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Orwell Road The Coppinger Row guys go south Posted: 24 Jul 2022 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What's the story? At the end of 2021, the Bereen brothers who owned Coppinger Row (and still own Charlotte Quay), announced that the city centre restaurant where Queen Bey herself once ate, would shut its doors for good at Christmas, after thirteen years of trading. Rather than blaming bad business or anything pandemic related, a press release explained that the building was due to be redeveloped by the landlord, and the now familiar cries of "no more hotels" started to ring out. Memories were shared, the final Flo and Basys were ordered, and the doors shut, but soon rumours started to swirl about a follow up on the southside. They publically announced the details of Orwell Road in March, just five days before opening to Rathgar locals and anyone wanting to make the journey, and we were pleased to see Daniel Hannigan, formerly head chef in ATF fav Mister S , was leading the kitchen. They opened to plenty of positive reviews, but the prices were so punchy we reasoned we'd leave it for a special occasion. You guys had other ideas, and when we let our ATF Insiders choose the location of our next review, Orwell Road was the easy front-runner, so we set off for Rathgar for a weekend lunch. Where should I sit? It's a small room and we imagine it gets quite cramped when all of the tables are full. The booths at the window and along one side are by far the most spacious, and the bar seats look appealing too, with a view directly into the kitchen. What's the food like? The menu is à la carte, which will please you if you're tired of set and tasting menus, or the demand to order three courses each including a main course (always the most boring part, is it any wonder we just want all the small plates), but prices are high, and they feel like a shock in somewhere pitching themselves as a "casual neighbourhood restaurant". Some of the opening prices have risen even further in the four months since opening. Two croquettes have gone from €6.50 to €8. Côte de boeuf has gone from €70 to €75. A side of Ballymakenny spuds have gone from €5 - €6. Obviously inflation is high and food costs are rising, but consumers have never been more concerned about what's in their pockets. Meat and fish mains were €30, €34 and €35, and comparing this to other neighbourhood restaurants, in Locks, Spitalfields and Circa mains all stay below €30. In Volpe Nera the most expensive ones just hit €30. With all that in mind this level of pricing feels ambitious. A snack of mackerel tart (€5 for two bites) with chilli ponzu was a snappy start, with fish aged by Karl Whelan in Saltwater Grocery down the road, and plenty of citrus tang from the ponzu and heat from the chilli. The only problem was a very soggy bottom - perhaps they went OTT on the dressing or it sat for too long before serving. We were slightly disappointed to see that the Andarl pork croquettes we'd seen online had been demoted to "ham and cheddar", but they were very good, with spicy wholegrain mustard giving them an edge, and a cloud of more cheese on top. They worked out at €4 each though, which felt excessive. Onto starters and their signature seems to be the "chicken and scallops", served in two parts. On a top plate comes a deboned chicken wing stuffed with its own flesh - pleasant and richly flavoured, but added crunch like the version at Library Street would improve it. Lift that and underneath scallops swim in a chicken butter sauce, with slabs of the crispiest chicken skin imaginable scattered on top. We thought that the scallops would have been a stronger dish on their own without the distraction of the wing - perfertly cooked, plump and juicy, in a sauce so rich (and a little over-salted) you'll want to tread very lightly with your spoon. The chicken skin is a masterclass in how to do it. No weedy shards around here, this is some seriously crunchy business. We'd seen the new dish of kombu-cured cod with wakame and ginger on their social media feeds, and it's a visual delight, but we felt the flavours were too tame. While the wakame and ginger were pleasant and delicate, it was missing a punch of flavour that the meaty, ultra-fresh fish needed to cut through it. The Cais na Tire tortellini in a burnt onion broth is a beautiful dish. The pasta is on the thicker side, and a thinner one would let the flavour of that beautiful sheeps' cheese filling shine through a bit more, but the broth is deep with a smoky, allium-rich flavour, and cheese and onion are bedfellows for good reason. On to mains and this is where the prices really started to sting. A €34 plate of turbot with girolles, taramasalata and chicken butter sauce (the same as earlier), came with a piece of fish no bigger than a small child's hand, seven mushrooms, a few leaves of savoy cabbage, and taramasalata so salty it was unpleasant. You will most likely need a side (€6), meaning this is a €40 dish with potatoes. We know inflation is high but this was a hard one to swallow. The fish was cooked perfectly, snow white and flaking away, but for that kind of outlay we expect a lot more. The other dish, BBQ monktail with chorizo-stuffed razor clams and seafood bisque felt a lot more substantial for a euro more (€35), with the charred, meaty fish coming away in thick chunks and the baby courgette still al dente, but the razor clams tasted of chorizo and sodden bread, any fish flavour lost to the other ingredients. Monktail isn't something you see often, so it was nice to see it here and cooked so well. As a side we ordered the obligatory spuds - these ones from Ballymakenny in Louth, with a black garlic mayo that was more sweet than pungent. They were good, appearing to be fried multiple times, but some were crunchy while others were soft and/or chewy. The crunchy ones were excellent. Dessert is something that Hannigan has always excelled at (at one point during the pandemic he opened a dessert truck), so we presume at some (if not all) of the creations here are his. We tried his vacherin in Mister S, and it's gone up a notch again, this one with hibiscus on the outside, and strawberry sorbet and vanilla on the inside. Breaking it open with a spoon is very satisfying, as is eating it. Smooth sorbet, jammy strawberries and crunchy, scented meringue make for a delicately delicious dessert that's bang on season. A salted caramel tart was also excellently executed, but again there was too much salt in parts. A cherry sorbet was bright and deeply flavoured, with macerated cherries underneath, and together they made for a lovely combination. We hadn't ordered the third dessert, elderflower ice-cream with raspberry granita, but they brought it free of charge, saying we had to try it, and it was another perfectly pulled together plate - it's hard to imagine two more fitting desserts for an Irish summer than this and the strawberry vacherin. The flavours were pure yet punchy, the colour and taste of all the elements completely vivid. What about drinks? The wine list has plenty of interest, as well some less interesting crowd pleasers, and a large proportion is available by the glass, which is so nice (and relatively unusual) to see. We tried a Spanish blend from Cellar de Ruore, and the Sicilian Palmentino Rosso from Vino di Anna - the red won in the flavour stakes. The cocktails list reads well too, and the 'Bamboo' with dry vermouth, Lillet Blanc, Fino sherry, banana and black cardamom cordial, and bitters was pleasant to sip while waiting for snacks, but on the sweeter side. How was the service? Our server could not have been more full of warmth, smiles and helpful information, and apart from one grave suggestion of serving the Vino di Anna over ice because they didn't have one chilled, didn't put a foot wrong. Dishes came out at a perfect pace, but we were the only ones there so can't speak for a busier period. And the damage? A few euro short of €200 before tip for two adults and a child, which is into the realm of two-Michelin-starred Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen, where you could have lunch for two with a nice bottle of wine for the same price. The verdict? There's a lot to like about Orwell Road, but much that could be improved too. As noted in the Woodruff once over a few months ago, the lack of a good value lunch menu is a major turn off for customers, and just bad business (Woodruff have since introduced one ), and may explain why we were the only ones there for Saturday lunch. Dinner appears to be hopping and that night they were fully booked, but those weighty prices are easier to stomach in the evening. A good value lunch menu, an early evening menu, and more generosity in the plates of food would go a long way towards ensuring the longevity that Coppinger Row had. Orwell Road 48 Orwell Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin 6 orwellroad.com New Openings & Discoveries More >>

The second opening from Japanese Daruma, whose first location is in Temple Bar. The Malahide outpost is less Japanese pub, more neighbourhood restaurant, with accommodating staff, a very good drinks selection, and commendably good ingredient provenance, including free-range pork from Carlow and organic salmon from Donegal. Sushi is excellent, and there's plenty to like from the hot section too - we love the chicken kaarage with yuzu mayo and the 18-hour beef short-ribs in a ginger soy glaze. Daruma Malahide Website daruma.ie Address DARUMA, New Street, Malahide, County Dublin, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story The second opening from Japanese Daruma, whose first location is in Temple Bar. The Malahide outpost is less Japanese pub, more neighbourhood restaurant, with accommodating staff, a very good drinks selection, and commendably good ingredient provenance, including free-range pork from Carlow and organic salmon from Donegal. Sushi is excellent, and there's plenty to like from the hot section too - we love the chicken kaarage with yuzu mayo and the 18-hour beef short-ribs in a ginger soy glaze. Where It's At Nearby Locales 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 Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

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

One of the original Dublin gastropubs. Irish produce prepared and cooked beautifully, an eye-poppingly large craft beer selection and a lot of gin. They also have a 'better than your average pub' wine list and a great choice of non-alcoholic drinks for the drivers, teetotallers or under 18s. L Mulligan Grocer Website lmulligangrocer.com Address 18 Stoneybatter, Dublin 7 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story One of the original Dublin gastropubs. Irish produce prepared and cooked beautifully, an eye-poppingly large craft beer selection and a lot of gin. They also have a 'better than your average pub' wine list and a great choice of non-alcoholic drinks for the drivers, teetotallers or under 18s. Where It's At Nearby Locales 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 Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

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

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 >>

Mr Dinh Daytime-only dim sum on Capel Street Posted: 20 Aug 2019 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Mr Dinh sits at the far end of Capel Street, close to Parnell Street, in a site that formerly housed Vietnamese restaurant Hanoi Hanoi. We've been unable to find out whether the owner and manager of Mr Dinh are the same as Hanoi Hanoi, but they're both from Vietnam. This is not a restaurant we would have made a beeline for, due to their 'Asian fusion' menu featuring Japanese, Hong Kong, Malayasian and Thai cuisine - in our experience muddled menus usually don't make for spell-binding eating experiences - but then the Dublin restaurant whisper network started talking about Mr Dinh's daytime-only dim sum. If you speak to anyone from Hong Kong (or anyone who's versed in their food) about where to get good dim sum in Dublin you're likely to hear three names - Good World , Ka Shing and Mr Dinh . We hear that the pendulum swings between all three of them as the favourite depending on the week, but that amongst a certain group of Asian ladies who dim sum, Mr Dinh was currently in the lead. Dim sum is a day time food in Hong Kong, with small plates of everything from dumplings to turnip cake often accompanied by Chinese tea, and Mr Dinh only serves dim sum until 5pm, so it's lunch or a very early dinner if you want to get in on the dim sum action here. Where is there to go for a drink around here? If you're planning on having one of those long, drawn out lunches which turns into a boozy afternoon - great plan. We'd head around the corner to Bonobo in Smithfield, particularly if the sun's out and you can wile away a few hours in their beer garden. Otherwise McNeill's on Capel Street is great for Guinness and trad music, or if you're having a dry day but still want to stay out, head for The Virgin Mary for non-alcoholic cocktails. Where should we sit? There's plenty of space over two rooms so you should have your pick. If you're in a group the round tables complete with lazy Susans are great for avoiding awkward arm-stretching, but if you're looking for privacy you can easily slink into one of the corners on either side. What's good to eat? There are 32 types of dim sum on the menu, featuring everything from prawn dumplings to chicken feet (not recommended, even for lols). Of everything we tried our favourites were the pan-fried pork dumplings (deeply-flavoured with a perfect chewy, meaty texture), pan-fried vegetable and meat buns (light, slightly blistered dough filled with more flavoursome pork and green vegetables), and baked BBQ pork puffs - although the latter were barely warm and very sweet - proceed with caution. Prawn dumplings Chaozhou style were better than prawn and Chinese chive dumplings, whose thin, slippery wrappers had gotten completely stuck on the steamer, causing them to fall apart, and soup dumplings disappointed due to a lack of soup. Steamed turnip cake with a type of Chinese sausage split the table - you definitely have to be on board with the gelatinous texture and slightly too oily exterior, but we were, and sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf was very sticky, with a layer of something like a thick gravy with pork pieces and sweetcorn between two slabs of rice. Enjoyable at the time but not particularly memorable. Steamed BBQ pork buns were decent, but we've had better in the city (looking at you Lucky Tortoise ), and again that overly sweet BBQ filling could have done with easing off on the sugar, and BBQ pork cheung fun (rice rolls) had the sweet/savoury balance much more on point, although they could have done with a bit more filling. Pork siu mai were slightly bland and a bit too pink for our liking, and they weren't finished. What about the drinks? We've yet to encounter an Asian restaurant in the Capel Street/Parnell Street area with anything of interest to drink, and unfortunately Mr Dinh lives up to the stereotype. Wines come under the heading "avoid", and beers are basic. Under some grilling they said they would allow BYO at around €10 per bottle of wine, but wouldn't commit to a corkage charge. Definitely worth considering if you want something stronger than Chinese tea with your dim sum. And the service? Friendly but pretty perfunctory. The manager was very happy to answer a myriad of questions, and tell us about the exciting new Malaysian, Japanese and Thai menu changes to come on the main menu in a couple of weeks, but sometimes the staff bringing the food just dropped them on the table without telling us what they were. They always came back with a smile though when we called them to ask what type of dumplings we were about to eat. The verdict? Mr Dinh is dishing up decent dim sum and while it's unlikely to change your life it's very cheap, very filling and parts of it are very tasty. For €25 a head we had more food than we could eat - you could easily leave well fed for €15 - and if you're someone who likes small portions of multiple dishes and sharing food for the purposes of getting to try more, you'll have fun working your way through the menu here. Even if you get the odd dud you're unlikely to feel hard done by at prices like these. For us the dim sum debates rages on. We've already given Ka Shing the once over, so Good World's next on the list to complete the holy trilogy. Look out for that one some time in Autumn. Mr Dinh 101 - 102 Capel Street, Dublin 1 mrdinh.