try a few plates" in each. We didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but had to break it to her that there are very few places here that you can realistically include on a bone fide restaurant crawl, and not be expected to book weeks in advance - we're not in London any more Toto. This Pleasants Street retreat is exactly what she was looking for, and we hope they can maintain the laid back, formula-free, continental Europe feel of it all. God knows we all need a bit more spontaneity in life right now, and being able to pop in here for delicious, dynamic, ever-changing small plates and great wine at short notice would turn the worst day on its head. Here's hoping this is the start of a new wave of casual, food-focused wine bars, because post (mid?)-pandemic we need all the joy we can get our hands on. Table Wine 50 Pleasants Street, Dublin 8 www.tablewine.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Northern Mexican taqueria run by a trio of women who were missing their favourite foods from home. The Northern aspect means more of a focus on wheat and beef, than corn and pork, and the prices undercut all the big chains, for far better flavours. Pickosito Website instagram.com/pickosito.taqueria Address Pickosito Northern Mexican Taqueria, Upstairs, Mary Street, North City, Dublin 1, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Northern Mexican taqueria run by a trio of women who were missing their favourite foods from home. The Northern aspect means more of a focus on wheat and beef, than corn and pork, and the prices undercut all the big chains, for far better flavours. Where It's At Nearby Locales Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery

Bahay A feel-good, Filipino family affair Posted: 20 Jul 2021 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? We all love the new, the different, the things we can't find on every corner, but when we told you that ex-Clanbrassil House chef Richie Castillo was bringing Filipino food (courtesy of his Dad's recipes) to Dublin, excitement was at fever pitch. There's never been a Filipino restaurant here that's had the foodie crowd clambering at the door, and everything was telling us that this one was worth getting excited about. After considering a few locations for Bahay's (meaning 'home' in Filipino) first outing, Richie and girlfriend Alex O'Neill decided on Roe & Co's D-8te pop up at their Dublin 8 Distillery (quite the coup for them), and tickets disappeared as soon as they went on sale, with legions of you hanging on their feed waiting for cancellations or no-shows. Not ones to let a new food experience go undiscovered, we were ready and waiting for tickets to go on sale and exhaled a sigh of relief when we got a table, ready for all the Inihaw na Manok (grilled chicken), lumpia (pork spring rolls) and sinangag (garlic rice) we could get our hands on. This is a slight teaser of a review as the Bahay Roe & Co pop up ended two days ago, but they'll be back in Camden Yard Market in two weeks with a lot of the same food, and Roe & Co's cocktail village continues until the end of August, with residencies from Nightmarket, Matsu Ramen and Lil' Portie, so here's what to expect from both. Where should we sit? It's assigned seating, and if you've already tried you book you might know that tables for two are few and far between (there might only be one), so you've a better chance of getting a booking for four or six. There are two main seating areas (all covered), and the airsteam is in the middle of both, so everywhere has a decent view. There's also just a lovely, holiday-like vibe in there (helped by plenty of string lighting), and it's a really atmospheric place to spend a few hours with friends. What's the food like? Each residency is a set menu costing €40, with an optional cocktail pairing for €30. This makes it a pretty stress-free experience (unless you're with a picky eater) and you can get straight to chatting and waiting for the food to start coming out. We had to try a cocktail pairing after their big talk about how much work had gone into it, but you can also order other cocktails, spirits or beer. There's no wine. While we were waiting for our first drink to arrive they brought an aperitif of Roe & Co whiskey, Tokaji (Hungarian dessert wine) and aloe - a lovely touch and a very user-friendly (and original) introduction to their whiskey. First up for food was a snack platter containing Lumpia (pork spring rolls) with a rice wine vinegar dipping sauce, Inihaw na Manok (grilled chicken thighs marinated in banana ketchup, garlic, 7up & soy), and Pandesal (a yeasty bread roll) served with whipped chicken fat annato butter (annato is a spice that's frequently used as a yellow food dye). This is the type of legit street food the city needs more of, and hopefully they'll be cornerstones of Bahay's menu. Dipping the pork-packed spring rolls into the zippy dip and pulling the smoky, juicy chicken from their skewers, we could have been in a Manilla market instead of just off James' Street (the hot, humid weather helped too). This is the first time we've seen banana ketchup on a menu in Ireland (you can read more about it as an ingredient here ) and hopefully it won't be the last, and the bread roll from the Gold Ribbon Filipino bakery on Dorset Street was fluffy and made for tearing apart with your hands. The only mild disappointment was the chicken fat butter which we were expecting more of a chickeny flavour from. Next was a small bowl of 'sisig', which our lovely server told us was the dish Anthony Bourdain thought would make the world fall in love with Filipino cooking. If you have a fatty meat phobia this might not be for you, but the diced, grilled pork (usually from the head) with soy, vinegar, calamansi and onion was a savoury, lively bowl rocking with flavour, and it disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived. It's cocktail pairing had an appley profile, with Calvados, amontillado, and barley and orange champagne cordial, and it really did compliment the dish - pork, apples and sweetness, what's not to like. The main was beef short rib kare kare (braised short rib in a peanut sauce), with green beans, bok choy, bagoon (a condiment made from fermented fish), atchara (pickled carrot, daikon, pepper and green papaya) and sinangag (garlic rice). At first taste you might think the kare kare is lacking something, but you use the bagoon almost like salt and pepper to season it to your taste. We started off slow and ending up using so much we had to ask for more. If you're a fan of the flavour profile of kimchi, fish sauce, shrimp paste etc, you'll be hooked on bagoon. If they'd been selling it to go we would have grabbed a few jars. We loved everything about this plate, and how harmonious all the flavours were together - the creaminess of the curry, the pungency of the bagoon, the zing of the pickled veg, and the soft, mildly garlic rice. It felt so pure, like you'd been invited to a Filipino friend's house for dinner (whose family could really cook), and something totally original for Dublin. We also spotted Richie's Dad cooking with him in the kitchen - could Bahay get any more wholesome? The cocktail pairing was knockout too. They could have played it safe (who has time for that?) but they really went for it with a Liberty Belle Gimlet - bell pepper infused whiskey, suze, elderflower, grapefruit, olive bitters and chilli oil. A really unusual drink that you're not going to see on every cocktail menu, and it did what every good pairing does, it elevated the dish. Claps for whoever came up with this one. Dessert was tibok-tibok with latik - calamansi coconut custard with caramelised coconut milk curds. The smooth, creamy custard came topped with what looked and tasted like dulce de leche and a cross between fudge and honeycomb, but managed to keep a certain lightness, helped by the citrus calamansi. The cocktail pairing was a Pina Punch, with whiskey, coconut, pineapple, lime, mint and jasmine tea, and together they were a lovely, refreshing ending to a meal that didn't dip in enjoyment at at any point. What about the other drinks? Between four of us we tried all five of the other cocktails on the list, the winner of which was the 'Verdi Grey' - a lemon sherbet style whiskey sour. We also loved the 'Weights & Measures', a low abv drink with Roe & Co's 0.1% whiskey, amontillado sherry, sweet vermouth and cordial, and their take on an Old Fashioned ('Brass Tax') was good too. The most unfortunate thing to happen all night was choosing to end on an 'Espresso Marini', which someone had inexplicably added dillisk liquer to. Seaweed has no business getting into the espresso martini game, and it's a taste that will haunt us for some time. How was the service? When we sat down we were greeted by Roe & Co's Billie, who must be one of the loveliest, bubbliest servers in the whole city. She was full of information, recommendations and seemed genuinely enthused about every drink she brought us. When she disappeared towards the end of the night (presumably a break or end of shift) she was really missed, with other servers just bringing the drinks and placing them down, with none of the Billie flair. On Bahay's side, Alex (co-owner) and her sister were front of house, and their obvious passion for what they were serving burst through, with loads of useful tidbits of information about dishes and ingredients, which really helps to enhance your experience and give you more of an understanding about what you're eating. And the damage? €80 a head - €40 for food and €40 for drinks, which felt pricey enough for something so casual, but also sadly feels pretty standard these days, especially when cocktails are involved. The verdict? We're so happy Bahay is here and can't wait to try more from them. This is something legitimately different for Dublin, and it's first outing has been a major success by the looks of the feedback they've had (ours included). All going to plan you'll find them serving a lot of this food in Camden Yard Market from two weeks time (keep an eye on their Instagram for an announcement), but we're really hoping they can find a permanent home in the next year. We deserve more bagoon, more banana ketchup, and a place for these guys to call 'Bahay' permanently. Bahay Next venue: Camden Yard Market @ Camden Court Hotel Opening days/times: TBC www.instagram.com/bahay_dub www.roeandcowhiskey.com/outdoor-dining New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Daddy's Brunch in a pub has never been this good Posted: 10 Mar 2020 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Last December, the team behind Lucky's on Meath Street opened a new multi-purpose venue in a neighbourhood that really needed it - Rialto. The Circular is the pub part, serving craft beer and pizza from Coke Lane with a "beer yard" out the back (yet to be seen), and at the front is Daddy's - the bright, vintage style pink-toned café. Daddy's serves breakfast, lunch and 'early dinner' during the week, with brunch on weekends, and very quickly locals (and those from farther afield) were singing the praises of their Turkish Eggs, savoury tarts and the nostalgia inducing 'mashed eggs in a cup'. The suppliers list is impressive, with O'Neill's bacon, Annascaul black and white pudding, organic free-range eggs and Tartine bread and pastries, and there's a cabinet in front where you can buy many of the same ingredients to take home. If you're planning