Klaw The Seafood Café gets another great review this weekend, this time from Leslie Williams in the Irish Examiner, who says the fried oyster Po'Boy sandwich is 'an utter joy and the best I’ve tasted outside of New Orleans.' He gives the food 9/10 which is the highest score he's ever given for a casual dining restaurant.
In the Irish Independent, Katy McGuinness enjoyed cheap and cheerful El Grito in Temple Bar, calling it 'one of the most pocket-friendly eating experiences in the country', and praising the adobo marinated pork with warm, sweet pineapple on crisp tacos. She is currently dreaming of spring break in Mexico.
In the Irish Times, Catherine Cleary finds there's more to Blackrock Market than Heron & Grey. She was seriously impressed with Indian Three Leaves, despite the chill blowing through the dining room. Special mention for her description of the lighting: ' two fluorescent tubes overhead, which bring all the warmth of the mortuary to proceedings.' Despite the simple surroundings she found the food thrilling, particularly the onions coated in paneer and battered, and bread with potato, fenugreek and butter.
In The Sunday Business Post, Gillian Nelis tries to bring back some balance at The Marker Hotel, with their new equilibrium menu. She enjoys the veggie packed refuel salad with salmon, and the healthy riff on apple and chocolate crumble, with chia seeds, nuts and sugar-free chocolate. She also tries her companion's burger and proclaims it her new favourite swanky burger spot.
In The Irish Daily Mail, Tom Doorley takes a trip to Waterford to review a restaurant and finds it closed, but luckily is saved by a satisfying meal at Loko. He's delighted to find raclette on the menu, some of the best chicken wings he's ever eaten (and he's a connoisseur apparently) and a crème brûlée flavoured with cinnamon rather than vanilla. (Article not online yet).
And in Life Magazine in the Sunday Independent, Lucinda O'Sullivan is taken aback at seeing Champagne and oysters on a bar in Maynooth on a Tuesday lunchtime, but La Brasserie managed to win her over with their excellent food: 'the cooking was precise and well executed.' Although she wasn't happy to hear their credit card machine wasn't working, especially for a restaurant with 'aspirations'. (Article not online yet).
Side note: It looks like the critics went out of their way this week to review restaurants with no websites, and they have really outdone themselves, so apologies for all of the Facebook links. Gillian Nelis, for whom this causes much pain, will be horrified.