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Sofra Top-tier Turkish grill has some of the best value in town Posted: 29 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 Sofra? It was when casting our eyes over assorted iftar spreads around Dublin on social that we first felt the need to pay Sofra a visit - those fast-breaking platters of soup, mezzes, mixed grilled meats and baklava looked like exactly the kind of quality volume-for-value deal we’re forever in search of. The Turkish team that runs the place previously operated casual café Sweet O’Clock out of the same space, but made the switch right in time for Ramadan back in February of this year. Sofra is a Turkish term for a dining table, and the aim here is to foster a sense of community anchored in great food. The family-friendly space and sharing-style menu choices attest that every bit as much as those post-fast feast gatherings that caught our eager eyes in the first place. Equally head-turning is the mangal to the rear – this charcoal grill is the beating heart of Turkish barbecue, and the smoke-choked skewers of meat we gawped at as we arrived told us we were onto something good. Where’s good for a drink nearby? If you’re out for the night and fancy a pre or post-dinner drink (there’s no booze to be had here), you have your choice of pubs nearby. Capel Street’s Slattery’s is a perennially-popular Victorian-era relic that will keep plenty happy, but for our money you can't beat a seat by McNeill’s roaring fire a few doors down – just steer clear of the weekend tourist crowds. If you’re feeling like cocktails you could make for the newly-opened Sackville Lounge , sister to Bar 1661 (also a fine choice just 7 minutes’ walk away). The black-panelled room just off O’Connell Street is out to play its part in bringing glamour back to the city’s much-maligned main thoroughfare. Where should we sit? That all depends on the kind of meal you’re in for. Solo diners or a couple in a hurry will be glad to snag the window ledge, with a view out over the action on newly pedestrianised Liffey Street, but that's not the space for comfort to lean back and linger. Three four tops along the right wall were popular perches for younger families on both of our visits, while the pokey but perfectly-positioned table to the rear offers the only good vantage over the grill – if you’re in alone, and want to witness the magic, this the spot for you. If they’re all taken, fret not. What’s not evident from outside is the bigger room upstairs, a bright and open space whose thirty-or-so covers and the speed of service here make it likely there’ll almost always be a spot going. Up here it’s a little more cosy than the narrower space below - if you’re making a meal of it, head on up. What’s on the menu? A lot! It took us two visits to tick off enough of the menu to really give a clear sense of things, and we could have easily come back a few more times without repeating ourselves – if you’re keen to dig in we recommend rustling up a crowd. Start with çorba – if the tables of Turks who filtered in across our two times here for just a bowl of this red lentil soup are anything to go by, it’s got the taste of home nailed. Creamy-thick from slow stewing and spiked by a slick of chilli oil, it’s a nutty-noted broth with deep and dormant flavours brought out by a tableside squeeze of lemon. As appetite-whetters go, it’s essential. Though you might be in some trouble here if your appetite needs whetting to begin with. Turks are well known for their homely hospitality and huge spreads, and Sofra pairs both in the generous plates of mezzes that arrive out to accompany your order. Those of a nervous disposition should steer clear of the upstairs table just at the head of the stairs – seeing the wait staff ascend the narrow steps with piled-high trays is enough to induce vertigo. It's as tight a squeeze up the stairs as it is onto the table, with the crowded clutter of branded dishes a key part of the charm. Adana kebab is where you should start where mangal’s concerned - red pepper-spiced minced lamb kneaded with onion and garlic and gently squeezed into shape on the shish. The grill’s high heat gives a quick-seared crust that seals in the juices – the succulent spillover as you slice through coats the lavash flatbread and bulgur below with smoky-sweet flavour that needs to be tasted to be understood. We loved this one piled high with pickled peppers and acili ezme, a Turkish salsa that doesn’t skimp on spice, but more sensitive palates might be better to swap the Adana for paprika-scented Urfa instead, and pile on tzatziki or hummus. After the soup, the most common order we spied in Sofra was the Beyti kebab – small wonder once you see it. That same lamb mince reappears here but packed with cheese in lavash, and grilled wrapped before slicing to serve beneath a mild tomato sauce, and beside a mound of yogurt. You will want to be very hungry to have any hope of finishing this alone. Inspired by an upscale Istanbul restaurant dish whose namesake owner is still serving at the age of 96, Beyti has evolved its way to much more modest form than the lamb fillet original over the years (see Reyna over the river for another take). Nothing fancy here, just full flavour – and full stomach to follow. The menu mentions ciğer, or lamb liver, as a must for adventurous eaters - to us that just reads like a dare. You needn’t be an offal aficionado to indulge in this one though – the grill’s a great leveller and the crusty char these cubes bear contrasts nicely with the soft, mild meat encased inside. It’s served atop a round of bazlama, a yogurt-enriched fluffy flatbread we found a little too excessive against the tender taste of the liver – pile it up in lavash with sumac-sprinkled shepherd’s salad instead, and savour a truly delicious, nutritious kebab. The liver can be ordered in a durum wrap too from a section of the menu that looks built for the home delivery and takeaway crowds. We sampled the chicken shish to get a sense and while the marinated and grilled breast ticked all the boxes on juicy flavour, none of the rest of the fillings are reason enough to bother if you’re eating in. Stick with a grill plate (it’s the same meat in either) and mess around with the mezzes for all manner of build-your-own, mix-and-match delight. Whatever else you do, be sure to leave room for içli köfte. Variations on these meatball marvels are found all through the former Ottoman empire as kofta or kibbeh - the bulger-crusted latter, popular in Syria and Lebanon especially, is the closest thing to this. The crisped coating seals in the minced lamb, left to fry to perfection in its own juices. Skip the cutlery and bite right into these - all the better to savour every last drop that comes gushing out. No Turkish meal is over without tea, and it’d be rude not to try out dessert with it too – right? Baklava is the business here, the honey-syrup soaked layers of filo pastry and pistachio deceptively light after all those grilled meats. But it’s the künefe you’ll be thinking of long after you leave, with crisp shredded shards of filo dough layered with sweet cheese and cooked until crisp over the grill, before being soaked in syrup and served gloriously gooey. What are the drinks like? You’d be forgiven for missing şalgam and ayran alongside Coke and Sprite in the cold drinks section – don’t make that mistake. The latter, slightly thinned and salted yogurt, is sold by the carton in many places around town but not many make their own too. The branded metal cup it’s served in is a lovely little touch, all the better to appreciate the cool, refreshing quality – ideal to go up against anything spicy. The fermented purple carrots that make şalgam are an acquired taste we’re all-in on, especially in the spicy variation they also offer here - we loved it with the liver. How was the service? Friendly if frantic. At busier times they seemed a little run off their feet, and you might be in need of catching an eye to get your order if you turn the initial, early ask down – likely given the decisions to be made. The quick grill means mains come fast and furious, though the advised wait time of up to twenty minutes for kunefe when it's busy worked out at over thirty for us with a flood of orders backing things up. The wait is worth it, having to ask for updates a little less so. These kind of issues are common at the early stages - ironing them out will go a long way. When it’s quieter, the owner can be seen working the room and adding to the overall sense of heartfelt hospitality that makes Sofra special. And the damage? Our two visits averaged out just over €50 each, with all those mezzes, mains, drinks and add-ons, filling two each time to levels that would have doctors worried. For the quality of food here, and the feast you’ll make of it, that’s superb value. What’s the verdict on Sofra? Hot on the heels of the city’s best döner in Chiya across the river, and the phenomenal flatbread value of Sultan’s Grill right round the corner, Sofra slides in to secure a remarkable recent hat-trick of top Turkish food in Dublin that takes the city’s fare far beyond the after-hours offerings that mostly made it up before. There’s a constant craving about town for value like this – in this relaxed room, with these ridiculously generous portions, there’s a winning formula. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

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Octopussy's Ultra fresh fish with a sea view Posted: 12 Jun 2018 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? For such a picturesque coastal village, Howth has always suffered from a surplus of mediocre eateries, and we feel for tourists in particular trying to navigate the deluge of similar looking restaurants along the west pier, searching for the one that's going to live up to their Irish seafood dreams. King Sitric is the place to go for a blow out, and Aqua and Deep , also in the fine dining category, seem to have a loyal (if instagram deficient) following, but when you want something a bit more casual it can be a struggle to find something that doesn't disappoint. Octopussy's has always been talked about by those in the trade as the one to head for, and we've been impressed in the past, so we thought a sunny day in June was a good time to give it another once over. Where’s good for a drink beforehand? The Bloody Stream around the corner is great for a pint and has a sizeable outdoor terrace at the front if it's warm enough to sit outside. We quite like Wrights Findlater too, especially in Winter when the fire's on and it feels like a cosy respite from the harsh Howth winds. If you're up for a ten minute walk, we'd recommend walking up to The Abbey Tavern , one of Ireland's oldest pubs, which dates in some form to the 16th century. What’s the room like? Cosy. There are high tables and a couple of snugs inside, as well as counter dining at the window, but on a sunny day, the in demand seats are at the five outside tables. Whether outside or inside you should probably prepare for a wait, but food comes fast, so even though we were initially told it would be 40 minutes to get seated, it ended up taking only 10. Wherever you are you're likely to be sharing a table with strangers, so it's not the place to go for privacy and intimate conversation, but good if you like making new friends. Mercifully there is no smoking allowed at the tables outside, so you can enjoy your seafood in the sunshine without a side of cigarettes. What's good to eat? The shellfish platter is the must-order item, and great value at €19 for one, or €30 for two. The mussels in a cream and white wine sauce are genuinely some of the best we've had in Dublin, and the crab claws and Dublin Bay prawns taste like they were caught that morning. Gambas were fried with what tasted like paprika, and it's worth sucking the shells as that's where half the flavour is. On the platter for one you get three each of the Dublin Bay Prawns and crab claws, four gambas, a bowl of mussels and brown bread, so that alone would be enough to sate a non-greedy eater. If you're into oysters, the Carlingford served with lemon and tobasco are reliably good, as is the dressed crab, which comes on brown bread, and is a perfect example of something so simple being so delicious. If you feel like something deep-fried, calamari and scampi are both excellent, coming in light, crisp batters, rather than the ones that have the batter to fish ratio way off. We haven't had the lobster but we'd put money on that being great too. Sides don't overly excite, but the focus here is on fish and we've found in the past that they end up being superflous (with the exception of chips, obvs). We also tried a special of prawn and chorizo salad, with chilli pecorino cheese which just didn't work. The chorizo overwhelmed everything else and the cheese was rubbery. If that's all we'd had we would have run for the hills of Howth, but luckily it was just a blip in an otherwise excellent meal. What about the drinks? A serviceable if unexciting wine list with a large selection by the glass, and no other alcohol is served, so prepare any beer/spirits drinkers in advance. We've had a few dud glasses in here, but you'll be safe with Italian Verdicchio for white, and we spotted an open bottle of Viña Illusion's brilliant Rioja Joven as we were leaving, which we hadn't spotted on the menu. Glassware is awful, but you'll just have to get over it. And the service? Something that again has been mixed in the past, but on this occasional couldn't be faulted. Both of our servers were completely welcoming and helpful, making recommendations and having the chats. To be as rushed off their feet as they were and still come off that relaxed and friendly is no mean feat, so credit where it's due. The verdict? The best place in Howth for ultra fresh seafood in a casual setting, and if you can bag an outside table on a sunny day you'll be beaming (and possibly sunburnt) for days. We might not choose it for a special occasion when we want all the good wine, but after a walk on Howth Head or when we just want to be reminded about why Irish seafood is so fantastic, there are few places we'd rather be. Octopussy's Seafood Tapas Bar 7-8 West Pier, Howth, Co. Dublin octopussy.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