on rocking up to do a bit of work, be aware that they only allow laptops in the café part at the front, and on a separate visit, another member of the ATF team felt staff were a bit snippy when she asked if she could move into the main room with hers. Sounds like it's a bit of a sore spot. What else is around? If you're in this neck of the woods you've got to pay a visit to The Bakery by The Cupcake Bloke , to stock up on almond and honey, lemon and raspberry and oreo cupcakes, their award-winning Earl Grey, cranberry and orange tea brack, and if you're lucky a giant mikado or a jambon. You're also a 10 minute walk from Kilmainham Gaol if it's somewhere you've been meaning to tick off your bucket list (guilty), and a 20 minute walk to Teelings Distillery if you're in the mood for some whiskey tasting. Where should we sit? Although Daddy's is technically only the front part with high stools, high tables and counters, there are three seating areas in the venue, so plenty of room whatever the size or needs of your group. The front has the best light but you need to be okay with a bit of leg dangling. Then in the main pub there's "the good room", an annexed section with red booths and blue wall panelling, then into the main pub with round booths, counter seating and regular tables for two or four. If you don't want to be in the café at the front, the "good room" is definitely where it's at, feeling cosy yet bright at the same time thanks to the high windows. Because the main pub is so big, and they only fill a few tables for brunch, it's somewhat lacking in atmosphere in comparison to the other areas, but if you want peace, space, or just to have a private conversation it'll do the job. What's good to eat? This is one of those brunch menus that you immediately know is a cut above most, due to twists on some classics and the produce being used. The counter is filled with Tartine pastries, scones, bakes and tarts, and if you can avoid ordering one while waiting for your food you have more self-control than us. We opted for a pain au chocolat which was exactly how it should be, with the coveted two rows of chocolate and crispy strips on the outside for extra crunch. Clearly we couldn't come here without trying the Turkish eggs (why don't we see more Turkish eggs on menus here!?) and they were very good with a generous amount of sourdough, but we'd argue that the bowl they were served in wasn't ideal. The spiced oil had risen to the top with the garlic and herb yoghurt sitting at the bottom, and it took a lot of digging to get down and get a decent amount of it on the bread. We prefer Turkish eggs in a wider, more shallow bowl where both oil and yoghurt are easy to scoop up. Saying that the flavours were excellent and the eggs perfectly poached. Next time we'd probably just gently empty the bowl out onto the plate. Next up the impossibly perfect 'organic mashed eggs in a cup" with Annascaul black and white pudding, kale and toast. It's hard to imagine mashed eggs tasting this delicious (we're guessing lots of butter), but our parents certainly never made 'em like this. Both the black and white pudding have to be some of the best in the country, soft and spreadable, and the kale was beautifully seasoned with crispy edges. A really perfect breakfast plate, barring the single wrapped butter pats which in this day and age are pretty unforgiveable. We also couldn't resist the double baked croissant pudding with vanilla custard, O'Neill's smoked, streaky bacon and honey, and if sweet breakfasts are your thing, this is a triumph. Like the best bread and butter pudding, which could only be made better by chucking a load of salty, streaky bacon on top, from one of our favourite bacon producers. We wanted to try pretty much everything on the menu (a rare occurrence), but sadly stomach space is limited. On the list for next time are the boxty with kale, poached eggs and garlic herb yoghurt, and the fried egg sandwich with bacon and brown sauce, with a slice of seasonal fruit tart for afters. What about the drinks? Coffee is by Two-Fifty Square and is excellent - special shout out for the decaf which is among the best we've tasted. Tea is from Clement & Pekoe and they also do freshly squeezed orange juice and Bloody Marys if you're feeling delicate (or just like booze with brunch). And the service? Everyone was bright, warm and welcoming, and the food arrived in good time. The verdict? We loved Daddy's and think Rialto is very lucky to have it. There's no doubt it's going to be packed with weekend brunch crowds, and the word's probably not fully out yet so now is as good a time as any to get in there and try it for yourself. You can't go wrong with the menu, the vibe is ideal for some weekend chill time, and despite Dublin's brilliant brunch scene, Daddy's feels unique and different to the rest. Now if only they'd take over a big pub on the Northside and do the same. Daddy's 538 South Circular Road, Rialto, Dublin 8 www.instagram.com/daddysdub New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Lena The hype is justified at the buzziest opening of 2025 Posted: 4 Mar 2025 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What should we know about Lena? It's the new neighbourhood Italian that's taken the place of Locks in Portobello, from the trio who brought us Uno Mas , Enough said? That trio are Paul McNamara (chef and former owner of Locks), along with couple Liz Matthews and Simon Barrett, who own one of Dublin's most consistently brilliant restaurants, Etto , and who later opened Uno Mas with McNamara - also in the very top tier of Dublin dining. It's safe to say that all three are among the best restaurant operators in the city, so the buzz around Lena has been LARGE. What's changed since it was Lock's? The room has had a clean sweep, with the studded velvet chairs removed in place of simple wooden furniture and leather banquette seating. It's all very soft and muted, and it's the same upstairs in the two private dining rooms. It seems that the soft velvet may have helped with the acoustics, as this many hard surfaces in a larger space than their other two restaurants is causing some sound issues - at times we were shouting across the table trying to be heard over the noise of happy diners all around. We're sure they're on the case, but for now we'd leave your granny at home. Where are the best seats? It was by the window in Locks and its by the window in Lena - especially if you're in for lunch. Those canal views are everything after a crazy week on the wheel of life, and if you like to eat on a soft rather than hard seat, go forth and request a table with a banquette. One of the biggest changes has been the new bar installed on the left of the restaurant - prime counter dining real estate with views into the kitchen. Solo diners will love these seats, and they're perfect for a quick pit stop if you don't have time to settle in for a few hours. What should we eat? Like in the other two restaurants, you'll be overwhelmed from all the snacks (antipasti) you'll want to order before even getting to the "primi" and "secondi". From olives and focaccia to prime imported charcuterie and deep-fried deliciousness, you'll need a cocktail while you pick it all apart - the peach spritz and orange garibaldi are ideal low abv openers. The sage leaf and anchovy fritti (€8 for two) are Lena's answer to Uno Mas' gilda - if you come here and don't eat one, have you really been... The mink anchovies are meltingly soft, sidled up next to the perfumed sage in their crispy shells - it's a perfect bite while picking more - order it as soon as you sit. The supplì al telefono (€9 for two), named for the thin cord of mozzarella between two halves when pulled apart resembling a telephone line, are very similar to the tomato and scamorza version that's one of sister restaurant Etto 's signature dishes. If you haven't had supplì they're risotto filled croquettes, similar to arancini, deep-fried, with a cheesy centre. Peak bar snack stuff. We were advised by a neighbouring table that the Lardo di Colonnata toast (€9) was a must order, and when it arrived we initially thought the strips of cured pig fat were cut too thickly, but we were wrong. They gradually melted from the warmth of the toast, and the bits hanging over the site practically dissolved on impact with our mouths - this is superior pig fat. We hadn't planned on ordering the wild sea bass crudo (€15), but when owner Barrett said it was his favourite thing on the menu, what were we to do? There could not be a more perfect palate cleanser after the fried snacks to start, each mouthful of meaty fish, blood orange segments and juice, rosemary olive oil and pops of raw pink radish punching your palate back to life - simple flavours endlessly amplified. Plus, is there a more beautiful looking dish in Dublin right now? Palate cleansed it was onto pasta, and having a soft spot for the worm-shaped pici, the cacio e pepe (€16) was always coming to our table. The pasta is perfect, the trademark pici chew perfected, but the sauce was assertively peppery, more than any other version we've had. If you love pepper, you'll love this, but we would have liked the scales to tip slightly more towards Pecorino. The peppery plate was practically licked clean regardless. Osso bucco with saffron risotto (€32) is one of those "angels singing on high" dishes when in Northern Italy, a good one having the potential to stay with you until you're in the ground. This is a very, very good one, it's hard to imagine better actually, and if you've never had one of Italy's star dishes (which is very possible as we never see it on Dublin menus) go here and have one that's better than many in Milan. Beef shin is cooked for hours in a tomato, red wine and vegetable sauce, served on top of floral, sweet saffron risotto, and topped with lemony gremolata as the final flavour punch. (Sidenote: if you can get your hands on beef shin and want to try cooking this at home, Angela Hartnett's recipe tastes very similar) Other mains include wild halibut (praise be for the lack of farmed fish), beef fillet with pickled onion rings (a nod to Locks), and a whopper bistecca alla Fiorentina to feed 2-3 (€115). There's also a barbecued pork chop with parsnip, coco de paimpol and salsa verde (€32). The smoky meat was pink and buttery, in stark contrast to most things that identify as a pork chop, with parsnip purée, creamy beans, crispy artichoke, bitter endive and tangy salsa verde providing lots of mix and match flavour combos. We enjoyed it a lot, but wouldn't consider it the same level of must order as the osso bucco. Those Etto and Uno Mas crispy potatoes are here too, and rest assured it will be business as usual, so we ordered a side of hispi cabbage with tonnato sauce and capers (€6). The sweet, blackened hispi is as good as cabbage gets, while the rich tuna/anchovy/mayo sauce topped with salty fried capers made for luxury moppage. Yet again we hadn't planned on ordering the chocolate, espresso and olive oil tart, but the manager twisted our arm by telling us we absolutely had to. It's more mousse than tart (getting the soft slices out in such perfect triangles is an applause-worthy achievement), sitting in a puddle of salt caramel and the best olive oil, with espresso ice cream and thin chocolate biscuit sitting on top. It's a dessert you'll moan over, then daydream about. A final foray into a cloudlike, mildly boozy tiramisu with bountiful chocolate