There's a definite seafood and wine bar vibe going on this week, but also the guys wanting to redefine the coffee experience in Dublin, and what's next for Variety Jones' new opening Mongoose? Here's what's new in Dublin...
Bar Pez
We knew the guys behind Fish Shop and Beach House in Tramore were planning on opening a wine bar in Dublin 2, but we'll admit to being caught on the hop when Bar Pez sneakily opened its doors for a soft launch at the end of last week on Kevin Street, in between Dash Burger and Boojum.
They're calling it "very much a bar, with seafood focussed wine & fare", and the opening menu is bar snack style, with a "kitchen proper" coming at the end of July. In the meantime we'd have no complaints about settling for gildas, prawn croquettes, fried fish and aioli, and the Russian salad with anchovies that's so popular at Fish Shop (see the current menu here). Once the kitchen opens fully you can expect a daily changing menu of the best Irish seafood and produce, like west coast clams cooked a la plancha, whole roasted fish, and local prawns.
The wine list is going to be another big draw here, with serious drinkers likely to get lost in the list of grower Champagnes, an astonishingly long list of Burgundies, and prime picks from Santorini, Sicily, Spain, and every other wine growing region worth talking about (but you'll need deep pockets to delve into much of it). There's also a super premium selection under Coravin if you're living that Champagne lifestyle.
Bar Pez aren't taking reservations for now, and are open Thursday – Monday from 15:00 - 22:00.
The Seafood Bar
The sister restaurant to Dublin 7's Wood Fired Café. The Seafood Bar is just a couple of doors down on Blessington Street (where Vish Shop and the short-lived Pretend used to be). Owner of both, Joe, is in the kitchen, and said he wanted to open a seafood restaurant because despite being in a country full of fish, they're hard to find. He says he's "mad about seafood" and loves to cook it, and there's a very Spanish feel to the menu, with gambas al ajillo, Valencian paella with monkfish, and pulpo a la gallega.
There's also a random smattering of other cuisines like Italian, French and Argentinean, but it's a celebration of seafood in all its forms, and there's outside seating which is another draw (although it doesn't look like we'll be taking advantage of that any time soon). The Seafood Bar opens seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
Mr French
Mr French opened on Erne Street Lower (just off Pearse Street) last week with the aim of serving "the best coffee in Dublin". They're using World Cup Tasting Champion Daniel Horbat's Sumo Coffee, with two espressos on the bar and a range of pour overs. Owners Nick Twomey and Ben Mulligan come from experiential marketing backgrounds, and say they're both obsessed with branding, fit outs and customer service, as well as redefining the coffee shop experience in Dublin.
They want people to sit down and be educated by their award winning baristas on seasonal filter coffees, so if you like to nerd out this could be your new favourite coffee spot. They're also doing less nerdy drinks like Iced Freddo cappuccinos, and Nitro coffee is coming soon. They're currently stocking pastries from Tartine but work is underway on a kitchen at the back so they can add "Dublin's best sandwiches" to the menu. Outside seating is also in the works, and they're hoping to migrate to evening wine and small plates in the future.
Iciar Wine Bar
Everyone's favourite French-run, southside cheese shop, Iciar, announced last week that they're opening a "Paris-style" wine bar out the front of their Frascati Centre location. We've seen a few glimpses on their stories, complete with cartoon-style Parisian backdrop and bistro-style, stripey weaved chairs, but can't tell you much about the wine selection right now. We do know the menu's going to feature a LOT of cheese.
Mongoose, Dublin 8
We were hoping to be bringing you more concrete details about Variety Jones' second opening Mongoose (in their old location) after a couple of weekends of test kitchens, but after last week's shocking fire in their new site, we can only imagine it's going to be put on hold until they can get the damage repaired. The rough format was a €60 set menu, which we were surprised at, expecting it to be more of a wine bar/small plates vibe, but initial reports were as good as expected. Stay tuned for updates.