All day brunch and all the feel good dishes at this bright, airy café just past Portobello. Most dishes are vegetarian by nature with options to add on meat, and very good use is made of some of the city's best food suppliers, like Bretzel Bakery and Lilliput, and drinks suppliers like Wall & Keogh Tea nearby. Southbank Website southbankcafe.ie Address Southbank cafe, Grove Road, Harold's Cross, Dublin 6, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story All day brunch and all the feel good dishes at this bright, airy café just past Portobello. Most dishes are vegetarian by nature with options to add on meat, and very good use is made of some of the city's best food suppliers, like Bretzel Bakery and Lilliput, and drinks suppliers like Wall & Keogh Tea nearby. Where It's At Nearby Locales 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 Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Handmade egg pasta, thin and crispy pizzas, generous portions and bags of flavour at this family-run Italian on Capel Street. Despite a few allowances being made for the Irish appetite (carbonara with cream, garlic bread etc.) Romano’s is bursting with charm and seriously tasty food, and the value for money is hard to beat. Ristorante Romano Website ristoranteromano.business.site Address 12 Capel Street, Dublin 1 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Handmade egg pasta, thin and crispy pizzas, generous portions and bags of flavour at this family-run Italian on Capel Street. Despite a few allowances being made for the Irish appetite (carbonara with cream, garlic bread etc.) Romano’s is bursting with charm and seriously tasty food, and the value for money is hard to beat. Where It's At Nearby Locales 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 Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Stretching from Exchequer Street to Lower Stephen's Street, and South William Street to George's Street, Dublin's 'Creative Quarter' is known for design, boutiques and studios, but is also one of the best places in the city centre to head for food and drinks. Creative Quarter Our Take Stretching from Exchequer Street to Lower Stephen's Street, and South William Street to George's Street, Dublin's 'Creative Quarter' is known for design, boutiques and studios, but is also one of the best places in the city centre to head for food and drinks. Where to Eat 777 Amy Austin Bambino Caribou Coppinger Fade Street Social Fallon and Byrne's Wine Cellar Good World Handsome Burger Hong Kong Wonton Izakaya Japas & Sake Kicky's Loose Canon Mani Masa Nan Chinese Pi Rei Momo Row Wines Spilt Milk Sprout Exchequer Street The Pepperpot Café The Ramen Bar l'Gueuleton

French crêperie specialising in savoury galettes and dessert crêpes. Voici also functions as a wine bar, with cheese and charcuterie boards to accompany your bottle of Bordeaux. Voici Website voici-creperie.site Address 1A Rathgar Road, Dublin 6 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story French crêperie specialising in savoury galettes and dessert crêpes. Voici also functions as a wine bar, with cheese and charcuterie boards to accompany your bottle of Bordeaux. Where It's At Nearby Locales 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 Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Hidden away inside Buddy's Farmers Market in Ballymun Industrial estate, Blossom Artisan Bakery sell a range of breads as well as sweet and savoury pastries that go toe to toe with the city's best. Bakers Peter and Xenia have been perfecting their sourdough loaves and pastries for years, and do weekly changing specials to keep things fresh. Definitely worth a detour on your next IKEA or Decathalon visit, or if you're heading anywhere via the M50, with the added convenience of being able to pick up local fruit and veg in Buddy's while you're there. Blossom Artisan Bakery Website instagram.com/blossom_artisan_bakery Address Unit D2, Ballymun Industrial Park, 16 Carton Road, Ballymun, Dublin 11 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Hidden away inside Buddy's Farmers Market in Ballymun Industrial estate, Blossom Artisan Bakery sell a range of breads as well as sweet and savoury pastries that go toe to toe with the city's best. Bakers Peter and Xenia have been perfecting their sourdough loaves and pastries for years, and do weekly changing specials to keep things fresh. Definitely worth a detour on your next IKEA or Decathalon visit, or if you're heading anywhere via the M50, with the added convenience of being able to pick up local fruit and veg in Buddy's while you're there. Where It's At Nearby Locales 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 Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Brazilian Carlos Sakai started making sushi for friends after moving to Ireland to study English. They told other friends, and soon he was throwing sushi parties, where Carlos and a growing team travelled to people's homes to prepare tuna temaki, deep-fried salmon and prawn rolls, and nutella and kiwi sushi for dessert. Mid-pandemic in 2020 he opened their first permanent site in Phibsboro, and Sushi Sakai feeds a steady flow of customers from open to close. Sushi Sakai Website sushisakaidublin.ie Address 342 North Circular Road, Phibsborough, Dublin 7 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Brazilian Carlos Sakai started making sushi for friends after moving to Ireland to study English. They told other friends, and soon he was throwing sushi parties, where Carlos and a growing team travelled to people's homes to prepare tuna temaki, deep-fried salmon and prawn rolls, and nutella and kiwi sushi for dessert. Mid-pandemic in 2020 he opened their first permanent site in Phibsboro, and Sushi Sakai feeds a steady flow of customers from open to close. Where It's At Nearby Locales 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 Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Allta Winter House Back in the city and soaring above the rest Posted: 23 Nov 2021 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Niall Davidson's Allta opened on South Frederick Street in November 2019 in a rush of excitement. The formerly London-based chef who'd led the kitchen in Nuala , after time spent in Chiltern Firehouse and St. John, had critics and diners almost in a frenzied state with talk of handmade pasta, home-cured charcuterie and a menu with almost everything sourced from Ireland, and it didn't let them down. It felt fresh, different, like it had been picked up in a city far cooler than Dublin and dropped in the centre, and we loved it . They blazed away for a few months, and then in early 2020 the unthinkable happened and they, like everyone else, were shut down. They never reopened the original site, even when lockdowns were lifted, saying they couldn't make enough profit with the social distancing restrictions in place, but instead focused their energies on Allta Box , which was the smash hit, at home kit of the pandemic. Most of us have memories of the brown, Allta-emblazoned box arriving on a Friday afternoon, the sourdough and shiitake miso butter, the pickled veg palate cleanser, the perfectly labelled and colour-coded pots of pasta, sauces and crunchy toppings, the cookie dough, we'll stop... We were (im)patiently awaiting news of the restaurant reopening, but instead, in June 2021, they announced they were popping up in a huge tent in the grounds of Slane Castle on the banks of the river Boyne for the summer. When the book of Irish food post the year 2000 is written, 'Allta Summer House' will probably have a chapter in itself, and we left as thunderstruck as everyone in front of and behind us. It ended in September with diners already trying to book for the following summer, but there was surprise and all round awe when the team announced that their next move would be to the top floor of Trinity Street carpark, for 'Allta Winter House'. Davidson also announced that he had split with his investors, and now he and head chef Hugh Higgins were out on their own. How do we get up there and can we have a drink first? Enter the dingy carpark entrance from Dame Lane and head for the lift - there are no signs anywhere, don't panic. Hit level 5, and when you get out all will be okay. Here you'll give your name, have your vaccination certs and ID checked, use a fancy automatic hand sanitizer, and then be brought to your table. You'll walk through Glovebox, their bar/art gallery which will be serving drinks and small plates and is due to open soon. There's going to be a DJ too - major London/New York rooftop party vibes. Once open you can have a drink here before or after, or head straight up to the main space, which is up a ramp (level 6). Where should we sit? All of the tables are the same long table set up seating four or six people, and are assigned in advance, but you might want to request being close to the kitchen if you like to see the action, or at the other end of the space if you don't want to be surrounded by other tables on all sides. Despite being in a tent it's not cold - every table has a heater above it, and we had full arms out in November. What they've done up here took real vision and we're sure a lot of painstaking toil to get it ready. It's very hard to believe you're in the same city carpark off Dame Street when sitting on a sheepskin rug under a floral installation eating off Fermoyle Pottery. What's the food like? It's a set menu for €95 which is good because you don't have to make any decisions and get to try ALL THE FOOD, but potentially bad because it's a lot of money and you might struggle to get another three or five people to go with you. We've had a lot of messages from annoyed readers wanting to go as a two, but because of the table set up it just wouldn't make sense for them financially, and they can't mix you with strangers at the moment for obvious reasons. We've been busy trying to match up some of our ATF Insiders who wanted to go but didn't have enough spenny pals to go with them, but honestly this is worth calling up old school pals, the couple who used to live upstairs, your rich uncle - anyone who might join you for what could be yours and their meal of the year. The menu is going to change often, so we're not going to spend too much time detailing every single course - also it would be a eulogising, adjective-filled overload - but you can see the menu above for the night we visited, and you can expect some dishes (or variations) to show up again and again. You'll start with a broth - our was a sweet and smoky grilled aubergine, with droplets of oil giving it a silkiness. Next you can expect the softest Cromane oysters from Kerry, which Davidson has been using since he put that mural of the fisherman on the wall at Allta. Ours came with a dressing made with sea buckthorn - a coastal berry that's in season in Ireland right now, and tastes sweet, sour and citrusey. Next came a crunchy buckwheat cracker with the freshest crab meat, tomato and sea urchin foam (leading to many questions around the table of exactly how one makes a sea urchin foam). This was followed by one of the dishes we have vivid taste memories of from Allta Summer House - the fermented flatbread with Bán goat's cheese from the Boyne Valley and black garlic. Chewy, creamy, tangy, sweet - if Carlsberg did flatbreads... And that was just the snacks. For our first larger plate we saw the resurrection of Allta's sweet and juicy scallops with gooseberry beurre blanc and hazelnuts. It was stunning then, and it's stunning now. Particularly with the added ribbon of kolhrabi for extra texture. Then came Jerusalem artichokes with Cais na Tíre (a Tipperary sheep cheese) sauce and artichoke crisps, like something fondue dreams of being when it grows up. Also, why are Jerusalem artichokes not on more menus? We're starting a petition. Also for this to be the new definition of 'comfort food'. You can keep your burgers and ribs - we're choosing cheese covered artichokes every time. Then, just as we were wondering whether we should cover each other with coats to lick the plates, they arrived with that sourdough to mop it all up, and a bowl of the shiitake miso butter. If you haven't seen someone taste it for the first time, sit back and enjoy - the ooohs, aaahs and omgs are quite entertaining. When you're feeling nicely full your sharing mains arrive. First up we tackled a striking side of ocean trout with sea herbs, mussels and goat's milk whey. You should gently peel off the crispy skin before dividing it up, scooping up the sauce and flavour bursts with a suitably large spoon. After a few bites of the fish, the attentive staff told us we shouldn't leave the Tamworth pork sitting around, and you don't have to tell us twice. We had this dish in Allta Summer House, with the pork coming from the Rock Farm pigs in the adjoining field, and we presume this has the same provenance as Tamworth pork is not easy to find here. The sweet, soft meat is topped with sweet, crispy skin, and it was sitting in a pool of tangy fermented pumpkin. If you're of the "eat better meat less" camp, it's hard to imagine it getting better than this. Unexpected sides arrived (maybe they didn't have enough space on the menu) of romanesco and cavolo nero on romesco (we wished we'd saved some sourdough), and lightly dressed potatoes with herbs, and we had to take a few leftovers home in a lunchbox because we were close to being defeated, but also can't abide food waste. A semi palate cleanser arrived as the first dessert, of apple cider jelly made with the good stuff from The Cider Mill in Slane, apple ice and apple ice-cream, before the most scandalous mini doughnuts with brittle crème brûlée toppings, like the outside of a well made toffee apple, filled with a sort of thicker c rème anglaise . We now understand why people used to queue for 90 minutes to get into the Allta Bakery . What about the drinks? The wine list is extremely well curated and has so many of the best wines on the Irish market right now, but prices are high - those high end tents and dried flowers don't pay for themselves. We love Tuffeau's champagne style sparkling wine (€50 on the list here), as well as the Spanish Ubé from Bodegas Cota 45, and the Portugese Prazo de Roriz from P + S (both €60-€65), but there was so much we would have loved to drink - especially if we had deeper pockets. Wine glasses are Riedel too - what else would you expect. And the service? So personable and friendly. Everyone seems to really enjoy being a part of this, and we can't blame them. It feels like a rocket ship on the ascent. And the damage? €168 a head for the set menu, three bottles of wine between four, four after dinner drinks and service charge. Pricey? Yes. Value for money? 