shavings on top sent us floating happily off into the night. What about drinks? Like at Etto and Uno Mas, the wine list is one to loiter over - maybe start your studying at home if this is your specialist subject. Bottles start at €33 for basic house white and red, and there's a good selection of glasses (all available in 500ml carafes too) starting at €7.50 and going up to €18 for sparkling Chardonnay. There are wines from every region of Italy, each with a reason for being there, and it's obvious the list was put together with painstaking care and real love for the topic. There are five cocktails too, with a couple of low abvs at the top just the thing to settle you into those seats, as well as Italian and Irish beer, French cider, amari and grappa. How was the service? Just as lovely, charming and skilled as in their sister restaurants - these guys hire well and hold onto good people. Food was fast to start then nicely paced, which is no harm when you've sat down and are desperate for a snack to take the edge off. And the damage? €105 a head before tip for that feast of food, with a cocktail and four glasses of wine between two. Anything else we should know? The private dining rooms upstairs have had a subtle redesign and are crying out for your next group gathering. What's the verdict on Lena? The hype on this one has been big, and did anyone really doubt that Lena would deliver with these three at the helm? McNamara is a spectacular chef, someone who can scoop up ideas from around the globe and execute to perfection, giving the people what they want before they knew they wanted it. He's not trying to crowd please or play anybody's greatest hits, he's cooking dishes they way they're supposed to be cooked - big, bold, and with a face full of flavour. Team those talents with operators like Matthews and Barrett ensuring wine, service, and dining rooms are effortlessly, expertly delivered, and it's a rare and captivating combination. Our first meal in Uno Mas was a lot like this one, and each meal afterwards just got better and better. We're predicting a similar upward trajectory for Lena. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Amai by Viktor Brazilian food gets a fine dining showcase off Grafton Street Posted: 19 Aug 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 Amai by Viktor? This one caught us on the hop. Usually when a new restaurant cooking at this level opens, especially one metres from Grafton Street, there's a lot of build up. A chef makes their name in one restaurant, gets backing to go out on their own, a PR company is hired and we're subjected to months of teasers before actually getting to eat anything. Up until a few weeks ago we had never heard of Viktor Silva, eaten his food (we think), or had any idea there was this serious a contender en route to the capital's restaurant roster. Amai by Viktor is a partnership between the chef and the owners of The Corkscrew downstairs on Harry Street (facing The Westbury, what a location). After the wine shop's last partnership with Sicilian restaurant Amuri , who they installed upstairs in their old location on Chatham Street, we're starting to think these guys could have an alternative career in spotting the next big thing in food. Silva's last position was as head chef in Amuri , and he's also worked in Bang , on events with Jordan and Maiken Bailey , and staged in multi-Michelin starred restaurants like L'Enclume. He grew up Brazil's favelas (scenes from which he's hand drawn on one of the dining room walls), and says the idea for Amai developed during the pandemic, when he was thinking about his family, identity and legacy. His grandparents were unable to read or write, and survived by cooking food which Silva's parents then sold in the city. Their sacrifices and " meals full of love " started his passion for cooking. Amai means "mother" in Shona (an African language and part of his heritage) and “to love” in Portuguese, and the chef says it's a tribute to the women who raised him. What table should we ask for? This is a beautiful old room (it used to be a shoe shop!) that's gotten the fit out it deserves, with comfortable, elegant seating, and Brazilian touches throughout - Silva's aunt's paintings are dotted around the room; a cavaco banjo hangs on the wall; a large black mural of an African woman covers the wall that greets you as you climb the stairs (painted by the chef). There are hanging florals, a parquet floor, a timber-lined bar with a swirling green marble countertop, rich dark wood and terracotta cushions on a creamy backdrop - it's a joy to take in, light flooding the room from those old sash windows. The best seats however are the two tables for two at the windows. On a muggy summer evening in Dublin it felt like having our own personal wind machine, the loveliest breeze drifting in through the window. Add to that the 10/10 people watching below (including right into The Westbury's lounge) and these aren't just the best seats in the restaurant, they're some of the best in the city. What's the menu like? It's a tasting menu only for €79 with no options (but they'll happily accommodate dietary requirements, just give them notice please ). Snacks first. A thickly crusted croquette with a rich feijoada interior (the famous Brazilian bean stew), animated by orange and nam jim on top. A smoky yucca (starchy root veg common in Brazil), egg and Gubbeen custard with lardo powder on top - dig deep for sweet and tangy black garlic underneath and scoop it up onto a crunchy tapioca cracker. A foie gras, coffee and açai (actual berries, not smoothie slush) tart that looked and tasted like it had come by taxi from Chapter One . If you weren't paying attention before, this opening salvo will have you correcting your posture. The statement cooking continues with barbecued o chra (a vegetable native to Africa but popular in Brazilian cooking), sitting on a ring of Ardsallagh Goats Cheese, with candied strawberries, nasturtium leaves and puffed rice. Watermelon gazpacho is poured in at the table, along with mint oil and fermented tomato honey (made in house, obvs). Getting your greens is rarely this exciting. Fennel brioche is a wow moment (the same way Jordan Bailey's brown soda bread course at Aimsir was), corn-cultured butter moulded into the shape of a corn cob. Tear open the sweet, fragrant bread topped with salty crystals and lather it on. This is not the stuff for scraping or scooping, this is bread that needs its own moment. Monkfish is next, and Silva's take on the Brazilian fish stew moqueca, with red pepper, coriander, coconut milk and red palm oil. The frothy top hides a deep red sauce underneath that you'll be using your fingers to scrape from the bowl, and the firm, meaty fish was needed for all that tang and spice. We're always surprised to see beef on menus these days with prices out of control, but it is synonymous with Brazil. AGM Mariana told us this dish represents the churrascos in her and Silva's home town of Porto Alegre, where meat is cooked over an open flame, but like everything else it's levelled up with vinaigrette (our favourite salsa-like Brazilian condiment), a rich jus, and a long wafer filled with potato salad. Smoky short-rib to the side, so tender you could eat it with a spoon, was the best thing about this plate, with the striploin too firm and the "jus bras" slightly too salty. Why are tasting menus "mains" always the least exciting part of a menu? We're still waiting on that restaurant with a tasting menu of just snacks. The culinary sparkle was back with a dessert of mango sorbet, mango pieces, lime, polenta cake, camomile infusion, and vanilla caramel tuille with bee pollen. Got all that? You will once it's swimming around your mouth, every flavour holding its own. A tenacious chef ends a menu with the same strong statement they started it with. A blow-torched lemon meringue tart; a banana caramel choux; a Capirin ha pâte de fruits. Three perfect bites, ideally paired with a decaf espresso (10/10), and you'll float happily off into the night. What about drinks? Being the national drink of Brazil, you've got to try a Caipirinha (€16) - this is the best one we've had outside of Rio de Janeiro, and just LOOK at those custom ice cubes (there are more than a few Michelin-worthy touches here). They don't have mocktails on the list but delivered a beauty of a mango one with N/A gin on request. The wines are coming through The Corkscrew downstairs, with Drappier the house Champagne at €22 a glass. Bottles start at €41/€43 for basic white and red, with the more interesting producers starting from €50-60. You'll find something you like here, but we would have liked to see some more exciting, off-beat choices, and they've gone high with margins - the same wines (like Pieropan's Soave) are available in other Dublin restaurants for a good 10% less. Must be the Grafton Street tax. Glasses are also 175ml which is large for this type of restaurant, so expect sticker shock looking at a glass of Portugese Dao for €20, or an Italian rosé for €17. How was the service? They posted on Instagram that what they hope makes them stand out is their " warm, welcoming spirit—that rare quality both Brazilian and Irish cultures share. The genuine kindness, generosity, and love for making people feel at home that's fundamental to who we are ." That statement of purpose sums up our experience here, and the generosity that flowed from arrival to departure. From the broad welcomes on arrival, to the offer of any table we'd like, to the generosity of time chatting and explaining more about the food and concept, to the offer of any drink you want on the house to end your meal (what a novelty!), it's like sitting through a crash course in what it means to be "hospitable". What was the damage? The tasting menu is €79, and if you go all in on cocktails, wine and coffee you'll easily spend €150 a head after tip. We considered that money well spent. What's the verdict on Amai by Viktor? Dublin is on a hell of a roll right now. 2025 has already brought us Lena , Comet and Chubbys , all operating at the very top of their game, and now Amai by Viktor has swooped in as a challenger to the best of them. We said Comet was bringing something unique to Dublin that didn't exist elsewhere - now here's another player a couple of streets over doing exactly that. Brazilian food has never had a showcase at this level of cooking in Ireland, and it's clear from the first few bites that this is a chef with an obsessive focus, who's pushing harder every day (just look at Google reviews to see how the plating has developed over the first few weeks). Take our advice - book Amai by Viktor now before the Michelin men and national critics write about how impressive, unique and exciting it is, and those window seats become a lot harder to secure. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

From two-Michelin starred dining to Brazilian meat skewers, the northside of the city centre has something for every budget, mood and dietary requirement. North City Centre Our Take From two-Michelin starred dining to Brazilian meat skewers, the northside of the city centre has something for every budget, mood and dietary requirement. Where to Eat Andhra Bhavan Bar Italia Blas Boco Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen El Grito Ella's Heaven Hong Kong Taste Bakery Kakilang Laine My Love M and L Chinese Mr Fox Only Oriental Bakery & Tea Pickosito Russell Street Bakery Sofra Sultan's Grill Tang Abbey Street Taste of Hong Kong Terra Madre The Winding Stair The Woollen Mills