100%. The verdict? What the Allta team are creating and delivering, whether in a tent on the roof of a carpark or if they move into a bigger, less edgy space next year, is undoubtedly a defining event in Irish food. Ambitious projects like this set new standards for the industry as a whole, show others up, show diners what they could be experiencing, instead of another lacklustre meal of goat's cheese salad and chicken supreme. A chef from another restaurant joked recently that restaurants and chefs lacking in creativity wouldn't bother copying Allta, because who would put that much work into each dish, and you can taste the weeks and months of curing, fermenting, aging, planning, tasting - flavours like this don't come from packets or bottles or chefs lacking in skill. There are no shortcuts here, no cost cutting measures. Their only goal is to make their ingredients taste as extraordinary as possible, and shake things up while they're doing it. There's a relatively small cohort of restaurants and chefs across the country pushing the industry to new heights, but their importance on the larger scale of defining what it means to cook and serve 'Irish food', or even just 'food cooked in Ireland', can't be underestimated, both at home and abroad. Either can their ability to turn out the next great chefs in the country. Allta Winter House is as impressive a definition of Irish food as you'll find anywhere in Ireland in 2021, served in an atmosphere crackling with talent and drive, in a space that took major vision to bring to life. If you do one nice thing for yourself in the next few months, get a booking here, and experience it for yourself. Allta Summer House Trinity Car Park, Trinity Street, Dublin 2 www.alltawinterhouse.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

The Park Café The all day dining restaurant that Dublin badly needed Posted: 29 Nov 2022 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What should we know about The Park Café? The prodigal chef returns home, bringing all day dining to Ballsbridge, in the site that formerly housed Dylan McGrath's Shelbourne Social . Richard Corrigan owns and runs several restaurants and bars in London, as well as the Virginia Park Lodge estate in Cavan (one of Ireland's most sought after wedding venues) and has been proudly shipping over produce from the grounds to his London locations for years. We're hoping The Park Café will see the majority now funnelled Dublin's way instead. Corrigan won Michelin stars early in his career, but over the years has successfully turned away from fine dining to just fondly feeding people. His cooking is generous, exhuberent, fun, and this idea of an accessible, easy-going, all-day canteen had all the right people talking before any opening announcements were made. Corrigan's last Dublin opening Bentley's , in 2008, barely lasted two years, but we had a feeling that The Park Café was going to have a different ending. Where should we go for a drink first? It's straight up to The Park Bar with you, their upstairs, roomy space full of large booths, high tables and shaded corners to hide away in. The vibe is cocktail bar meets laid back pub, with some of the country's best Champagnes being served alongside pints of Guiness. We recommend starting with an 'Aperitivo', which are all fairly priced at €10. We tried the 'Park Spritz' with Irish apple brandy, Aperol, Valentini vermouth and Champagne (which reminded us of a white Port and tonic, in a good way), and from the main list a 'Ramos Fizz', with gin, citrus and condensed milk. This one's heavier and next time we'd leave it until dessert. Where should we sit? There are banquette-backed tables along one wall, some tables in the middle of the floor, and counter seating too (which was all but empty when we visited so maybe they're being saved for walk ins). We generally prefer a table up against a wall than a free-wheeler, but if there's just two of you the counter looks like a great option too. It's been substantially built out from the Shelbourne Social days. What's the food like? It's been pitched as an all-day canteen (it's currently only open for dinner but extended hours to follow), and it's only when someone says it that you realise what a massive hole we've had in Dublin dining up to now for exactly this. It's the kind of place you could pop in at any time of the day or night and hop up on a bar stool for a glass of Champagne and some oysters, settle into a banquette for a Bentley's fish pie, or spend a very long afternoon there, lunch turning into dinner. They start by bringing homemade foccacia, which had great flavour but needed the accompanying olive oil (also very good). They forgot to bring it until we asked so make sure it arrives for dipping. You've probably seen the snail omelette doing the rounds on social media, and we're here to tell you that yes it is that good, and yes you need to get over your ick about escargot and order it. Prepare however, to feel like crying that the omelettes you cook at home will (probably) never taste as good as this. If there was an Olympics for eggs, Peter's omelette would run home with gold. The red wine Bordelaise sauce that accompanies it, with pancetta and those snails from a farmer in Cavan called Peter (hence the name) is a bonkers but brilliant combo, and it's topped with Parmesan and chives. We'd already picked the Frank Hederman’s Smoked Salmon with a Ballysadare Egg, Cream Cheese Ravigote and a Crumpet on the way in, and didn't even notice that on the menu we were handed it had been seriously downgraded to salmon, egg, Virginia roots, shoots and leaves. How could they take our cheesy crumpet!? After the initial disappointment we were able to reluctantly admit that it was still a lovely dish A fresh crab salad was generous, fresh and aniseedy from celeriac with mustard seeds and mimosa leaves, and burrata and beets (one of two vegetarian starters) could have been more generous with the burrata but the beets tasted like they'd been picked earlier that day, the leaves had abundantly more flavour than anything from a plastic packet in the supermarket, and pickled walnuts are always a good time. When we visited there were eight mains, with a further two for sharing (pork and steak), and each one sounded better than the last. After a lot of back and forth and horse-trading about who was going to order what, we gave the waitress our final answers. The 'La Jammet' kebab (named after one of Dublin's most famous restaurants ) is a deep dish of pumpkin dahl, raita and halloumi, on top of which sits two sizeable 'Old Castle Hill' lamb chops (we've searched and cannot find out where Old Castle Hill is), a skewer of liver and kidneys, and kofta pickles. It's a bountiful dish, with flavours coming over, under and across every bite, but there is a lot of offal so if you're not that way inclined you may leave a chunk behind. We'd be tempted to order it anyway, the lamb is that good, and it felt like stellar value for €26 (in our current times). Then came fish. A perfect fillet of black sole (€29) came with buttermilk beurre blanc, broccolini and grenobloise sauce (usually brown butter, capers, parsley and lemon), with a perfectly piped mound of mashed potato on the side. This should be the standard of fish dishes citywide, and at under €30? Practically unheard of. A yellowfin tuna schnitzel (€24) is a clever spin on the pork version more usually seen around town, and this is one for someone with a mighty appetite (even without any sides). It was another dish executed without fault, from the crispy coating, to the pink tuna inside, to the tangy gribiche. We couldn't finish it, but enjoyed trying. The only vegetarian main is a plate of hand-rolled kale and potato gnocchi, with cavolo nero and Corleggy Creeny cheese. The gnocchi were like puffed up clouds of potato, the cavolo nero adding a crisp texture on top, and the Corleggy cheese (from Cavan) rounded out its serious savouriness. They could do with at least one more vegetarian option, but in the meantime this won't leave anyone feeling short-changed. We didn't need sides, but we had to try them (for your benefit of course), and the thin-cut fries were perfection - crisp on the outside, fluffy within, perfectly salted and with immaculate aioli to seal the deal. Roasted roots had their sweetness intensified by a drizzle of honey, and added walnuts gave a pleasing crunch amongst the denseness. You won't need dessert here. Portions are so big you'll be fit to burst, but you only live once, and as much interest and inventiveness has gone into desserts as everything else. The most 'grammed is going to be the '99 soft serve with caramelised popcorn - smooth and creamy, with popcorn that keeps its crunch right until the end. 'Jellied winter fruits' came with pear and clementine, 'tipsy cake', and yoghurt, and felt light and fruity, without being an overly sweet ending. We also love that it's a brand new dish that you can only taste here (compared to Chequer Lane where we were able to predict every dull dessert before the menus landed on the table). A final steamed pudding with custard, cream and giner crumble tasted like something the Granny of our dreams would have made us (we didn't have that Granny but now we have Richard Corrigan so it's all fine). It's unsurprisingly rich though, so if you've done a proper job up to now a few mouthfuls will probably be enough to make you drop your spoon in defeat. What about the drinks? The first thing that you need to know, is that if you like to kick off a night with a bottle of bubbles, you won't be doing that here unless you plan to drop some mega bucks. We had this plan, and our faces collectively dropped when we saw that the entry level sparking wine was Prosecco for €74. The next was Piper-Heidsieck Champagne for €116. How they could find nothing that the average person would willingly spend their money on is beyond us, and we can only presume it's a case of limited wine suppliers, who don't have the catalogue of wines they desperately need. There are some very good producers and cuvées on this list, but prices feel high, and there's shockingly little under €50 (five bottles on the entire list). We drank a Sicilian Grillo, a German Riesling and a red Burgundy, and really enjoyed all of them, but we hope they're looking at adding some better value stat, as it's the only thing we can see putting some people off visiting, and/or coming back, especially if you're with a group for whom 'house wine' is the standard order. How was the service? Very pleasant, but we were expecting a bit more of the type of Irish hospitality Chapter One has become famous for. Things felt slightly more stilted, and a few times staff forgot to bring things we had asked for (including dessert wines which never arrived but were on the bill until we asked for them to be removed). There seemed to be some people there from Corrigan's London team to get things up and running, and we hope they can find some service stars in their own right on the ground here as things move forward. The damage? €96 per person before tip, including a cocktail upstairs in the bar first. It's really, really hard to argue with the value for money here considering how brilliantly put together every dish was, even taking into account the price of the wines. The verdict? Let us rejoice. After Dublin's last couple of celebrity chef restaurant disasters, finally someone has arrived who's giving the people what they want and need (even if they didn't know it). It's probably only after dining here that you'll realise the hole that existed in your dining life before now, but afterwards you'll be hoping for a Park Café in every suburb. It's not trying to be the very best food in the city, it's not striving for stars, there's no in-built attitude, they're just serving properly delicious, feel-good food, in generous portions, at fair prices. What more could you want? The Park Café 1 Ballsbridge, Shelbourne Road, Dublin 4 parkcafe.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Hera The Northside's newest gastropub serving the food we really want to eat Posted: 21 Jan 2025 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What should we know about Hera? It's the new Drumcondra/Dorset Street gastropub that started off as just Juno , from the guys behind Achara on Aston Quay and Crudo in Sandymount (Sean Crezcensi and Jamie McCarthy), and the guys who own The Fourth Corner in Dublin 8 (Brian McCarthy and Jonathan Foley). Juno remains an old-man style bar (for now) on the right, but the left side of the building has been given a facelift fit for 2025, and been turned into Hera (the Greek version of the Roman Goddess Juno - swot up on your Greek mythology here ). We loved the food at Juno , but it was fast food style, with battered sausages, burgers and fish sandwiches. Hera has grander notions for herself, and with Dublin tending to struggle for good gastropubs (particularly on the Northside), where the food is the main draw over the drinks and atmosphere, she's been warmly welcomed to the neighbourhood. When it comes to industry players to watch, we'd put the guys behind Hera , Achara and Crudo in the upper tier of restaurateurs who just get what diners want right now, and strive constantly to give it to them at the best price, so we were eager to see what they'd come up with next. Where should we sit? The former old man pub has been brought bang up to date in a soothing room of greys, greens and browns, with eclectic artwork on the walls and candles on the tables. The sort of alcove to the left when you walk in has all the cosy vibes, but the tables down at the bar opposite the kitchen have more space for groups of four - six, or if you have bulky things with you like bags or buggies. There's also a semi-private dining room in between the two that comfortably sits six, wrapped in walnut wood and bathed in soft lighting and plant life. What's the menu like? Gastropub goes upmarket, with none of the boring box-ticking dishes seen at the majority of other food-serving pubs who consider themselves in the same bracket. There's no burger, no chicken supreme, no seafood chowder - let us rejoice for originality. Prices are on the reasonable side, with snacks from €3 - €8, but small plates are a punchier €12 - €16, so better to see them as smaller sharing mains than starters lest you accidentally blow the budget. Big plates start at €19, and they have what must be one of the best value rib-eye steaks in Dublin at €30. As far as oysters go, Hera's Carlingford ones topped with smoked butter (torched tableside) are a seafood celebration, and a brilliant entry point for anyone struggling to get a taste for the love it or hate it shellfish. A creamy, smoked cod taramasalata comes with homemade Ballymakenny crisps - another nice appetite opener, but we would have prefer the crisps less oily. Remus' sourdough foccacia is the same as the one they use in Crudo, from Dublin's Oaksmoke Bakery , and it tasted even better here. So crisp on the outside, so fluffy in the middle, we would have sworn it was fresh from the oven. We love a flavoured butter, and the chicken and mushroom one here was gone as quickly as it landed. Two long strips of fried Tallegio came with a (subtler than expected) pear and ginger mustard, and a black lime dressing that we couldn't taste black lime off. It's a cheesy, gooey, God forgive me kind of starter, but again needed better draining to soak up the excess oil. We don't often expect meatballs to wow, but the chicken and pancetta ones here did. Your spoon will glide through the soft spheres swimming in chunky wild mushroom and chipotle sauce, topped with finely grated, melting Cloonbook reserve cheese (a semi-hard cow's cheese from Velvet Cloud). You'll want every crumb of that focaccia to scarpetta the bowl clean. Purple broccoli fritti appeared to be regular tenderstem, but were cooked beautifully with just enough bite. The miso bagna cauda didn't have the flavour punch we would have liked, but regardless it's hard to stop bringing them in the direction of your mouth. Then onto that €30 rib-eye that's going to be a massive draw here. The meat was flawlessly seasoned, beautifully charred, and on the right side of medium. It is a fatty cut, but that's what's delivering all that flavour. Pickled onion rings really need to dial up the pickle, and again needed a rendezvous with some paper towels before being plated up. We really didn't like that green peppercorn sauce though, which was strangely sharp and astringent. Maybe cream would help, or something else to temper the acid, but even with that we found the flavour profile oddly unpleasant. Caribou has set the pepper sauce standard in Dublin and it's a high bar. Vegetarians are well looked after here with six options before sides, and the juicy aubergine schnitzel with tomato sugo, cucumber pickle and aioli verde is a great one (although we would have liked less smooth sugo and more of that lipsmacking pickle). Yeast butter fried potatoes are almost shockingly crunchy, and will undoubtedly get all the love online, but could be improved with a more floury potato for more contrast again that crunch. Desserts in places like this don't tend to get much love, being generally demoted to ice-creams, mousses or custard-like things in pots. Not in Hera, where the warm, not too sweet brown butter and miso tart, with short crumbly pastry needs to become their signature dessert. It's the kind of thing someone might make for a dinner party and everyone harasses the chef until they hand over the recipe. The billed crème fraîche must have run out as we got what appeared to be cream - crème fraîche would have been better. Sorbet still gets its day though - ours was raspberry with amarena cherries ( paging Bologna ), and again the salted hazelnuts must have run out because we got pistachios. Sharp and sweet with super-charged flavours and nice texture contrast, it's a kid's dessert for adults (or kids with mature palates). What should we drink? These guys do drinks very well, treading the line nicely between quality and price when it comes to the wine list. There are enough interesting bottles there to ensure everyone will find something they want to drink, whether it's a decent Spanish tempranillo for €33, or a French petillant naturel for €49. The most expensive bottle on the list is €59 and that's a one litre Italian red (the perfect amount for two people). Cocktails go the extra mile too with clear invention in the menu, although we found the Smoke & Mirrors (Connemara whiskey, Valentia Island vermouth, black tea gomme, walnut bitters and smoke) a bit one note, tasting mainly of whiskey. We'll give them the benefit of the doubt as we've had great cocktails in Juno before. There's also plenty of beer on draught and in bottle, with some craft names in there. How was the service? Lovely, with a proper welcome, plenty of chat and nothing too much trouble, including moving to a bigger table. The food was generally well paced, apart from a serious lag of 20-25 minutes between snacks and starters, which was strange as we were in early and it wasn't busy. It feels like a kitchen still figuring things out. What was the damage? It came out at around €50 a head for plenty of food and one drink each, but you could do it for less. Be aware though that a service charge of 12.5% is automatically added to the bill on tables of five or more, even if one of the five is a toddler in a highchair... What's the verdict on Hera? There are the bones of something really great at Hera , with the owner/operators in touch with the current zeitgeist, and obvious talent in the kitchen, which needs to be harnessed and refined. Some more draining in the fried section, attention to detail in ingredients and an ability to get the food out faster would have made this an almost faultless meal, dream gastropub stuff, and looking at sibling restaurants Crudo and Achara, we fully expect them to keep pushing to get it there. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Chef Victor Lara, who made waves at wine bar Amy Austin winning them a Michelin Bib Gourmand, now has Suertudo (meaning "lucky") in his stable too. What was formerly Dillinger's was reopened as a modern Ranelagh Mexican at the end of 2024, and its been the new lease of life that the property needed. Constantly travelling and researching, you won't find Lara and fellow chef Celina Altamirano (both Mexican) doling out the country's greatest international hits. Instead you might find camotito (sweet potato drip) with queso fresco, pescado zarandeado (fish blackened over charcoal grill with adobo rojo), or lamb birria tacos. Don't skip the margaritas. Suertudo Website suertudo.ie Address Suertudo, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Chef Victor Lara, who made waves at wine bar Amy Austin winning them a Michelin Bib Gourmand, now has Suertudo (meaning "lucky") in his stable too. What was formerly Dillinger's was reopened as a modern Ranelagh Mexican at the end of 2024, and its been the new lease of life that the property needed. Constantly travelling and researching, you won't find Lara and fellow chef Celina Altamirano (both Mexican) doling out the country's greatest international hits. Instead you might find camotito (sweet potato drip) with queso fresco, pescado zarandeado (fish blackened over charcoal grill with adobo rojo), or lamb birria tacos. Don't skip the margaritas. Where It's At Nearby Locales 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 Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Dublin's best-known park is surrounded by food options on all sides. Find a table close-by or grab a takeaway and enjoy it in 22-acres of Victorian-built parkland. St Stephen's Green Our Take Dublin's best-known park is surrounded by food options on all sides. Find a table close-by or grab a takeaway and enjoy it in 22-acres of Victorian-built parkland. Where to Eat Amuri Cellar 22 Cirillo's Dax Etto Floritz Glas Kaldero Little Geno's Margadh RHA Tang Dawson Street The Commons At MoLI

Big Fan Big flavours, sake cocktails and hiphop tunes on Aungier Street Posted: 7 Jul 2021 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Big Fan was another one of 2020's mid-pandemic openings - not the way they envisioned their first year in business but plans were already in motion when the world as we knew it ended last March, so they made the best out of a bad situation. They started with take-away, then a brief spell of indoor dining in December, then some seriously delicious at home meal kits (one of the overall standout ones for us) and now they're back with outdoor dining. The owners have a background in burger restaurants and art galleries, but their head chef Tom is from Hong Kong and has been cooking Chinese food for over 30 years, and Big Fan was a chance for him to really unleash what he could do. They say they want to bring something different and genuine to the Dublin restaurant scene, the best Chinese food in town (set to a back drop of Hiphop tunes), and after what we sampled at home we were keen to try the full Big Fan experience. Where should we sit? They've done a really good job of maximising their space for outdoor dining, including taking out the window at the front and seating people technically inside the restaurant - some of you who are still unvaccinated and/or anxious about being around strangers might not be comfortable with this. If that's the case they have tables outside on the path too, which are well sheltered from the elements - on the night we were there it lashed but we didn't feel a drop. Just make sure you specify any preferences on booking. What's the food like? There's quite a large menu, with bao, jiaozi (dumplings), small plates, big plates, sides and sauces. Our eyes were popping at all the inventive dishes, each sounding more appealing than the last, and we were pretty pleased that so many were in the €6.50 - €10 bracket so we could justify ordering too much food. First up were crispy wontons filled with Toonsbridge scarmorza and squash, and a plum sauce for dipping. Often this kind of 'Asian fusion' is a complete car crash, but not at Big Fan. This kitchen has a a bit of magic when it comes to flavour and texture, and if they're not careful they might give Asian fusion a good name again. Next up were duck wings (which must have been legs unless there are mutant ducks walking around St. Stephen's Green that we don't know about), deep-fried and tossed in Big Fan seasoning. We'd initially asked for a sauce to come with them thinking they might be dry, but we were very wrong. These bad boys are so good you won't want to dilute the flavour with anything. The juiciness, the spice mix, the crispy bits - we haven't seen or eaten anything like this in the city before, and that goes for a lot of the menu here. We'd surprised ourselves by falling hard for the cheeseburger spring rolls at Hawker, so when we saw that Big Fan had put cheeseburger jiaozi on the menu it was only going to end one way - in our mouths. Once again a restaurant has managed to take a processed, corporate (albeit delicious) piece of fast food and morph it into something we feel much better about eating, complete with burger sauce and gherkins. It might sound easy but it's so hard to get right, and again here they've nailed it. A few more of these inventions and we'll be able to write a piece on "where to eat a cheeseburger when you don't want to eat a cheeseburger". Cheeseburger salad? Cheeseburger sushi? The options are endless. Last for the ones we loved was the 'Legend of the Ox' - a juicy beef shin ball wrapped in kataifi pastry on a bed of sweet soy mushrooms. The meat was juicy, the pastry crispy, and the soy mushrooms were the umami bed it was all wrapped up in. Another really excellent, different plate of food. We'd ordered the 'Black Dragon' bao - who could resist the promise of Irish lobster tail and Wagyu beef on a squid ink bun - but it wasn't what we were expecting, and we initially thought they'd brought the wrong dish. The bao came as a flat rectangle which had been deep-fried (leaving it greasy), as was the lobster tail, and everything combined just felt too rich and unbalanced. Big talk, unfortunately didn't deliver for us. Prawn toast was perfectly good but no better than most other good Chinese restaurants, and after the plates that had come before we were expecting something more exciting. The pineapple salsa was a bit underwhelming, and serving it on the plate with the toast caused them to get soggy bottoms - not a good look, or texture. The most disappointing was the Taiwanese fried chicken with Big Fan chilli sauce. The outside wasn't crunchy, the chicken tasted wooly (no mention of provenance or free-range, which was strange considering the other Irish producers name-checked), and the sauce was all heat and not much else. Our mouths were burning uncomfortably for about 5 minutes afterwards, at which point we realised we'd never been brought any water - that was a speedy run to the desk. There were so many more dishes we wanted to try (the pork kou rou, cucumber jelly fish salad, what will their chicken balls and rice be like!?), but we were defeated, except for the obligatory part of the stomach that saves itself for dessert. There are two non vegan options - deep-fried mantou (dough) with coconut condensed milk, and a coconut and mango parfait. We went for the latter, thinking that anything else deep-fried might push us over the edge, and the parfait was perfect. Light, cooling, creamy and fruity, it was like a delicious digestif in dessert form. What about the drinks? It's a simple list but well thought out. There's a small selection of wine on tap (we liked the Lo Pateret orange, also in Sprezzatura up the road), a sake, a few cocktails (some with sake, Sichuan pepper and pandan leaf) and a nice selection of beers. This isn't somewhere you're going to be drinking vintage champagne or top shelf cognac and it's all the better for it. There's also kefir and kombucha for the non-drinkers/drivers. What about the service? Staff were lovely and very welcoming, but service was quite loose. We had to get out of our seats several times to ask for water, napkins, drinks, and they're weren't at full capacity. They've clearly hired (successfully) for personality, but the ship could be run a bit tighter (which to be fair is a far easier fix than if you had unlovely, unwelcoming staff). And the damage? €104.08 for eight plates of food and four drinks, which felt like very good value. We would have been full with less. The verdict? When Big Fan hits its mark it's startlingly good. For a good portion of the meal we sat there shaking our heads at the creativity, flavour and sheer originality of what we were eating. There are bags of potential here, despite every dish not being a home run (yet). We'd like to go back and put another eight dishes through their paces, and the taste memories of the knockout ones ensures it's on the return list. There's nowhere in the city quite like Big Fan, it really does feel different and innovative, and you get the sense they're not going to be sitting back and phoning it in any time soon. We'd hedge our bets that there's a lot more to come from these guys. Big Fan 16 Aungier Street, Dublin 2 bigfan.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