Square Dish Website squaredish.com Address Squaredish, Saint Stephen's Green, Dublin, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Where It's At Nearby Locales Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery

The Legal Eagle An old favourite takes flight again with sizeable Sunday roasts and a great wine list Posted: 14 Nov 2023 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Ronan Doyle What’s the story with The Legal Eagle? Despite a couple of stuttered mid-covid re-openings and a handful of popups, we’d started to worry The Legal Eagle might be destined to go down as one of the more high-profile pandemic casualties as its doors remained closed well into this year. But fear not, the once and future hot spot gastropub recently took flight again with a revamped menu and a return to its famed Sunday roast offering. Our Insiders are forever asking us where to get a really great feed of a Sunday lunch – could we have a new easy answer? Where should we sit? Nigh-on four years since the Eagle last opened its doors for any real length of time, stepping into its mahogany and exposed brick interior brings as much of a sense of nostalgia as the unmistakable smell of roast meat and veg in the air. If you’re looking for old reliable comforts, the heady whiff seems to say, you’ve come to the right place. The leather sofa seating lining the walls is where you want to find yourself here – there’s just not the same satisfaction of leaning back stuffed in a hard-backed wooden dining chair or, heaven forbid, a high stool. What’s on the menu? The revamped menu keeps the classic Irish gastropub vibe – all the lamb stew, coddle, and chowder you could want on the lunch menu – with a higher-end twist through its focus on meat and veg provenance and a tilt toward the western Mediterranean, especially across the smaller plates. Most of the dinner menu is available at Sunday lunchtime for those of us whose eyes are bigger than our bellies, with the large plates’ sides swapped out for all your typical trimmings. You’ll be steered to snacks and small plates, if you’re so inclined, as your server advises it’s a twenty minute or so wait for the roasts – don’t mind if we do. Homemade crisps are a reliable favourite from plenty of prior visits and are like an embrace from an old friend, with the salty-sharp slap of bacon and cheese dust. Marinated Gordal olives are glistening with oil and gloriously meaty, generous in number and giant in size – there’s plenty here to keep a full table happy. Conscious of the heaped plates of roast we’d passed en route to our table, we heroically held ourselves back from over-ordering and stuck to two of the more modest small plates. Pan con tomate pairs chewy, airy slices of house focaccia with salty, garlicky puréed tomato. The bread’s a delight, golden crust and soft, stretched crumb the perfect host for the tangy tomato, especially as alternating with olives and crisps we found the salt in it a little overbearing. The trio were each great in isolation, but all together left us a bit parched. Seared tuna tostada might not quite fit the Sunday roast brief, but trust us here: this is a detour worth taking, and a fine showcase of the Eagle’s new lease of life. The crisp tortilla and firm-fleshed tuna make for a wildly satisfying small bite, with the sweetness of avocado puree and punch of pickled carrot and togarashi pepper making every morsel a moreish treat. Hold back a little focaccia to mop up every last blob of sriracha mayo, if you can. And so to the main event, even with that hard act to follow. There are three choices for the classic roast plate, with whole-roasted fish and courgette options there to cater to pescetarian and veggie tastes – neither gets the full trimmings. The Black Angus striploin is two thin slices of rare beef just glistening with juices - it’s tender, fatty, flavourful stuff. Wafer-thin slicing gives the meat a texture we wouldn’t see lost to thicker cuts, but a third slice here wouldn’t go amiss. Wood-fired half chicken feels more substantial by contrast with its meat oozing juice, and the black, blistered skin’s crackle – classic comfort food. Root veg are the star of the show where sides are concerned, with slivers of honey-roast carrot and parsnip bringing sweet and earthy tones to the plate, and a carrot purée dissolving into the gravy for an endlessly rich sauce you’ll slather on every forkful. Stuffing and Yorkshire puds are spot-on in their simple satisfactions, but the roasties make for a disappointing damp squib with a softened crisp shell and over-dry interior that bear all the tell-tale signs of having been kept warm. There is no substitute for oven-fresh, and no sorrow like good spuds spoiled. What are the drinks like? A solid if smallish craft beer selection on draught should keep most happy, even if Guinness as the priciest pull here had us scratching our heads. We stuck with the similarly small and serviceable list of wines by the glass – the light acidity of the Azevedo Alvarino was a welcome balm from the mouth-puckering saltiness of those first few plates, while the Coquard Beaujolais 69’s red fruits and low tannins came to life with the beef. The top tip here is to bring some friends and dive into the bottles, an unusually exciting list for a pub, and one running lower margins than some of the competition around town on standouts like Preisinger's 'Puszta Libre' and Ponce's 'Reto'. How was the service? Happy and helpful – that little nudge on small plates feels more like a friendly FYI than an opportunity to upsell, and we really appreciated a little extra jug of gravy brought over to the table after the plates arrived, “so you don’t have to ask in a minute”. You’ll be well looked after here, but note they expect to be busy on Sundays so table times are kept strictly at a two-hour turnaround – no latecomers or lingering. And the damage? €115 for two each of snacks, small plates, roasts and a glass of wine with 10% tip automatically added. There is more than enough here in the main event to sate you, especially for lunch, so in and around €30 a head is more like what you can expect if not drinking. As Sunday roast prices around the city go, it's on the higher side - their beef roast is €27 in comparison to FX Buckley at €22.50, Hawksmoor at €23, and The Old Spot at €28. What’s the verdict on The Legal Eagle? Every bit a return to form, The Legal Eagle has landed again with a welcome mix of old favourites and new flutters that should satisfy fans of yore and newcomers alike. If there’s an occasional slight touch of the production line to things here, it’s one easily forgiven in the high calibre food and great value wine on offer. Taken together with the warm, welcoming vibe of the staff and space here, there’s all the makings of a classically comforting Sunday lunch. Except the roasties. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Hakkahan The Man from Hakka comes to the 'Batter Posted: 12 Oct 2021 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Every now and then a new restaurant opens with no website, and no information (like pesky menus and openings hours) on their social media channels, and generally this is when our eagle-eyed readers slide into our DMs looking for the scéal. This is what happened in June when brightly coloured Hakkahan opened on Stoneybatter's main street, and other than a menu in the window potential diners had little to go off, but those brave enough to venture in sight unseen seemed to be leaving very happy. Hakkahan means "the man from Hakka" (where owner Ryon Wen is from), but head chef Terry Yang is from the Sichaun province, and they describe the food here as "purely Sichuan". This may be disappointing to anyone who knows their way around Chinese cuisines and who was expecting traditional Hakka dishes like salt-baked chicken or yam abacus - they say it's extremely difficult to find a chef from the region in Ireland. Yang previously worked at China Sichuan and Mak at D6, and we were immediately impressed by their declaration of wanting to use the best local ingredients in their dishes. Where should we sit? Indoor tables are aligned against one wall, but there is more space at the back that presumably could be filled if things get busier. If you're still a bit Covid-cautious the outdoor tables are fine with the umbrellas up (they come down in windy conditions), although it does feel a bit treacherous to have your back to the traffic whipping up and down the road. You certainly wouldn't want to leave your bag at your feet - but that goes for all outdoor dining. What's the food like? Menus with too many dishes make us feel confused, indecisive, and like we're missing out on something, so we like Hakkahan's relatively concise menu, with 'house dumplings', 'small chow', mains and sides. Also, they had us at the whole section for dumplings. There's not much provenance information on the menu but they told us that duck is from Silverhill, chicken is free-range from Manor Farm, meats are from FX Buckley, and fresh fish is delivered each morning from Every Day Seafood. Most of their organic vegetables come from The Green Grocer next door, and at these prices, putting this much care into sourcing deserves a bualadh bos. Of the six dumplings on the menu we tried three, and 100% would eat again. The scallop with yuzu soya sauce gained points for having proper juicy pieces of scallop in there, and lost points for having an ever so slightly slimy texture inside. The wrappers are thick but we didn't mind, it gave them more of a chew, and we liked the uneven, handmade quality of them. We enjoyed the roast duck with hoisin sauce a lot (a crispy pancake in dumpling form), but our favourites were the beef siu mai, which were crispy and chewy in every bite - we're guessing some deep-frying may have been involved here, and wouldn't change a thing. From the small chow we're still obsessively thinking about the salt and pepper fresh squid (note the used of the word fresh). Tender squid, a perfectly thin non-greasy batter, crunchy onions, scallions, chillies - it's the version of this dish you wish your local Chinese did, but they don't. Sourdough prawn toast was another exemplary version of an all too often annihilated dish, with big chunks of prawns, crispy edges and yuzu mayonnaise for dipping. Pork yuk sung is another dish that's all too often given a bad name by a greasy Chinese, but the one at Hakkahan is a world away, with fresh lettuce cups, fragrant pork and crispy rice noodles underneath. It has a decent amount of heat but nothing that will blow your head off, but we did find ours quite salty. For a kick in the tastebuds, the Pai Huang Gua (spicy smashed cucumber) will numb your mouth and have you asking for a water refill, but you'll still keep eating it. There's garlic, sesame seeds, chilli oil and a lot of fresh chillies in here, and if you're a spice fiend don't miss this. For mains we really wanted to try the black pepper short rib of beef, with ginger, garlic, onion, porcini mushrooms and chilies, but they'd run out. Devastating, but also a sign of freshness - if you try it let us know if it tastes as good as it sounds. We'd seen many a post about the Silverhill basil duck with scallions, garlic and chillies, and this is a must-try when you visit. Silverhill is amongst the best duck being reared in the country, and