We didn't think the team behind BIGFAN could usurp themselves, but what did we know. Their collaboration with Fidelity Bar and Whiplash beer at 'Fidelity Studio' was a smash hit from night one, and God knows where the crowds are coming from, but they keep on coming. The menu has a lot of crossover with BIGFAN, but the big draw here is the use of spent grain and brewery products in Sister 7-only dishes. Sister 7 Website fidelitybar.ie/food Address Fidelity Studio, Queen Street, Smithfield, Dublin 7, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story We didn't think the team behind BIGFAN could usurp themselves, but what did we know. Their collaboration with Fidelity Bar and Whiplash beer at 'Fidelity Studio' was a smash hit from night one, and God knows where the crowds are coming from, but they keep on coming. The menu has a lot of crossover with BIGFAN, but the big draw here is the use of spent grain and brewery products in Sister 7-only dishes. Where It's At Nearby Locales 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 Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

In our view the best place for fish and chips in Howth, connected to noted seafood retailer Kish Fish. Pick from fresh or smoked fish, scampi, oysters, chowder and more, with indoor and outdoor seating. It can get packed on sunny days so prepare to wait a while. We don't recommend taking away and eating on the pier, unless you want half your food nicked by aggressive seagulls. Baily Bites @ Kish Website https://www.kishfish.ie/retail/our-cafe/ Address Baily Bites at Kish, West Pier, Howth, Dublin, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story In our view the best place for fish and chips in Howth, connected to noted seafood retailer Kish Fish. Pick from fresh or smoked fish, scampi, oysters, chowder and more, with indoor and outdoor seating. It can get packed on sunny days so prepare to wait a while. We don't recommend taking away and eating on the pier, unless you want half your food nicked by aggressive seagulls. Where It's At Nearby Locales 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 Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Caribou Not content with having the best drinks, interiors and staff, Caribou are now conquering food too Posted: 12 Nov 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 Caribou? Born in Galway in 2016 and transported to Dublin in May 2024, Caribou is the latest opening in the capital from Shane Clifford, Hugh Farrell and Declan Murphy. The trio also own Kodiak in Rathmines, Bonobo in Smithfield, Impala in Cork and Jackal in Navan, and previously ran P Macs (where Caribou is now) for its former owners, before going out on their own. Galway's loss has very much been Dublin's gain, and even though tears were shed by some over the closure of P Macs, they were short-lived when they saw what replaced it. Caribou has been an upgrade on every front, and we think few operators understand what Dublin bar-goers want as well as these guys. With their other Dublin sites sticking to Neapolitan pizza for food we thought it would be business as usual here, but we thought wrong, and swiftly after opening, word of a bar food menu that was majorly over-delivering hit our shores. Where should we sit? These guys were either interior designers in another life, or pay very good ones to design their bars. Classic wooden furniture is broken up with leather seats, 70's-style light fixtures, textured walls, enough art to open a gallery, and assorted dressers and bookshelves that look like Grade A flea market finds. Candles, plants and real flowers sit on every surface, and everything combined makes it a place you'll want to stay in for an extended period of time. Sit in the main room if you want all the space and natural light (parents will love all the room to park buggies and pull up high chairs; travellers will find plenty of places to park suitcases and backpacks), or head into the back for cosy nooks to settle into for private chats, where low tables are lit by lower lights. What's on the menu? There's only a weekday and weekend lunch menu for now, served until 16:30 on weekdays and 17:00 at the weekend (Friday - Sunday). While Kodiak and Bonobo have stuck successfully to Neapolitan pizza, Caribou is going all in on food, with Patrick Byrne installed as head chef. He formerly owned food truck " Taco de Town " which operated between Sligo and West Cork, and spent six years previous to that cooking in New Orleans. Weekday and weekend lunch menus vary slightly, with the main difference being the addition of roasts at the weekend, because why should roasts be relegated to Sundays? Eyes might widen at €7 for olives as you browse, but they're big, juicy and lovingly dressed, and it's the only thing on the menu that doesn't feel like exceptionally good value. A chopped Caesar salad (€11) is an utterly perfect example of the naughtiest thing you can do with a plate of lettuce, Romaine leaves generously coated in Caesar dressing with shavings of Grana Padano and baguette-style croutons to amplify cheesiness and crunch. You could have stuck a fork in us here and we'd have left happy. You can add add grilled or fried chicken (not free range) for €4 to up the protein. Our Reel last week on Caribou's steak frites (€15 for a 6oz midweek and €24 for a 10oz at weekends) got a lot of well-deserved love, and we're still wondering how they're getting that just-off-the-barbecue flavour, how they've made fries that stay crispy for the duration of the meal, and how many different types of peppercorns are in that glorious sauce. We weren't asked how we wanted our steak cooked and would have preferred it a little less done, so be sure to specify if you're equally picky. Either way we can't remember having a better steak-frites than this in Dublin, and we've tried plenty in hope. The fish sandwich (€13) came with a hunk of fresh not frozen, IPA beer battered cod, topped with chunky tartare and sitting on mushy peas, all in a burger bun. A beautiful thing, fish cooked to the point of being hot and juicy while not overdone by a second, it was only missing seasoning on the fish/in the batter. On a second visit the peas had been ditched for shredded lettuce and house pickles, which sound even better. We're not a town that excels in Sunday roasts the way many, many towns in the UK do, so we're always excited to see a new player enter the game. We weren't however expecting Caribou to casually sail in at the top of the pile - is there anything this kitchen doesn't excel at? Beef from McLoughlin butchers (€19.50) comes with a dazzling line up of: miso glazed carrot and parsnip; mash, (PROPERLY CRISPY) roasties, stuffing, grilled tenderstem broccoli (al dente), celeriac purée, a giant Yorkshire pudding, and a Guinness gravy we'd like to drink by the flask (unlimited if you want more). Controversially there was no horseradish brought to table, but once our brains started popping off with all these flavours we forgot we wanted it. Also in the roast line up is Caribou's version of bacon and cabbage (€19.50), with Buckfast glazed ham, sautéed cabbage, parsley sauce and the rest of the roastie sides. We will happily stake the claim that there's no better tasting plate of bacon and cabbage in the city, and it makes of a mockery of what's served to tourists in twee pubs in Temple Bar. Any childhood scars from bad versions of this dish will be salved, and lest we forget to mention, at €19.50 these are some of the least expensive (quality) roasts in Dublin right now. Despite the very generous roasts, we added on sides, because All The Food and all that, and Caribou's charred broccoli with romesco, hazelnuts and feta (€5) is the kind of thing you try to casually fling together at home but you leave the broccoli on the grill for too long or make the Romesco too bitter - they don't do that in here. The only issue is that one plate isn't enough. Those shatteringly crispy triple-cooked fries can also be ordered on their own with garlic mayo (€5), but we'd actually avoid the pungent dip because there's so much good stuff going on with the food here that you don't need it over-powered by garlic breath. There was no dessert either time when we visited, but there was on earlier menus, so hopefully there'll be a return to form once things settle down. What about drinks? These guys are known for their craft beef and support for Irish breweries, and big beer fans will love looking through the tap and bottle list to find something to pique their interest. The selection isn't at the level of Kodiak in Rathmines, but we can't think of many other bars that are. Cocktails are another high point, with a Paloma, a clarified rhubarb sour and a Hugo spritz all going toe to toe with the city's best cocktail bars. Wines are more basic bar, with the exception of a couple of rotating bottles "from our friends at Grapecircus" - whatever they're pouring we're drinking. How was the service? Of all the visits that all of the members of our team have made to all of these guys' bars, the service has always stood out - they seem to have hiring for personality and general human loveliness down to an art. We've never been scowled at, ignored or treated with apathy by exhausted staff who'd rather be anywhere else. We've always been greeted like we've just walked into a friends house, showered with smiles, and had any questions answered with enthusiasm and a willingness to go and find out the answer if they don't already have it. In an environment where finding staff for hospitality jobs has never been tougher, this kind of achievement shouldn't go unnoticed. What was the damage? We ate this over two meals, but midweek you could have a very solid lunch with a drink for around €25, and at the weekend, €30 will get you a roast, a pint and cover your tip. What's the verdict on Caribou? Shane Clifford, Hugh Farrell and Declan Murphy are the guys to beat for bars right now, and in their determination to get every little thing right, they've delivered a bar food menu and kitchen team that make so many others look like they're not fit for purpose. If they can do it in a setting like this, with prices like these, served by staff who look like they genuinely like being there, why can't everyone else? And why would you want to go anywhere else? Go for the roast, go back for the steak-frites, and harangue them to bring in food in the evenings - the city's crying out for "bar food only better" menus like this. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Milo's Dublin 9 gets the buzzy brunch spot it's been waiting for Posted: 16 May 2023 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What should we know about Milo's? Milo's is the second café from Taurean Coughlan and Kevin Roche, who own Two Boys Brew down the road in Phibsborough. The premises on Drumcondra Road Upper (opposite the Skylon Hotel) was a dancewear shop called Dimensions for decades, and this is a much needed upgrade. Any inhabitants of the hood will tell you that the area was in desperate need of a somewhere to stop for excellent coffee, cake and brunch, so the arrival of Milo's has been a bit of a big deal. Where should we sit? Milo's is more petite than its big bro down the road with around 18 seats inside and another 8-12 outside. They also do everything for takeaway if you want to grab and go (when we visited there was a line of people waiting for their orders to be bagged up and brought out). The lovely Griffith Park is a 12 minute walk towards town, and the Botanic Gardens a 20 minute walk or a five minute drive if you feel like a picnic. What should we have? Milo's has all the beautiful brunch sensibility of Two Boys Brew , with so much made in house that it's hard not to raise an impressed eyebrow. Pastries, breads, jams, nut butter, compotes, granola, chutneys - seeing this amount of effort put into a menu definitely helps to alleviate any price pain you might be feeling when eating out. Breakfast and brunch range from more simple options like granola, overnight oats and banana bread, to French toast, avo toast, and breakfast baps, with toasties served after 11am. There's also a cabinet full of cakes and pastries by the till that you'll need much willpower to swerve (we don't possess said willpower). We went twice so managed to try most of it (and more cakes than we'd care to admit). First things first, we need to talk about the banana bread. Thought you OD-ed during lockdown? This will rekindle your love. They make it in house, toast a fluffy inside/chewy outside banana-filled slice, then serve it with homemade hazelnut butter (the absolute best) and honey. For €6 we think this is one of the best (and best value) breakfasts you could eat in Dublin right now. Overnight oats (€8) came with plum compote, hazelnut butter and dark chocolate almond crumb (we'd expect the combinations to change regularly). and if you're someone who likes to dress dessert up as breakfast, this is for you. It was slightly heavy on mint throughout the oats (not listed on the menu), so if you happen to have an aversion you might want to avoid, or ask if it's in that day's batch. The fan-club worthy TBB granola is also on the menu, with raspberry compote so bright and sharp you'd almost think they grew them here, thick Greek yoghurt, and cinnamon oatmeal crumble for extra oomph. The Milo's brekkie bap comes with free-range scrambled egg, cheddar cheese, caramelised onion, streaky bacon, Milo's spicy tomato jam and rocket on brioche. Sandwiches like this can sometimes be sickly and OTT but we though this was pretty much perfect, the soft bun melding beautifully with the soft, folded eggs and cheese. some bite from the bacon, sweetness at the top and bottom from the jam and caramelised onion, and freshness from the rocket. We also tried the avo toast with confit cherry tomato, free-range fried egg, feta, sesame seed and hazelnut crumb, Two Boys Brew hot sauce (one of the best), and lime on toasted Firehouse sourdough (€13.50). This is not a dish lacking in flavour and every bite brings a taste of something new, although we found the thick bread slightly hard to cut and eat and would have liked a second egg on the other half of the toast (you can add one for €1.50). If you're more sweet than savoury, you'll probably find it difficult not to order the French toast, currently with rhubarb jam, vanilla mousse, roasted almond ginger crumb and maple syrup (€13.50 or add bacon for €17.00). With homemade brioche, and homemade everything else, this is an ordering choice we endorse, and the puffed up fluffy toast, tart jam and crunchy nuts somehow managed to once again make it feel balanced and not too much. There's plenty of homemade cakes and pastries, and while choosing was torturous, we went for a cinnamon knot and a chocolate and hazelnut babka. They were both great, but we'd caution that the babka is very dense so fitting this in on your own after another dish may be tough going. On another visit we took home a chocolate covered marble cake and a chocolate chip cookie, and both were top rate. What about drinks? Coffee is always on the money in Two Boys Brew and it was the same at Milo's. They use Root & Branch which is roasted in Belfast, and if you're a decaf drinker (by choice or force) theirs is one of the best around. Teas, ice coffee and hot chocolate are also available, as well as soft drinks including San Pellegrino and ginger beer. How was the service? Lovely, welcoming, lots of smiles, and the food and coffee came out fast on both occasions. We also love that they've put a no smoking sign up for the outdoor tables (why don't more places do this!?), because who wants second hand smoke blown in their face while trying to enjoy brunch in the sun. What's the verdict? Dublin 9 has been a café desert for as long as we've been around, so the arrival of Milo's is big news for the parish. Everyone wants to live within walking distance of somewhere like this, with consistently great coffee, thoughtful food, and a kitchen putting in more effort than most of us could contemplate on a daily basis. Locals around here are very lucky, and from the constant stream of customers coming to eat in and takeaway, they know it. Milo's 124 Drumcondra Road Upper, Drumcondra, Dublin 9 twoboysbrew.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Sprezzatura Handmade pasta with an Irish accent Posted: 14 Jan 2020 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? The story of a new handmade pasta place coming to Dublin in October, where no plate would cost over €10, and practically all the produce was Irish, was our second most read story of 2019 , and we can't say we were surprised. There's actually quite a bit of fresh pasta to be found in Dublin (which we proved here ), but nothing in the fast, cheap, good (and exciting) category, so there was clearly a gap for a Padella-style operation here - and every Irish person who's ever set foot in London comes home talking about Padella so we were clearly primed and ready for it - see here for why. Sprezzatura say they're making Italian food with the best Irish ingredients - their suppliers list reads like a who's who of Irish food - and with their commitment to sustainability including no paper on site, compostable packaging and renewable energy, we're not sure it's possible to be any more tuned into the zeitgeist. The man with the plan was Thom Lawson, formerly of Lucky Tortoise , who split with his business partners at the end of last year to focus on new projects. He's known as someone who like a concept and is good at executing them - and we know he has a few other ideas up his sleeve so watch this space. He joined forces with the guys at Grantham's who had the space and Sprezzatura was born. They got off to a rocky start (not that you would have know by the amount of ' influencers ' and celebrities coming through the doors), and an initial visit left us disappointed, but after a change up in the kitchen and some new chef talent (one of whom was formerly at Forest Avenue), things were looking up. Reports seem to be getting better every week, particularly when it came to value for money, so we thought a few follow up visits were in order. Where should we go for a drink first? Around here your options are endless. For a pre-dinner cocktail head to the Sitting Room above Delahunt for a Cognac and orange or a pisco lemonade, and for wine the excellent First Draft is a 5 minute walk away. For a pint head to Devitt's down the street, or if you like your pubs a bit cosier try Bourke's next to Whelan's where getting a seat at the weekend feels like winning the Euromillions. Bonus: you can get through to Whelan's at the back if you fancy a quick dance before or after dinner - there will be many carbs to burn off. Where should we sit? The large communal table at the front seats up to 20 but is reserved for walk-ins (it's worth asking if you have a group though), and is a great place to sit if you're not concerned about private conversation or personal space. You can also have a drink here before moving into the main room, which has tables for two and four, as well as some booths which would fit six at a squeeze. What's good to eat? The beauty of Sprezzatura is that it's all such good value, with no plate costing over €10, so there's a strong justification to over order - and you can take any leftovers home in a planet-friendly cardboard box. The regularly changing menu is divided into plates and pastas, with the former consisting of small plates, cured meat and fish crudo. Castelvetrano olives to start are the real deal - bright green, grassy, juicy - and the potato focaccia from Bread 41 arrives in a pool of rapeseed oil. The bread is pillowy and chewy in all the right ways, but rapeseed oil is not not olive oil and never will be - we appreciate the ethos of using Irish though. The lamb shank croquette is a must, and at €3.50 it would be rude not to. The flavours are rich and deep, the meat thready and soft, and it's all wrapped up in a crunchy coating. You can taste the time that went into making them. We stupidly never asked what was in the accompanying mayonnaise dip, but it tasted mildly of mustard. A plate of Toonsbridge stracciatella was decent moppage material for the focaccia, but if your reference point for the Italian soft cheese is the original, generously topped with olive oil, this may seem a little anaemic in comparison, with a lack of the typical stretchy, stringy consistency. Another place of 'fish nduja brandade' (fish not specified) was punchier with salt and mild heat from the nduja, and a nice touch of fine, toasted breadcrumbs on top. You will definitely want bread for both this and the cheese. There's six or seven homemade pastas on at any one time, and they change regularly, but the tomato and basil, bolognese and cacio pepe with rotating pastas look to be permanent fixtures. We tried the cacio e pepe with pappardelle and spaghetti on separate occasions and thought the spaghetti won hands down. The sauce seemed to congeal to the larger sheets of pasta quicker, whereas with the spaghetti it was still possible to twist and swish the pasta around the plate towards the end. Again this is made with Irish cheese instead of Italian Pecorino so it's not by the book, but it's very good. Another highlight was the tagliatelle with wild mushrooms, which was a perfect plate of simple ingredients coming together beautifully. The pasta was al dente, the mushrooms buttery and the thyme and cheese brought it all together. We really enjoyed the gnocchi too, which came with chorizo, ricotta and pine nuts on the night we were there. It's light and fluffy as opposed to stodgy, and there was a really nice balance between the creamy cheese, spicy chorizo and crunchy pinenuts. The only dish we weren't crazy about was the ricotta and nduja tyres, which when we had it was head-blowingly spicy, and generally unbalanced, but that was on visit two so they may have tweaked the recipe by now. The only dessert option is a 'popcorn panna cotta', and while it's a very loose interpretation of a panna cotta (the lack of any gelatinous consistency made it more similar to a crème brûlée without the crispy top) it is very good, with a salty caramel layer above set cream, and fresh salty popcorn on top. Even the initially suspicious were using their spoons to scrape the last bits from the side of the cup. It's a simple, sweet, satisfying end, and at €3.50 you may as well try it. What about the drinks? Sticking with their sustainability ethos, all cocktails, wine and beer are on tap, and their beautiful tap installation has been the subject of many, many social media posts at this stage. The Aperol Spritz is very good for an opener with some olives, but we felt the espresso martini was a bit watery - saying that it is €6 so hard to complain. When it came to wine we particularly liked the lambrusco (dry, fizzy red) and the Les Tètes red from the Loire in France, which was juicy and vibrant and a perfect pairing for anything tomato based or with a hint of spice. Drinks, like the food, are very good value, with wines by the glass ranging from €6.50 to €9. They also have two beers, gin and tonic, vermouth and kefir. And the service? Over the course of three visits the young staff were friendly and helpful, and special mention to one smiling, charming staff member who served a large group of us on his first night and was the personification of hospitality, despite being petrified he would make a mistake or forget something. A case in point for hiring for personality and the ability to make your guests feel welcome above all else. The verdict? Over three visits to Sprezzatura it was better each time, which is a good sign that the only way is up. This certainly doesn't seem like a team that's sitting still, and every time we open Instagram they seem to be trying out to recipes and flavour combinations. It's not quite Padella London levels, but if they keep pushing they could get there yet. Sprezzatura 5/6 Camden Market, Dublin 8 sprezzatura.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen You deserve this €65 lunch Posted: 28 Sept 2021 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Mickael Viljanen is one of only four chefs in Ireland (ever) to be awarded two Michelin stars, in 2019 when he was head chef at The Greenhouse on Dawson Street (now closed, with the building apparently in the hands of a large hospitality group). It felt like a very long road to get there (but if it was easy to get it wouldn't mean as much), with critics and food writers declaring the food to be at that level long before Michelin made it official, and protesting that if The Greenhouse was in London or Paris it would have been elevated earlier. At the ceremony in London, Viljanen almost collapsed with relief, years of tension and back-breaking work flooding out of his body as he flung his arms around chef Raymond Blanc, lifting him into the air, before they both fell over mid-jubilation. The entire room was immersed in the joy unfolding on stage, and everyone holding an Irish passport felt their heart swell and their cheeks burst from smiling. His achievement felt like our achievement, our little island moving up the global culinary ranks. The Greenhouse was badly affected by the pandemic. They had no outdoor seating, and this level of food does not lend itself to finish at home meal kits. So there was nothing to do but lay everyone off, and hope they would hang around and wait for indoor dining to be allowed again, but they didn't. In May of this year, news erupted that Viljanen had resigned from The Greenhouse and was taking over the kitchen at one-Michelin starred Chapter One as Chef-Patron, forming a partnership with Ross Lewis, who was hanging up his apron (he's since put it back on to cook at Osteria Lucio, his other restaurant near Grand Canal Dock). The majority of the kitchen team came with him, leaving The Greenhouse defunct. Some thought this was a genius by the Finnish chef, reasoning that one star plus two stars equals three (not quite sure Michelin maths works like that but we'll see). Some wondered why the chef hadn't just gone it alone with his own, brand new vision. Almost everyone cheered the fact that he would finally have the dining room his food deserved (The Greenhouse's split a lot of people), and absolutely everyone was thrilled at the thought of what was to come. In August, Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen welcomed its first guests, and a month in we gave their €65, three-course lunch menu a once over. Where should we sit? The main dining areas feel lighter and more spacious than they did at the old Chapter One, and our favourite tables are by the window (both for light and for ventilation in covid-times). Tables are well spaced, so private conversations shouldn't be an issue, and there are cosy booths if you prefer a velvet couch to a velvet chair (both equally lovely places for your derrière). There are also seats at the chef's table which seats groups of four - six (€150 for the tasting menu and the dream meal as far as we're concerned) as well as a private dining room for up 10, and another private dining area for six. What's the food like? We were here to try the €65 lunch menu, which sounded too good to be true from a value perspective, particularly compared to some other menu prices around town where the food isn't in the same universe as this. You can do a tasting menu at lunch for €120 but last orders are at 13:30, so you'd want to be sitting down by 13:15. The set lunch is a three-course menu with snacks, bread and petit fours, and one choice for each course, so the ideal way to do it is with a friend/partner/family member who doesn't mind swapping plates half way through. Then the only decisions you'll have to make will involve what you're going to drink. There is a suggested wine pairing for each dish (when we were there prices varied from around €8 - €25), but they're happy to recommend others too. First out are the snacks. These change frequently but expect a miniature tart of some type containing Flaggy Shore oysters or Irish Angus bavette, maybe a bite of comté with truffle, and hopefully you'll get to try what's bound to become a restaurant signature - chilled borscht with smetana (like sour cream) and caviar. It's in a cocoa butter shell so it melts and pops in your mouth, releasing the borscht in one of the most magical mouthfuls of your meal. Then comes bread. Fresh, crunchy, chewy sourdough, with rich, yellow, perfectly salted butter. The dishes seem to change every day, so you may or may not have any of these as options when you visit, but there wasn't one dish that was even a mild disappointment, so just go with it. We had a steamed comté mousseline with Vin Jaune and truffle (paired with Lustau's