the very generous portion of tender, crispy meat with perfumed Thai basil, crunchy onions and chillis will bring us back to Stoneybatter again. We also tried the Mala spicy lamb, which had the first notable signs of those lip-numbing Sichuan peppercorns. This was a bit of a table splitter. The flavours were deep and the lamb delicious, but there was a lot of oil and gloop as it sat, which may put some people off. Nice to try, probably wouldn't reorder. For sides we went with steamed rice and Chinese scallion bread, the latter of which we were so interested to try but was a bit of a disappointment, the pancakes being hard and overly chewy, as if they'd been cooked earlier and reheated. Maybe it was a one off, as we've seen other people praising them online. They also do fried rice with pork char siu and vegetables, and stir-fried noodles, and sides are free with mains at lunchtime every day, which is incredible value considering how well priced the food is already. There's only one dessert - hand-made Nutella rice balls (mochi) with vanilla ice-cream. It does the job and the mochi themselves are very good, but we're perplexed at how many Asian restaurants feel the need to jam Nutella into dessert, unless there's a big cocoa and hazelnut factory in Sichuan province that we're not aware of. We would have much prepared mochi filled with something fruit based and less cloying, but younger diners will probably eat their basil duck quicker knowing this is at the end. What about the drinks? It's a constant source of head scratching that the majority of Asian restaurants don't put more effort into their drinks list. Surely it's as important a source of income for them as it is for other restaurants? The offering here is predictably humdrum, with "house white", "house red", "rose" and "prosecco". Hard pass. They have said that they're expanding their wine list shortly and bringing a few more suppliers on board, so we hope there will be something to entice us next time. And the service? Friendly if a little restrained. The outside tables definitely had to do a bit more waving to get a menu/order food and drinks/ask for the bill, but that was most probably down to there being only one server for the whole restaurant. And the damage? Lunch for three (with no drinks) came to the bargain price of €60, but two sides were free because of the lunch deal. They don't do takeaway because the chef wants his food to be eaten fresh (respect), but they will give you containers for any leftovers. The verdict? Hakkahan is not in the same bracket as your local Chinese, it's a serious cut above. The food is fresh, the provenance is admirable, and you'll feel more invigorated than inactive after eating it. Bring a gang, over order, eat all the food, leave feeling great about life. Hakkahan 32 Stoneybatter, Dublin 7 www.instagram.com/hakkahan_dublin New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Floritz All the style, with the substance to back it up Posted: 24 Jun 2024 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What should we know about Floritz? It's the floral wallpaper-filled, velvet booth-lined, Asian influenced, all the notions new restaurant, in the building that used to be Cliff Townhouse, but is now home to newly opened boutique hotel Townhouse on the Green . The new landlords also own The Fitzwilliam Hotel across the Green, and The Bailey around the corner, and the basement level wine bar Cellar 22 opened last November, in the space where seafood wine bar Urchin used to be (read our review of that here ). The head chef at Floritz, Matt Fuller, was most recently at Suesey Street , but he's probably best known for his Spanish restaurant Boqueria , which gained a name in Stoneybatter, moved to a bigger location in Howth, then closed the year after. He also has a relationship with The Fitzwilliam Hotel owners that goes way back - in another lifetime he was head chef at Citron, the hotel's restaurant before Glover's Alley . Check out this absolute stunner of a blast from the past. Floritz's website describes it as " an invitation to travel far, far away without leaving this dramatic dining-room", and there's a whole narrative about how the man who build this house was an adventurer who travelled to India and the Far East to seek his fortune, and how you could stick him in here now with a lamb bao and he'd be right at home. They call it "a room to see, and be seen in" , so we had to go and see didn't we. Where should we sit? It's all very glam, very comfortable, and very brightly coloured. The money seats are the ones inside the windows at the front, over-looking St Stephen's Green, with all that lovely natural light streaming onto mulberry-coloured velvet banquettes. There's an argument for the more private booths in the centre across from the bar, if you're having an intimate kind of night, and want to feel like you're in your own personal space. There's a third section up some steps at the back which looks like the ideal place for bigger groups, or even a semi-private dining space. What's on the menu? They describe the food as having "global influences", but really it's Asia. The menu is very long , with sections for "crudo", "kitori grill", "sushi", "bowls", "tempura", and a full homage to Irish Wagyu steak, with sirloins and rib-eyes priced at €50 per 100g (€100-€200 per steak). While the length of the menu, with its ever more compelling-sounding dishes, might make choosing a drawn-out affair, it does mean that everyone coming in will be catered for, and there's countless reasons to come back. Enjoy your warm hand towel while you debate. There are 10 "kitori grill" skewers, priced from €6.50 for Globe Artichoke to €15.50 for compressed halibut. The Dublin Bay Prawns with a majada crumb felt like robbery when it arrived with two prawns for €13.50, but one bite into the sweet, smoky seafood with its paprika crumb, dipped in a milky, umami-filled whey dipping sauce, and we couldn't have cared less about the price tag. Another of aged beef rump with truffle tare (€9.50) comes with a "black pepper crème brûlée" that we were fully expecting to take the piss out of - instead we just keep trying to scoop up more of that creamy, peppery sauce with that sweet, tender meat. It's more of a rich aioli, and nothing like the crunchy sugar-topped dessert - but again, we don't care. On the crudo section there are six choices for raw fish dressed in various combinations of salt, fat and acid, right up to an o-toro (belly) tuna tartare with Oscietra caviar for €69. Our pockets aren't that deep so it was yellowtail with jalapeño (€18 for five pieces), and zero regrets - there was lip-smacking, spoon scooping and minute cutting to make it last a little bit longer. That balance - bang on. Then to sushi, with nigiri, hosomaki and sashimi. It's all ambitiously priced, with Nigiri €10 - €18 for two pieces, and the option of a 9-piece sashimi selection for €70. We slummed it with a couple of pieces of tuna chūtoro nigiri for €14 (a medium fatty cutty from the belly), and while we've never paid this much for nigiri in Dublin before, we've also never had tuna of this quality here before. 10/10 would hand over that cash again. We skipped the bowls and soup fearing we wouldn't be able for much else, and went to the bao for duck with leek, koji and hash brown (€18 for two). While again there's poetic licence on the loose (it's more potato straw than hash brown), this is a juicy, meat feast, enclosed in homemade bao buns - we hear the lamb is also excellent. From the chef's specials, the miso roast black cod with preserved red onion was incorrectly priced on the menu, and once we found out it was €25 and not €43, it became more appealing. Black cod (sablefish) is no relation to cod, with flesh that's fatty and velvety, as opposed to firm, lean, white and flaky. When our waiter brought the dish he advised us not to eat the skin - this is bad advice, it might be the best bit. The portion size and lack of anything resembling a side hurt for the price, but yet again, once we had that buttery flesh, miso flavoured skin, and tangy pickled onions on a one way trip into our mouths, price ceased to be an issue. From the tempura section we wanted all the food , (sweetcorn fritters, tempura oysters, turbot, courgette flowers - how much temptation can one person take!?), but settled on pickled onion rings with sumo miso mayonnaise, because - pickled onion rings. While we were expecting a chunkier version, that would probably be a bit uncouth in the setting - the slinky slivers of perfectly vinegared and impeccably drained deep-fried onions were only made better by a dunk in that miso mayo. The perfect snack with a glass of white wine. There's no ice-cream filler desserts on the menu here either. The five options have had as much time and thought put into them as everything else, and a white chocolate mille-feuille with yuzu, mandarin and ginger sorbet and calamansi vinaigrette was precise in every element - LOOK at those pastry layers. Now imagine all of those citrus flavours dancing around it. The only slight misfire of the meal was a cherry blossom baba, soaked in Haku vodka with black sesame ice-cream. There's a reason a baba is usually soaked in rum - because it has flavour - and everything here was very muted in comparison to what had come before, but we can see a certain caviar eating, vodka-drinking set enjoying it. What about drinks? Cocktails are separated by the glass they come in (short on the rocks/coupe/nick and nora/copper mug) which is a clever way of categorising, and both the Ichigo-go-go with whiskey; Campari infused with star anise; and Ume plum liqueur, and the Yuzu Do You with gin, amaro and yuzu liqueur, tasted like they'd been made by someone who was not partaking in their first rodeo. We found the wine list more lacking, with an uninspiring by the glass list and a house Champagne that should be better for €18 a glass. If you're drinking by the glass we'd recommend the Greco di Tufo for white, and the Torre Mora Etna Rosso or the Barbera from Pio Cesare for red. There's not a lot else to get excited about. How was the service? At first overwhelming, with what felt like an endless stream of visitors to our table asking questions, asking whether we had questions, if we'd looked at our menus (we hadn't), if we'd like a wet hand towel (we would). Once they chilled out a bit the service was exact, with every question we had about the many unusual ingredients on the menu answered without hesitation. Tastes of wine were brought when we couldn't decide, offers to change a clearly underwhelming glass, dishes brought at a perfect pace - there's been a weighty amount of staff training in here, and good hiring too. What was the damage? We paid €228 for two before tip. We initially thought we'd over-ordered and wouldn't be able to finish everything, but in reality some of the portions are so small that we could have ordered more. Despite the price/portion size ratio, we left bursting to return and try more. What's the verdict on Floritz? It would have been so easy to get the interior designers in, plaster flowers all over the wall, cover everything in gold and serve a menu of soulness, love-free food that the glitterati will come for anyway - it's literally happening around the corner . But that's not the story at Floritz. They've shown up with the full package, and the closest comparison we can make is to somewhere like Hakkasan in London - all the style, and all of the substance to back it up. Calling this "a room to be seen in" is doing it a disservice. This is a room to eat in. Just spend a bit of time studying that tome of a menu before you get there. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Shaku Maku is the less casual sibling of fast casual group Umi Falafel, focused on sit down, fun dining that's inclusive to all. They describe their dishes as "Middle Eastern soul food", with much cooked over the charcoal grill that you'll smell as soon as you walk inside. The long room is ideal for group gatherings, family meals and a quick bite before a movie in The Stella up the road. Shaku Maku Website shakumaku.ie Address Shaku Maku, Rathmines Road Lower, Rathmines, Dublin, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Shaku Maku is the less casual sibling of fast casual group Umi Falafel, focused on sit down, fun dining that's inclusive to all. They describe their dishes as "Middle Eastern soul food", with much cooked over the charcoal grill that you'll smell as soon as you walk inside. The long room is ideal for group gatherings, family meals and a quick bite before a movie in The Stella up the road. Where It's At Nearby Locales Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery

The Pig's Ear The Nassau Street stalwart looks to the past for its future Posted: 1 Apr 2025 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Ronan Doyle What should we know about The Pig’s Ear? James Joyce once claimed an aim of Ulysses was to offer a portrait of Dublin so complete that the city could be reconstructed out of the book, if ever it disappeared. Well here comes a reimagined Pig’s Ear to give it a shot, in culinary terms at least, with a menu of dishes inspired by Joyce’s works and a handful of other literary and local food sources. Stephen McAllister and Andrea Hussey’s Nassau Street stalwart dished up classical Irish fare for 16 years before reinventing itself last summer as Lotus Eaters . We were all-in on the wagyu beef burgers and Asian-feeling menu, but didn’t get the sense the owners themselves were, with unchanged décor and glasses still etched with the previous brand giving the potential for a swift reverse should things not work out. Lotus Eaters And reverse they did, so back we went for The Pig’s Ear 2.0 . This time they're looking to the past to imagine their future - head chef McAllister has plumbed his own family recipe repertoire and worked with academics from TU Dublin to recreate Dublin dishes of yore and give the restaurant a high concept kick and fresh relevance in the crowded scene of 2025. Where should we sit? Save a few tweaks in the wall art, it’s once again as-you-were in this dining room, which maybe makes more sense in a back-to-the-well revival than the previous concept’s clean break. Warm wood tones and leather upholstery under soft lighting have always made this a welcoming space, and surveying the city from the sash windows is always our preferred option. On our visit, as Joyce might have put it, drizzle was general all over Dublin, and settling into our snug seats out of the rain had us all set for a feast. What’s on the menu? Ghastly type to start with - we’re no font snobs, but the choice of lettering to lay out the concept on the menu’s intro page had us wincing. Especially in a place that invokes Dublin’s literary heritage as a core inspiration - the early internet era “fun” style sticks out like a sore thumb. Okay, maybe we’re slight font snobs. We soon ceased clutching our pearls and picked up our oysters instead – much safer territory. The former Friendly Brothers’ Club on Stephen’s Green (now home to Cellar 22 and Floritz ) is the muse for these meaty morsels, with a punchy beef tartare packed under chive-scattered specimens. We can’t fault either element but they play more competitive than complimentary in practice, as though each were trying to outshine the other – at €8 a pop, we’d welcome more harmony. Boxty is among the reimagined old dishes that punctuate the menu, and it’s an inspired overhaul, with thick Cáis na Tíre custard layered over the potato pancake, liberally sprinkled with grated cheese and black truffle. This could easily make for an over-indulgent starting plate, but the smart pairing of a lighter batter with a sweeter, fruitier cheese cut through the earthy depth of the truffle for a snack you'd easily eat more than one of. It's the same story for the farl, whose plainer presentation gets dressed up with an accompanying cup of bone marrow gravy ripe for pouring. The softer dough here soaks up the thick sauce with almost as much relish as we did ourselves, while the fat-browned crust delivers a crisp texture. Smearing the soft nuggets of marrow across that golden skin is a sensual experience – do remember you are still in public. In a menu not short on creative curios, nothing caught our eye more than “Famine soup” – were we to be treated to an empty bowl? Actually the dish takes its cues, and at least partly its recipe, from Alexis Soyer, the OG celebrity chef whose soup kitchen in Croppy’s Acre out Kilmainham way funded its food by charging the rich an entry fee to see the starving masses. That ugly footnote is something we wish we’d learned on our visit rather than online afterward - neither the menu’s brief note nor the staff’s answers to enquiries dug into the story with anything like the detail that might bring the concept to life. Absent that, it’s a serviceable oxtail-adjacent soup studded with still-firm diced veg and served with (admittedly delicious) bone marrow toast – biting into that it’s hard not to feel more like morbid toffs looking out on soup-slurping peasants. In Joyce’s “Two Gallants”, the thirty-something Lenehan wonders over a plate of peas whether he’ll ever afford a home of his own – in Dublin, some things never change. Peas are pretty consistent too, and the "peas and vinegar" here might be our pick of the lot. Pickled pearl onions and tart redcurrants pierce through the sweetness of the freshly-shelled peas and the puree beneath, all fresh flavours and well-balanced textures in every forkful. Lenehan pays three halfpence for his peas, which we make about 78c in today’s money, to this plate’s €11.50. In Dublin, some things change a lot – this one's worth every penny regardless. Ulysses usefully gives us the then-cost of a kidney (the perils of picking from such a detail-rich oeuvre) at threepence, or just north of €1.50, which makes the "tongue and cheek kidney pudding"'s near-€30 price point seem all the more stark. To savour this dish you will want, like Leopold Bloom, to eat “ with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls ”. As it happens we do, and did. The well-packed pudding oozes chunks of tongue and cheek alongside its kidney contents, a flood of “ toothsome pliant meat ” as Bloom would have it. We’d have relished it all the more were it not for a pre-poured gravy with a too-salty tang that told us it’d been reduced just a little too long – this is a very good pud that deserved better. “The earth garlic” is the most baffling inclusion on the menu – cracking our copy of Ulysses we can see where the name comes from, but not why: “ after all there’s a lot in that vegetarian fine flavour of things from the earth garlic of course it stinks after Italian organgrinders crisp of onions mushrooms truffles ”. Happily it’s a vastly better dish than name, three types of mushroom studded with slivers of truffle, all readily accepting the burst egg yolk in a mess of umami excess. It’s less Joyce’s Dublin that it conjures than San Sebastian, but having a taste of the iconic hongos plancha from Ganbara in Ireland isn’t something we’re opposed to. Smoked potatoes would have fared far better were we into the pudding’s gravy – these shrivelled baby spuds pay for their superb smoky flavour with a desiccated internal texture that demands to be drenched in something – sadly they come alone. The last sad streaks of egg yolk were all we had to offer, but we'd we’d expect the Mulligatawny chicken pie (a smart effort to repeat the rightly iconic reputation of sister restaurant Spitalfields ’ cock-a-leekie) to be a better pairing. Ulysses features a “ rhubarb tart with liberal fillings ” and given ‘it's the season you can imagine our faces when we realised the menu doesn’t – next time, perhaps. A violet and rose jelly-topped blancmange made do instead, far though it be from the “blocks” dished out in “The Dead”. This is a lovely light finale, buttermilk-rich but beautifully soft, spiked by the satisfying crunch of honeycomb and spiced kick of candied ginger. We couldn’t contemplate not trying gur cake ice cream, a nostalgic nod to memories of Manning’s Bakery in the Liberties - its simple, smooth, sweet pleasures scooped atop a base of chocolate mousse and corn flakes would send the hardest of hearts harkening back to simpler childhood days. What are the drinks like? The wine list is effectively unchanged from Lotus Eaters. Though the available BTG options have narrowed, the same punchy markups now commonly found all over the city remain (a glass at €16 when you can pick up a bottle for €23 right round the corner) - we weren’t surprised to see several diners sticking to water. The quality is solid if you can take the price point, with a Louis Moreau Bourgogne complimenting the peas perfectly and a Borgogno Nebbiolo great with the offal. The star of the show was the Pedro Ximinez with dessert – ‘tis a long way from that with gur cake we were reared. How was the service? Very friendly but less invested in the concept than we were expecting. We had to actively invite more detail on dishes at every stage, and thought between the novel development they’ve undergone here and the dish naming that doesn’t exactly sum up what you’re getting, those kind of explanations would be front and centre. And the damage? Just in below the €200 mark before a (pre-added but discretionary) 12.5% service charge, which ably but not excessively fed two. You could easily outdo our bill with fancier starters like the salmon gravlax and lobster omelette, or by veering into the steak and chops section, never mind going in on a full bottle. Keeping the belt tighter (in all senses) with bitterballen and coddle could see you fed for bang-on €30 before service, without anything to sip on. What’s the verdict on The Pig’s Ear? You could read the start-stop fate of Lotus Eaters (stated plans are for the concept to reappear in another venue but there's nothing more solid than that as of yet) as either a sign of the difficulty of landing a new idea in an ever-harder market, or as a cautionary tale about how you really need to commit to the bit if you’re to have any hope your public will too. Something like Suertudo shows how a bold reinvention of a restaurant with many successful years behind it can pay off in spades, but big gambles carry big risks. The Pig’s Ear has always done well in taking Irish food seriously, even through the periods where that was unfashionable. If this new iteration marks a safer bet than what came immediately before, it’s still one that it needs to go all-in. There is in this marriage of literary and culinary history a novel conceit that could work wonders in a UNESCO city of literature to which tourists flock to retrace the steps of Joyce and his characters, and excepting a few easily-overcome hiccups, everything about the food here has what it takes. The idea and atmosphere need to row-in behind it - not in the diddly-eye mode of Davy Byne’s boaters or Sweny’s Chemists serenading, but in the Bar 1661 sense of a menu that takes pride in telling a story. We’d love to see them lean in hard, and see the new Pig’s Ear go the whole hog. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

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. 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 DL Strudel Bakery Zero Zero Pizza

Stoneybatter's go-to spot for brunch, cake, coffee and the rest. A menu championing local and Irish produce, with inventive dishes like hash brownies with maple cured bacon, and carrot and walnut pancakes with banana and citrus curd. Slice Website asliceofcake.ie Address 56 Manor Place, Stoneybatter, Dublin 7, Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Stoneybatter's go-to spot for brunch, cake, coffee and the rest. A menu championing local and Irish produce, with inventive dishes like hash brownies with maple cured bacon, and carrot and walnut pancakes with banana and citrus curd. Where It's At Nearby Locales Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery

Jean-Georges at The Leinster The celebrity chef adds Dublin to his empire with big flavours, €48 snacks and spectacular rooftop views Posted: 2 Apr 2024 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 Jean-Georges at The Leinster? The globally renowned chef, and self-confessed rule breaker Jean-Georges Vongerichten has been lured to Dublin by Paddy McKillen Junior ( Press Up Entertainment ), whose family he's known through the biz for 15 years. The Leinster Hotel now falls under ownership of The Dean Group, which Press Up set up to separate their hotels from the rest of the business. They sold a majority stake to a London based investment group in 2023, so it's kinda Press Up, and kinda not. JGV is one of the world's most successful chefs, with an empire stretching across 46 locations in North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Europe and The Middle East. His flagship New York restaurant Jean-Georges has two Michelin stars (downgraded from three in 2018), and the work involved in keeping this many restaurants operating at such a high level makes our heads hurt, but he and his team are amongst the world's best restaurant operators. (Jean-Georges @ The Leinster) As good as Press Up are at interiors and cocktails, they've yet to produce anything above mediocre when it comes to dining. Jean-Georges is a "partnership" with the main man, who is not going to put his name over the door lightly, so although he only visits his restaurants once a year, we expect other members of his team will be all over every detail. Executive head chef Ross Bryans has worked for Press Up for a couple of years, but don't let that put you off - he was head chef at Jason Atherton's Pollen Street Social for almost 10 years, and worked at restaurant Gordon Ramsay under Clare Smyth, as well as Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud. Is there somewhere for a pre-dinner drink? There sure is. Slot in an appetite sharpener at The Collins Club , the hotel's ground floor cocktail bar, named after Irish designer David Collins who designed restaurants for Pierre Koffman and Marco-Pierre White. He passed away in 2013, with British Vogue called him " London's great interior designer ", and the naming here is a lovely nod to one of Dublin's best design talents. The menu is unique for the city, with Collins Club versions of drinks you may already know, and brand new ones you won't, like the 'Chocolate & Yuzu' with chocolate tequila, sake and yuzu marmalade. The Abv is handily noted for each drink, so you can decide between a 9% Bellini or a 22% Martini depending on your tolerance/mood/stomach contents. The 'Kumquat' is their answer to the Martini, with gin, vodka, vermouth and pickled kumquat brine. What looks like two olives are actually brined grapes, plump and ready to pop - they make the drink. The first one that arrived wasn't cold enough, and when we asked for a couple of ice cubes to stir through and dump out they arrived back with a second one, freshly made and ice cold. We would have liked to see more appealing brands than Beefeater and Absolut, but others drinks feature more interesting spirits producers. The 'Palo Santo Paloma' was a very good version of a paloma, with Tequila, grapefruit, lime and grapefruit soda. Where should we sit? Into the lift and up to the rooftop, and despite the slight movement away from the Press Up brand, the room is in the same style we've seen in their other restaurants. We were particularly offended by the trees, but probably because they brought back bad memories . It's a long room with booths on either side and round tables in the middle. We will always pick a booth over a table in the centre of the room, and try to get one at either end for the best views. The most in-demand seats are going to be on the terrace at either end of the restaurant (not currently open), with views across the city as far as the Dublin mountains. What's on the menu? Dishes you could be eating anywhere in the world, with no obvious links to the city its found itself in. JG likes a raw bar/crudo/sushi, "light and bright" appetisers ( think Beverly Hills Housewives when they're forced to eat something carb-free on camera), and he loves big flavours, so there's plenty of truffle, chipotle mayonnaise and Champagne sauces. Asian flavours like fermented black bean ginger and green curry are also a running theme. Two of his signature dishes are caviar topped snacks, and both have landed on The Leinster's rooftop, but you'll have to empty your piggy bank to try them. The egg toast with herbs and caviar is on the menu at JG's flagship New York restaurant, two-Michelin-starred Jean Georges , among many others - see how its made here - while the crackling hash brown with caviar, smoked salmon and cucumber yoghurt can be eaten in his restaurants from Los Cabos , Mexico to São Paulo , Brazil to Nashville , Tennessee. Egg toast We tried the hash brown, and our thoughts went like this: "this hash brown could be a lot crispier; where is this salmon from?; mmmmm caviar; I wish there was more caviar; oh God, we've just eaten €42 in two bites..." Is this a must eat dish in Dublin? If you're earning anything close to the average salary, absolutely not. If you have money pouring out of your ears (or the person paying does) then kick back and enjoy this snack as status symbol. Onto appetisers and a plate of baby artichokes with rose saffron aioli and lemon showed what this group does best - simple ingredients supercharged with big, bold, flavours. The warm shrimp salad with avocado, tomato and Champagne vinegar dressing looked like something for diners on a diet, with a ratio of 9:1 leaves to everything else. The "shrimp" themselves came in a tangy sauce that was more beurre blanc than vinaigrette, and the whole thing was pleasant to eat, but once the shrimp are gone there's not a whole lot to keep you interested. The raw enoki mushrooms thrown on top were puzzling. Mains range from €24 for whole roasted cauliflower to €48 for beef tenderloin, and you'll need sides on top for €6 a piece. Wild turbot (€38) with crushed nuts and seeds came in a sweet and sour jus with lightly poached baby onions and tomatoes floating in it, and we've re-eaten it in our heads more times than the hash brown. Perfect, pristine white fish, which flaked away beautifully when hit with a fork, and not a drop of the broth it was sitting in went back to the kitchen - this is a killer fish dish. Charred, marinated duck breast (€40) comes with caraflex cabbage, herb salad and a coconut lime infusion (just like in Kyoto ). Caraflex is related to hispi, and to the best of our knowledge isn't available here -either it's imported or they're using its more common cousin. The breast was substantial, but a bit tough in parts - full marks for the crispy skin though. Oh but that sauce... Like a red curry paste ground by hand on a Thai beach met a juicy lime and throupled it up with a dash of cream from a just-picked coconut. The cabbage had char and bite and swirled around in that sauce was just perfect. An obligatory side of mash potato had a reassuring amount of butter, and easily slots into the "Michelin-level-mash" category. Desserts (all €12) are designed to be familiar and comforting as opposed to dazzling and intricate. A rhubarb trifle with lychee gelée and lime meringue came with plenty of the tart pink stuff to offset the sweetness, and delving deep brought up something new each time. A moussey butterscotch pudding comes with a layer of liquid salted caramel on top and a scoop of whippe d crème fraîche floating in it. There's a couple of shortbread biscuits on the side for dipping and scooping onto, and while we thought we'd find this Angel Delight throwback too sweet, if you like salted caramel there's nothing not to like. What about drinks? The wine list is pricey, not overly interesting, and is laid out in an order that makes no sense - not by price, nor country, nor style, so it's not an easy read. The by the glass list is their biggest downfall, with only three options each for white and red, and two whites and one red from Paddy McKillen's winery Château La Coste. Another red is almost €30 a glass, so for the average wine lover there's an embarrassingly bad selection. Plan on getting a bottle, which start at €45. We drank the Heinz W grüner veltliner (€45) which was crisp, fruity and an easy drinker that worked with everything. If drinking red we would have gone for Holzer's juicy Zweigelt (€55), which will also work well with this kind of food. How was the service? Not overly welcome on arrival, but our server was overflowing with smiles. She did however sound like she was reading from a document she'd been forced to practice for hours before being allowed onto the floor. We got the feeling that any question there wasn't a pre-prepared answer for might send her into a spin, afraid of accidentally veering off script. We were told in overtly enunciated words that all of the produce on the menu was "LOCAL and SEASONAL", and that's where the sourcing story ends. It's also worth pointing out that the dinky, dainty cutlery feels like it was made for diners with tiny hands. It takes a bit of getting used to. What's the verdict on Jean-Georges at The Leinster? Jean-Georges Vongerichten leads an impressive global empire, and it feels like we should be grateful he's added little ol' Dublin to his restaurant map , but despite some stellar flavours, we left feeling it's missing some magic right now - an Irish welcome, a wine experience worthy of the setting and the name over the door, and information about the ingredients on the plate. In a country where provenance is our biggest play, to completely ignore it feels like a huge oversight, especially at these prices. We wonder who's going to fill this restaurant seven nights a week (we visited on a Monday and were one of only three tables the whole night, and saw later on Instagram that one was a hosted journalist). Maybe the same set that fills up The Ivy day after day, who want to feel less ick about themselves. Dublin lacks great food in glam surroundings, it tends to be one or the other, with a lot of the city's best chefs and operators unable to conceive of spending this much money on upholstery and Costa Nova cutlery. It would be nice for someone to finally get it right, but celebrity chef led restaurants have notoriously bombed here - talk to the teams behind Gary Rhodes, Gordon Ramsay and even our own Richard Corrigan. We'd love to see Jean-Georges break the curse, because we'd very much like to sip another kumquat Martini on the terrace, while they pick a coconut for that duck sauce. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Borgo The new 'Osteria Locale' that has Dublin 7 heaving Posted: 2 Sept 2025 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What should we know about Borgo? The lights went out in Loretta's in Phibsborough almost two years ago, and since then we've lost count of the amount of DMs telling us every other restaurant operator in Dublin was taking over the site. We were beginning to give up hope that anything new would ever materialise, when we got word at the start of summer what was coming, and it was way better than the rumours. Sean Crescenzi and Jamie McCarthy have built a rocketship-style CV over the past few years, starting slowly with Crudo in Sandymount (formerly Dunne & Crescenzi , Sean's parents' business) then the short-lived (and unfortunately named) Happy Endings , before taking off like a missile with Achara , H era (plus bar Juno ) and now Borgo in quick succession. Usually we get nervous watching operators who are onto a good thing move too fast, wondering how they'll keep standards high when spreading themselves so thin, but we've yet to see cracks forming. The opposite actually, with Hera added to the Michelin guide just last week - getting the Michelin man to Dorset Street deserves an award in itself. Borgo pitches itself as an " Osteria Locale" drawing inspiration from across Italy (where the Crescenzis hail from and somewhere both of the owners love), a casual place open to all budgets and tastes, but with everything done to the highest standards. These guys are nailing fresh, contemporary casual in Dublin right now, giving people what they want before they knew they wanted it, and not falling down in any area like wine, service, toilets, how many others can we name... It's beginning to feel like everything they touch is destined for success, and after letting them settle in for a couple of weeks we headed over to the Dublin 7 borgo to see if this is another bull's eye. Where should we sit? The room has had just enough of an update to make it feel like Borgo and not the building's former inhabitants Loretta's (whose owners were in for dinner on the evening we visited - no one recognised them, which made us feel totes emosh). There are pops of colour from neon artwork, a new ambient lighting scheme, panelling that's been painted dark green, new dark walnut panels added above, and half "café curtains" across the front window to let all the light in while maintaining dining privacy. It's got bags of character, and feels like it's been sitting on this corner of Phibsborough for years. Our favourite seats are the curved leather banquettes - your own little corner PDR, ready for you to sink in and veg out for your allotted dining time. There's one at either end of the main window at the front, and others in the centre and against the other wall facing the North Circular Road. If you like seeing your food being made, the kitchen here is wide open, with a view directly in from the back of the room. Either way, make sure to stick a head in on your way to/from the toilet. We should preface all this though by saying that if you want a table at Borgo any time soon, you'll be taking whatever you can get - they are currently being swarmed and it'll take a while before things calm down enough for you to dictate your table. What's the food like? Far too tempting. They could have done half this amount of plates, but then you might not be as eager to go back so soon. Between spuntini (snacks), pizzette (sourdough flatbreads, not pizza), antipasti, pasta, and wood-fired proteins, we can't think of anyone who wouldn't be able to eat how they want here. Got kids? Their children's menu is €10 for a juice, a pasta or pizzette, and ice-cream with chocolate biscuits for dessert (Crudo does similar). Can any other restaurant operating at this standard compete with that? Is there any surprise that it was packed with families at 4pm? ATF's Ronan covered our ATF Insiders preview , and said the focaccia and onion whey butter (€5) needs to be tasted. As usual, he was right. This. Is. Focaccia. The best we can remember eating in Dublin, maybe ever? The crumb, the crust, the flavour, the salt flakes on top, the perfect slick of oil underneath, and that lighter than air onion whey butter... Perfection spread on perfection. We don't usually recommend filing up on bread when there are so many other appealing things to eat, but we make an exception for Borgo. They serve Connemara oysters (€4 each) two ways - one with a bergamot mignonette, and another that's getting all the headlines, topped with a Carbonara-style sauce and cooked in the woodfired oven. It's not one for oyster purists, who'll find the briny, earthy notes lost under the cheese - it's more of an easy introduction for someone who wants their first taste. For our money it'll be the citrussy bergamot mignonette every time. Padrón peppers with Tallegio custard (€6) has been a headline grabber for sheer creativity, and while we would happily, mindlessly eat these as part of any meal, the peppers weren't charred enough and the cheese sauce didn't have the right consistency for dipping - you'll need a utensil to scoop. It was all very pleasant, but not a must order for us. You know what is a must order? Repeat after me: " I will order the gambas ". Say that 10 times, turn around and touch the ground, then go to Borgo and order the gambas with garlic, chili, lemon and more of that focaccia (€18). The tender, luscious gambas, silky from soaking up that impeccable sauce with just the right amount of sweet garlic, spicy chilli and lemon to lift it all up to the heavens. You'll want every last crumb of that focaccia to wipe the plate clean, and don't forget to suck the heads. They've been at pains to convey that the pizzette (€10-€12) are 48 hour sourdough flatbreads, NOT pizza. They arrive puffed up and ready to be cut, torn or just shoved in your mouth, and Mark's oyster mushrooms with stracciatella and aged balsamic was the one to fight over. Another with lemon ricotta, guanciale and Cloonbrook reserve was good too, but we did find the toppings swamped by so much dough. The pasta section is somewhere Borgo excels. Our tortiglioni with milk-braised pork ragu, crumbs, herb oil and Cloonbrook reserve (€21) was on a par with similar ones we had in Bologna on our recent trip there . Don't be afraid of tomato-less ragu - you won't look back. Maybe the dish of the night though was their agnolotti stuffed with ricotta, topped with prosciutto, 24-month old Parmigiano Reggiano and hazelnuts, in a butter sauce (€22). If ever there was a testament to bringing together the best regional ingredients, and letting each of them sing for what they are, here she is. You could not pull this off with substandard produce, and they're not trying to. It's worth nothing that ATF's Ronan loved the amatriciana on his visit, and we both wished we'd ordered the seafood pasta when we saw it travel to other tables. The pasta section is where it's at. If you're more protein than carbs (we're both), you can eat meat or fish from the wood-fired oven. They wanted a good value steak so went for bavette, which comes with cavolo nero, carrot purée, and tarragon and balsamic jus (€28). If you add a side of potatoes you'll be at €35, so it's not a "cheap steak" but by God it's a good one. Whatever they've done to that meat in advance of cooking we need to know about - it melted like fillet, but with that added texture from the coarser grain, the steak browned outside, and served medium/rare inside (chef's recommendation). The accompaniments were pleasant, but could be more exciting. You know what was exciting? Those Ballymakenny Queens with herb cream and Cloonbrook Reserve (€7) - just don't go for a medical any time soon after consuming them. Gnarly, deep fried potatoes are arrestingly crisp, every side is a good side, with piping hot fluffy insides and all the extra flavours to take them from an A+ to an A++++++. BBQ Abercorn rainbow chard (€6) couldn't help but be dull in comparison - we didn't get any barbecue flavours, nor peach in the advertised dressing, but it's always good to get those Irish-grown greens in. No self-respecting Italian has a dessert section without a solid tiramisu, and Borgo's is a monster slice for €9. It's falling over with creaminess, coffee and chocolate, but some of the sponge was too dry and needed better soaking. A very minor infraction. Get one for the table. The bigger hit here is the polenta cake with brown butter peaches, mascarpone and basil (€9). It's another very generous slice (a whole one might kill you) but everything about the textures, flavours and scents of this scream "summer! Don't go!" What about drinks? If you're partial to a negroni order the 'Negroni Sporco' once you're sitting. It's like a Negroni Sbagliato but with Lambrusco instead of Prosecco, and a fat olive perched on top. There's also the 'Borgo spritz' and the 'Pesca spritz', and it was a tough choice. When it came to the wine list we couldn't see past LAMBRUSCO BY THE GLASS. Have the sparkling red wine with the antipasti, have it with the pizzette, and let yourself see the light. The wine list is mainly Italian, with some random bottles in there from France and Spain (presumably for those who can't see past Rioja and Sauvignon Blanc), and it's very much a regional deep dive, so if you're confused just tell them what you usually like, what you want to spend, and let them help find you a bottle. We tried both the house Nero d'Avola and Grillo (both €7.50 a glass or €33 a bottle) and thought they both punched above their weight for those prices. How was the service? They couldn't have been nicer. We walked into a room that was the definition of "buzzing", every seat taken, animated conversations all around, well-behaved children everywhere, friends and families delighting in their new regular, and somehow they managed to effortlessly take care of everyone with kindness and grace. They also let us put in an initial order, then add more on - it's that kinda place. We weren't aware of a time limit on our table, but almost as soon as we got up after two hours, a family of four swept into our seats. If they were under pressure to move us on, they never let on or made us feel rushed. What should we budget? As you know we are greedy little so and sos and ordered waaaay too much - to the point of stomach pains. You don't need to make yourself sore from over eating, you can just go back another time like a normal person, so we reckon €50 a head will see you very well fed, but it's very easy to spend more if you let your eyes do the ordering. What's the verdict on Borgo? More Osteria Locales for Dublin please. More of this seemingly simple cooking with layers of flavour and the best ingredients available to the kitchen. It all seems so simple, yet is so often overlooked in favour of Insta-pretty plating and maximising GPs, hoping customers won't taste the difference. We've said it before that these guys seem to have the formula for what people want right now, and what they're willing to pay for it, and it looks like they've pressed yet another diamond with Borgo. New Openings & Discoveries More >>