amontillado sherry), and this is another dish we can see becoming a signature (and regaining the chef those two stars). It came with a side of perfectly dressed leaves, and while they seemed superfluous, it was salad to savour. Our other starter was Wicklow sika deer tartare (the chef loves game, and many think Autumn is the best season to eat his food), with smoked pike roe, horseradish and watercress. This also appeared at The Greenhouse, and is the kind of dish you want to nibble very slowly, possibly shedding a tear when the last forkful is gone, leaving you in no doubt as to why the Michelin guide think Viljanen's food is "worth a detour". It's worth a detour from France. Onto mains and expect more potentially tear-inducing dishes to arrive, like our wild sea-bream with fennel sitting in the most outrageously complex bouillabaisse sauce, with a side of lobster saffron rice that deserves its own restaurant. Just bowls of this. We will literally pay any money to make this happen. This is one of those taste memories you'll have for years after eating it, and if it's not on the menu when you visit we sincerely apologise for telling you about it. The other main on the day we visited was a Viljanen classic - Anjou pigeon 'en crépinette', with confit cèpe and date vinegar sauce. The description alone probably has you smacking your lips together, and it was even better than you're imagining. The meat wasn't gamey or strongly flavoured, it was delicate and subtle, with the cèpes, date vinegar and baby pickled onions ticking every box on the flavour wheel - savoury, salty, sharp, sweet, with no one taste over-powering the others. We went for broke with the wine pairing of 2011 Chateau Tayac Margaux at €25 a glass, and as pairings goes this one is a 10/10 (even if Bordeaux isn't usually your bag). Ever wondered why your mash isn't as good as the ones in certain high end (usually French) restaurants? It's because you wouldn't dare to put that much butter in it at home. Continue to live the lie that they just have a better technique for boiling potatoes than you do while you spoon the last scraping of this from the side of its silver bowl. For dessert expect another Viljanen signature - the part art, part dessert, swirl of deliciousness. Ours was Tuscan-made Amedei chocolate with white miso and honey vinegar, and a salted milk sorbet on the side. Does chocolate get any better than when it's laced with umami miso and a flicker of sweet vinegar? We've yet to be convinced. Our other dessert was more of a Chapter One classic, the soufflé, this one a Piedmonte hazelnut version with hazelnut sauce and citrus sorbet. The theatre of this is when they bring it to the table, cut into it and pour in the sauce - get those cameras ready millennials. It's perfect, like everything else. You'll finish with beautiful petit fours - our included brioche Tropezienne (brioche filled with orange cream) and clementine pâte de fruit with batak pepper and lemon thyme, and if you don't order an Irish coffee at this point from the famed Chapter One trolley we can't be friends. What about the drinks? The wine list at Chapter One has always been more classic than trend-chasing, and this still feels like Chapter One's wine list. You won't find much of the New California, Georgian skin contact numbers, or Pet Nats around these parts, and it's more Grand Marques than grower Champagne (although there are a few), but you will find several pages of Burgundy and Bordeaux, and some of the world's best producers among them. The wine pairings for lunch were well thought out and worked nicely with the dishes, but with a few exceptions we generally felt the food outshone the wine. And the service? The service is still very much Chapter One too, which will come as a sigh of relief to anyone who's experienced it. From the minute you walk in it's smile after compliment after joke, and you're immediately put at ease despite the starched tablecloths and somewhat hushed tones. It's not often you'll find food at this level of dining with such friendly, informal service, and it feels like a very Irish way to do a two-starred Michelin experience, one that we should be proud to see international visitors experience. And the damage? If you do the three course lunch with all three wine pairings you're looking at around €100 a head (depending on what's on that day). Add on an Irish coffee and service and you'll be more like €120, but in our book it's worth every cent, and you can always get a bottle if you want to bring the cost down. The verdict? We don't use this word often but this food is "thrilling". Thrilling because of the art-like beauty of the dishes, thrilling because they taste even better than they look every single time, thrilling because you know you're experiencing some of the most exciting cooking on the island, a chef and kitchen team pushing to be the best, that will be part of Ireland's culinary history in years to come. We're going to have to wait another few months (date TBC) to see whether Michelin give Viljanen back his stars, elevating Chapter One from it's current one to two, but we really can't see a situation where this doesn't happen. Blending two different restaurants together must have its challenges. Two kitchen teams, sommeliers, service staff, owners, all with their own ideas about how to do things, all bound to clash at times over the right way. If this is the case you wouldn't know it from our meal, which was practically flawless, but we can imagine over time you might see subtle changes as two become one. The €65 lunch at Chapter One is one of the best ways to spend your money in Dublin right now, and you don't just need to experience it, you deserve to experience it. It's been a shocking 18 months for a lot of people, the restaurant industry in particular, but if anything will give you hope for what's to come for "Irish Food" and put goosebumps on the back of your arms, this is it. Chapter One By Mickael Viljanen 18-19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1 chapteronerestaurant.com New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Taco Libre Bar food, but make it delicious Posted: 8 Feb 2022 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Taco Libre, a new Mexican at the bottom of Capel Street, seemed to have lots going against it. It's the latest opening from Galway Bay Brewery (their 15th in total), who also own The Black Sheep across the road, Against The Grain on Wexford Street, and recently opened The Beer Temple on Parliament Street. Why would a brewery care about food? Surely these places are just a way to sell more beer? However, in getting the story for this new openings piece , we discovered several things that made us sit up and take a closer look. 1) Their head chef Bruna is Mexican (always a good start), but also has Brazilian and Japanese heritage which she described entwining into the menu. 2) They're sourcing much of their ingredients from Picado on Richmond Street, so were clearly looking for the best. 3) They told us that everything, from the tortilla chips to the tortillas for tacos, were homemade. After the feature we threw a few options out to our ATF Insiders on where they wanted us to go for our next once over, and Taco Libre won by a considerable margin, so on a wet and murky February evening we tentatively set off for Dublin 1. Where should we sit? They've done a great job on the design in here - it's colourful, welcoming, and there are lots of seating options, from bar stools to booths, high tables to cosy little spots for two. There's a front and a back room, separated by a narrow corridor. The back is closer to the kitchen but further from the bar, so a bit better for privacy, while it fees like there's more action happening/more to look at out front. What's the food like? It's all small plates/sharing style, which suits us just fine, and if you're a table of 3 or 4 of you could easily get through the whole menu. It's split into bar bites, tacos, nachos, sides and sweet (currently just alcoholic milkshakes), and tacos are priced individually which is great because you can try more of them. There's no provenance information on the menu, but they told us that everything not sourced from Picado is sourced in Ireland, using local where possible, and beef, pork and chicken are Irish. It would be against the law not to start with their homemade tortilla chips, which come with guacamole and two salsas of your choice. There's salsa roja, hot sauce, crema, pico de gallo, and smoked roasted morija, and they all get a big fat tick from us, as do the tortillas. Homemade are just better - so fresh, so crunchy, so salty, so hard to stop jamming them into your mouth. Seen as 'moqueca' is emblazoned on the wall as you walk in, that was our next order. Bruna had said the prawn and cod cakes with dende oil (a fragrant, red Brazilian oil extracted from palm nuts) was inspired by her Brazilian heritage, and while we weren't expecting much from a regional spin on a fishcake, we were happy to be wrong. The delicately-flavoured breadcrumbed balls pack in a lot of flavour, with discernible pieces of fish and a crispy (but not oily shell), the chilli sauce on the side kicking it into an optional spicy space. We loved. Next up, their cousins in the same panko shell - elote croquettes. Again, expected little. Again, over-delivered. The menu said "toasted sweetcorn, cheese, jalapeño and coriander", and we could taste every ingredient. These have a bit of heat in them from the jalapeño, and the accompanying crema was the perfect dipping companion. 'Papas fritas' come with homemade chilli jam, crema and queso fresco (made in house and the real deal), and was a very tasty plate of potatoes, with sweetness and spice from the jam, saltiness from the cheese, creaminess from the crema, and the addition of micro coriander bringing another clever and complimentary layer of flavour. Then onto what we were really here for - the tacos. The tortillas are homemade (we presume from masa harina and that they're not nixtamalizing the corn themselves), and there's a choice of five. We tried four (side-stepping the chicken as it didn't say whether it was free range). Tortillas were nicely imperfect looking and the right thickness, and each of them had plenty of flavours going on. The tempura prawn comes with crema, white radish pickle and nori seaweed vinaigrette (another nod to the chef's Japanese hertiage). Is it Mexican, it is Japanese - when it tastes this good we really don't care. The beef taco comes with toasted sweet corn, sweet pickled red cabbage, avocado puree, diced onion, salsa roja and coriander, and was also enjoyable, if over-filled and a bit messy to eat. But our favourite was the pork, with marinated minty pineapple, crema and diced onions. Usually we'd be throwing the salsas onto tacos, but this needed nothing. It's a knockout, and the closest thing we've had to tacos al pastor for a long time. We also tried the 'tacos dourado' - a crispy pan-fried taco with mashed potato and onions, salsa roja, lettuce, tomato, queso fresco and crema. Another tasty small plate with great textures, but it needed the salsas to liven up the flavours - that is however exactly what they're there for. Currently dessert consists of two boozy milkshakes - a bourbon chocolate praline one, and a margarita one - "oh no" we hear you cry. We tried the margarita with lime whipped cream and salted lemon caramel sauce (more like lemon curd) and if we wanted 500 calories with our alcohol we'd definitely order again, but as you can imagine it's pretty heavy. A sip or two each would be plenty. What about the drinks? A brewery owned establishment could easily railroad the entire drinks menu into serving only their beers, but they're not that shortsighted here. Many other Irish breweries are named on the beer menu, with interesting choices from abroad too, making it a great spot for craft beer drinkers. It's mainly their own beers on tap, and we really liked both the Weights and Measures (a citra IPA) and the Bay Ale (a red ale). Wines are basic, and cocktails come from Irish Craft Cocktails around the corner. And the service? Very friendly and welcoming but casual. All of our food arrived at once so order in stages if that irritates you. No one checked in on whether we were enjoying it or needed anything else, but that's generally the vibe in most bars - we were probably lulled into feeling like we were in a fancier restaurant because the food was so good. You might also notice from the photos that several of the staff weren't masked, which felt sadly strange after the last two years. This will bother some of you, whereas others don't seem to care anymore now that we're edging closer to the old normal. And the damage? €70 for enough food to make three feel uncomfortably full, with two drinks. Can't argue with that kind of value for this quality of food. The verdict? We're struggling to stay focused on the fact that Taco Libre is a bar first and foremost, because so few bars have food this good, food that ends up becoming the main attraction over and above the drinks. When we were there an English couple had wandered in after watching the rugby, clearly not able to believe their luck in the level of soakage they'd stumbled upon, and ever since our visit we've been dreaming of a world where the bars you want to meet your mates in put the food on the same level as the decor/cocktails/toilets and we never have to round everyone up to go and get food somewhere decent. Taco Libre are the exception right now - a menu with a genuine Mexican feel, and a kitchen with a talent for flavour, in a bar that you could just as easily drop in for a pint. We'll be back, and next time we're bringing a gang and settling in. Book it before word gets out. Taco Libre 199 King Street North, Dublin 7 galwaybaybrewery.com/tacolibre New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Modern café from sisters Domini and Peaches Kemp in a beautiful basement attached to the MoLI museum, just across from St Stephen’s Green. A simple menu of eggs, toasties, soups and salads, with a hot dish or two and all the treats for afterwards. The terrace out the back is a particularly lovely place to escape the city centre crowds. The Commons At MoLI Website moli.ie/cafe-gardens/the-commons Address 86 St Stephen's Green , Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Modern café from sisters Domini and Peaches Kemp in a beautiful basement attached to the MoLI museum, just across from St Stephen’s Green. A simple menu of eggs, toasties, soups and salads, with a hot dish or two and all the treats for afterwards. The terrace out the back is a particularly lovely place to escape the city centre crowds. Where It's At Nearby Locales 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 Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure