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    Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post
    just realised that our tip was not over-generous; 9.77%

    skinflints obv.
    How do you get 9.77% out of a tip of 35 added on to 125
    Turning millions into thousands

    Comment


      Originally posted by Gimmeabreak
      I am a huge Nandos fan and under the influence of RDIII I am dining there tonight.
      Ate there last night on the strength RDIII's review.

      Very disappointing tbh, even for fast food.
      Butterfly chicken is a fool's choice with scant portions, the missus who isn't really a fan of spicy food asked what was mildest and got mango and lime and still found it spicy.
      I tried it too and it was near as spicy as my own.

      The novelty of ordering at the counter and the availability of sauces, whilst a nice touch, cannot make up for poor pre and a lack of value.

      If you want a value for money meal with better ambience, service, variety and quality, I'd much sooner recommend The Port House Ibéricos directly across from Nando's.
      Which we went to after
      People say I should be more humble I hope they understand, they don't listen when you mumble
      Get a shiny metal Revolut card! And a free tenner!
      https://revolut.com/referral/jamesb8!G10D21

      Comment


        Originally posted by Strewelpeter View Post
        How do you get 9.77% out of a tip of 35 added on to 125
        It wasn't 125, we also had extra drinks on top.

        Look at GAB's photo of the bill - total was 874.55.
        "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

        Comment


          I've just booked into Casamia for next Tuesday evening.

          These are the guys that won Ramsey's F word a few years back.
          Quite excited about this, and will certainly put up a review.
          Double-decker bus enthusiast

          Comment


            Originally posted by ionapaul View Post

            Going to Alfies tonight, not quite as nice but hopefully will have some good things to say about it tomorrow - haven't eaten there in a while.
            Did you ever do a TP on this place?

            Comment


              Restaurant Name: PJ O’Hares (The Anchor Bar)

              Location: Carlingford (Louth)

              Website: http://www.pjoharescarlingford.com/

              Price Range: €€€


              A sibling get together to celebrate my brothers birthday had us meet up in the picturesque stronghold of Carlingford for the weekend. While the others went for a hike up the Cooley mountain myself and another other brother set out on quite the fruitless hike to find a bookies in the village. Near the end of out tether we decided to temporarily halt the search to stop for lunch when were were informed by a local who we approached that our bets would be taken in Ma Bakers pub and they will get you drunk also. But no actual bookies at all in the village would you believe.

              The sign outside said winner of best gastro pub in Carlingford 2010&2011. Sounds pretty impressive but i was thinking judging on the lack of bookies and god knows what other essential amenities that this may also be the only gastro pub in Carlingford. Not be taken in so quickly by this type of boast I proceeded slightly suspicious and decided to judge for myself what accolade PJ’s would earn with my own taste buds. Im happy to report i wasn’t disappointed.

              Twas something of an unseasonably warm and sunny afternoon with people basking outside in the glorious sunshine so we took that q to park up indoors beside the flaming fire. Sitting outside an eating establishment is very over rated with random bugs likely to land on your side salad and resting your elbow on an un wiped bench. There can be just too many things to be weary of sitting outside and are more likely to receive the short shrift service. Sitting outside in the garden fine, sitting in the park fine but don’t expect things to be all hunky dorey sitting in a beer garden because your nothing in the staffs eyes out there. Inside your more of a lord and the staff feel more at the behest of your every culinary whim. You make a request in the beer garden and its like your halting a busy car clamper.

              I decided on the calamari starter portion which was the thing that sealed the deal and put all doubt to the billboard boast that it won Carlingford best gastro pub ’10 & ’11. You may as well extend that and encapsulate the whole of Louth in this claim because the contest was all over after the calamari in a tender light batter. To be honest its the side of tartar that probably unlocked the door to my droolage because it was quite frankly the nicest tartar sauce ive ever tasted with its guerkin tones and hint of apples flavour to it.

              In a gastro pub if your ordering do yourself a favour and ask forwhatever youre ordering to arriv all together. There is no need for the ceremony of courses. Too many things can go wrong with delays and what not but more than that just to get the food all together on the table and feast off it is better than the drip feed feel of starters first followed by the mains. Just seems a bit foolish to getting separate courses in the stone and wood setting of a pub. Its more of a feel that your king Henry 8th with the whole table covered with food and you can choose what your going to wet your beak with rather than guess when the waiter will arrive with what your looking for.

              I also ordered a tuna and cheese melt Panini and the bread was more of a light ciabatta which was excellent. The cheese melted as good as mozerella reminded me of a place in Swords i used to drive to every week it was so good. My business obv not good enough to keep the place going as they sadly closed down and nowhere else could come close to emulating the tuna melt Panini until now.

              Couple of gripes about service not just here but it seems everywhere you go. Whoever takes an order always sounds like its water off a ducks back to them, they seem assured and on top of their game. There is nothing this person cant handle. This is all good though its everything you want in a waiter/waitress. The gripe is when they return they never have a scoobydoo who ordered what. Even it was Sister Agustus that only ordered a bowl of soup and her chaperone a still water its a 1/20fav that the same waiter/waitress who took the order comes back and asks “Whos the soup?”. They really let themselves down with this. Also you can look a bit stupid when they ask whos for which because they often describe the food differently than how you quoted it off the menu and your flummoxed for a minute in claiming if its yours and you have to be up to muster in the claiming stakes otherwise you can get either sniggered at your tablemate or feel your under the crook eye for claiming theirs forcing you to do a u-turn in the plate claiming stakes taking you out of your comfort zone altogether. Its like they are forcing you to mentally go to work.
              We shared a portion of onion rings which were graded good by my brother but too greasy for my liking as i prefer the breaded type which seem to be extinct unless its out of a frozen packet. We seem to have variations of just about every food but it seems theres no variation on onion rings. I say bring back the breaded onion ring option and i want to know whos with me goddamit.

              The brother played a safe 2 iron off the tea ordering a toasted cajun chicken toastie which he claimed hit the mark with him(how can a two iron on a par 5 not) and he also admitted you simply cant go wrong with the toasted sandwich versus the Panini. According to him the Panini can be very hit and miss from place to place which has a lot of truth to it but i still stood in and claimed after the calamari win he should have dropped all doubt especially with the now verified award winning tag of best gastro pub in Carlingford and take a chance that this is much more likely to be a hit rather than miss. To which he replied ‘i suppose so’ and felt suitably ashamed for a second after taking this point aboard.

              Second gripe that i find happens almost everywhere. So your getting the good service from the waitress shes serving and rubbing you up the right way and doing all or most of the serving when later on some joint status colleague of hers you haven’t seen so far walks over and asks “Everything to your satisfaction sir?”. My point is what gives this person the right to ask such a question without doing anything themself up to this point to help or serve you?. F%$k them, it should be whoever has served you at some point to be the only one to have the licence to ask you that and not a randomer up to this point. Its like they are taking the credit themselves for the food and service so far and that always irks me somewhat. In this case it was some 1st year Dundalk DIT 7lb claimer dude that stole the honour. This guy had some balls, he came back shortly after for a second time with the very same thing when there was nobody else about. The furtive credit taker.

              So tldr a very enjoyable experience.
              Last edited by rounders123; 27-03-12, 21:46.

              Comment


                Originally posted by Caf View Post
                Did you ever do a TP on this place?
                Don't think so - nice place though, pretty reasonable and good for a crowd night out, loads of tasty cocktails to choose from to accompany your meal.


                Comment


                  Restaurant Name: Campagne

                  Location: Kilkenny City, between the railway bridge arches near McDonagh Junction.

                  Website: http://www.campagne.ie/

                  Price Range: €€€€



                  Review: Went to this place with GF on a whim as an alternative to Ripley's Steakhouse. Walked in the door and was greeted by friendly smiling staff who took our jackets and brought us to our reserved table. I seen various food awards on display at the entrance and just checked that it is #1 on Trip Advisor for food in Kilkenny.

                  I would recommend a reservation on a Saturday night as it was near capacity at 9PM. The décor is very modern, cosy, comfortable and despite being alot of people there, it didn't seem in any way crowded. I thought at the time that the menu has a somewhat limited selection but looking at it again it looks okay.

                  To start I had Terrine of shellumsrath goose, muscat grapes, celeriac puree, walnut toast which was amazing - particularly the walnut toast. GF had the Spinach and ricotta parfait, whipped goats cheese,tomato vinaigrette which was very tasty once you got over the weird consistency of the Spinach and ricotta parfait. We both are big fans of Goats cheese which complimented the dish very well. Portion sizes were generous and were too much if anything but not really worth stating.

                  For the mains I had Challans duck breast, choucroute, morteau sausage, chantenay carrots and mustard. I was a little disappointed with it as the duck was too dry. It wasn't bone dry or cremated in anyway but just not juicy enough. It was every so slightly pink in the middle and I prefer it more pink. The chantenay carrots and mustard tasted like a bad coleslaw and I didn't finish. The morteau sausage was okay, not worth mentioning tbh.

                  GF got the Pigs trotter stuffed with ham hock and parsley,kale,beetroot and caper jus. This was amazing. So tasty, really nice. The meat was melt in your mouth kind of stuff. The kale, beetroot and caper jus was lovely also. This won hands down. Again with both main courses the portion size was generous. The staff were happy to suggest a doggie bad for any remains.

                  We shared a Mascarpone and white chocolate cheesecake,rhubarb ice cream which seems to have been the most popular choice by far. Everyone else had gotten it. It was very nice. Rhubarb ice cream was lovely.

                  Service: The service in the place was very good. The staff are very friendly, talkative and were always interest in feedback on the subsequent dishes (obviously I said the duck was amazing ). We didn't seem to have a fixed waiter and had three different persons attending us, but everything was done with fluency. One of the staff in particular gave personal recommendations on without been too forceful or intrusive. We were left with prefect waiting times between each course and never left looking around.

                  I am not a big wine drinker so just had a glass of house red which was €5.75 each. It was nice and lightly spiced red wine. I prefer heavier but again, I didn't care that much. I didnt check the wine list so I have no idea on pricing.

                  Espresso was €1.60 a pop which is the cheapest I've seen around.

                  Overall, it was a decent place to go. I was disappointed in my main and feel it wasn't great value for what it was. Everything else was spot on. I don't know if I would go again as I kinda have a been there done that feeling ( and I am never really in Kilkenny) but I'd still recommend it for people to try as its probably the best food of it's kind you will get in in that part of the country.

                  Side note. Gardai were stopping around the corner from restaurant, so be careful if driving. I believe Kilkenny is rampant with stopping these days.

                  Comment


                    Restaurant Name: Bang Restaurant

                    Location: Merrion Row

                    Website: http://www.bangrestaurant.com/About_.aspx

                    Price Range: €€€€

                    Review:

                    Ventured into Bang Restaurant last Saturday evening with the missus. Wasnt anything planned but made a reservation on Saturday afternoon for 6.30pm (to have the option of their pre-theatre menu which runs till 6.45pm on the weekend). No problem getting a table and was told it would be needed back by 8.30pm which was fine.

                    Formally known as Bang Cafe it appears to have been taken over by a new crew (including Bobby Kerr, according to their website) so at least the VAT bills might get paid now

                    The restaurant itself is made up of three floors. You are greeted on the middle of these which is kind of a mezzanine to the downstairs below. We were led upstairs to a seperate room on the second floor which held about 30. Given our early start there was only another party of 6 in the room so we got a nice window seat overlooking Merrion Row.

                    I ordered a bottle of Argentinian Malbec Red as we both decided to work off the pre-theatre menu (€21/€26 for 2/3 courses). Their wine list is quite comprehensive although a little pricey at the bottom end with the standard house cheapest coming in at €27. There are cocktails (€10) & beer (didnt see what type) available also. Warm brown bread was supplied at this stage although there was no choice in breads.

                    The Pre-Theatre menu encompasses about half the full menu options & suited us as neither was in the humour for steak.

                    Starters had were the organic cured salmon and the mozzarella dish. Both were presented very well with a mixture of good tasting contrasts on the plate to compliment both and while you wouldn't be relying on either to fill you, although I don't think thats the point.

                    For the main course we both had the Chicken dish with an side of fries each(extra cost). Chicken can be a bit boring but I have to say this was done very well. Sitting on a bed of parmesan polenta (kind of a truffle risotto) with a lovely mixture of spring vegtables scattered around in a chicken jus it really went down well.

                    Herself had desert - a small but tasty piece of apple pie with a lovely rhubarb icecream (had to try to review!) while I opted to have a desert cocktail instead which I asked the waitress to pick. Turned out to be an After-Eight which was vodka with a lot of mint and was nice.

                    Service was spot on although even when leaving at 8.15pm our room was only half full although the other floors were full. Total came to €111 including tip alhtough i'd imagine it would be closer to €150 if working off the full menu and bearing in mind we only had one bottle of wine. Enjoyable first trip to the revamped Bang though. Couldn't fault the experience.

                    Comment


                      Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post
                      It wasn't 125, we also had extra drinks on top.

                      Look at GAB's photo of the bill - total was 874.55.
                      I thought the done thing was to tip based on the food total but not include the drinks.
                      "Gibney might be the greatest hero of our time." (Keane, 2012; Hitchhiker, 2017)

                      "Frank Gibney, he's my favourite ." (careca, 2012)
                      "Frank Gibney, he's my favourite." (mikeb, 2017)

                      Comment


                        Restaurant Name: L'Ecrvain

                        Location: Baggot St.

                        Website: www.lecrivain.com

                        Price Range: €€€€

                        Review:

                        We got the menu pages deal which gave us €130 worth of food for €65. We opted for the 3-course dinner which is €65 per person. We also got a 1/2 bottle of some Spanish wine whose name escapes me. First out was an amuse bouche of salted cod, shaved fennel, lemon and aioli. It was lovely...the balance of the salt, lemon and smoothness of the aioli worked very well
                        For starters I had the quail which came with 4 generous pieces of meat a poached quail egg, two type of mushrooms, celery, date conserve, wild garlic. I don't know how to describe it other than to say it was amazing. She had monkfish which I'm pretty sure was raw, but it was so tender and brilliantly presented. There were 3 pretty big pieces of fish on the plate.
                        The gave us a granny smith apple sorbet before the mains, for which I had suckling pig which consists of a ham hock croquette, a piece of pork fillet, and a pork belly with the a sickly good layer of crispy fat on top as well as braised potatoes, apple, almond purée, turnip, and cider foam. This is certainly the best presented dish I'd ever seen, and not far off the best I'd ever tasted. The pic below doesn't do it justice. On the side they also gave me a pot of potato and spinach, so it was a really substantial meal. She got the beef which is described on the menu as Fillet, Braised, Pickled Vegetable, Marrow Bread Crumb,Celeriac & Smoked Garlic Purée. It also had some shredded ox tongue. To be honest I was so busy enjoying my pork that I didn't really pay much attention to hers!
                        For desert I had the Irish rhubarb. Again it was great, with the rhubarb ice cream and short bread being the highlight. She had the banoffi taster, which included banoffi ice cream, a banoffi cake in a glass, and various other bits. It was really nice, probably better than the rhubarb overall.

                        Fantastic dinner, great service, lovely room...To quote Arnie...'I'll be back'

                        Attached Files

                        Comment


                          That quail starter sounds unreal.

                          Comment


                            Restaurant Name: The Residence

                            Location: Stephen's Green, Dublin

                            Website: http://www.residence.ie/

                            Price Range: €€€€

                            I ate at The Residence Club just off St Stephen's Green for the first time last night. When Max and I arrived we nearly missed the building as there is only a small sign advertising that it is a restaurant. This generates an exclusive feel to the place. We were warmly greeted at the door and the maitre d rang to check that our table was ready before taking our coats and bringing us upstairs, chatting all the way.

                            There are three menu options: A La Carte; Set Menu; and the Tasting Menu, in the end we decided to plump for the tasting menu, probably due to an abundance of want after seeing all the dishes on offer.

                            The wait staff were very personable from the get go, and when I asked about the club itself I was offered a tour after the meal.

                            We ordered a New Zealand Sauv Blanc for €36, it was a lovely crisp wine which complimented the fish courses and the cheeses.

                            Our first course was Dublin Bay prawns, served with grapefruit and spots of liquidised avocado. Obviously I peaked too soon - this was my favourite course. The prawns were absolutely delicious: the best I have ever tasted. They were a very high quality and cooked to perfection - I love prawns and I had no idea they could taste this good. The flavours and textures of the avocado and grapefruit beautifully complemented the prawns, but I had to be careful on the balance as too much of the avocado would overwhelm the rest.

                            Our second course was an offering of two Ernest Soulard foies gras (yes I had to google "plural of foie gras"): one warm; one cold, served with sourdough bread. I'm not a huge fan of foies gras generally (might as well use my new found knowledge) but Max is and this was his favourite dish of the evening. The warm paté worked really well and I enjoyed it but I thought the cold was a little bland for my taste.

                            The foies gras (really getting going now) was followed by a "mystery course" which turned out to be scallops and pork with a bacon foam. Neither of us was hugely enamoured with this dish. The pork was good with a nice delicate flavour but the scallops weren't the best I've had and the bacon foam was never going to be as amazing as the words "bacon foam" led me to believe.

                            The fourth course was a choice of comeragh hill lamb or wild seabass. I went for the seabass and Max chose the lamb, medium rare. The seabass came on a bed of mussels in a pool of ravioli and Max had extreme food envy, much to my delight. It was a great cut of fish and the flavours and textures of the mussels and ravioli worked very well together. The lamb was a slow burner and Max enjoyed it more the closer he got to a clean plate, eventually deciding it was one of his favourite dishes.

                            We were both getting very full by this stage so it was nice to switch gears, with the next course being a selection of cheeses. The waiter wheeled out a mouthwatering selection and each person was to pick three cheeses from those on offer. The cheeses were ordered by type with rows of hard, washed, soft, goat's and blue cheese. I chose a goat's cheese, a camembert and a washed cheese. The goat's cheese turned out to be St Tola's from Clare which I was delighted to see as I know the owners (tvb). Max was pretty pissed off that I'd picked the exact three that he was going to pick (ha ha) so in a panic he went for a random hard cheese, blue cheese and a brie. My favourites were the goat's cheese (rigged imo) and the blue cheese, which wasn't too sharp like many blue cheeses.

                            The penultimate course was a small piece of valhrona chocolate cake served with frozen yoghurt. It was delicious with a smooth heavy texture and I thought the froyo was a great idea as a replacement for the ubiquitous ice cream accompaniment. Unfortunately I only managed half, not out of any care for my health but because Max spilled his water all over my dessert. Someday I will find it in my heart to forgive him.

                            Coffee and petit fours finished off the meal and was a nice way to round off the evening. We were pretty full so didn't make any move to leave for a while here, and we weren't hurried or bothered by the waiters for this.

                            The total bill came to just under €200, which is not cheap but neither is it exorbitant when compared to other tasting menus in Dublin.

                            I think if you like restaurants and trying different places you should definitely give The Residence a spin, but if you rarely go out to eat this wouldn't be the number one place to go in Dublin for the price you pay.

                            Comment


                              Restaurant Name:Ely Wine Bar

                              Location:Ely Place, off Merrion Row

                              Website:http://www.elywinebar.ie/restaurants/ely-winebar

                              Price Range: €€€/€

                              Review:

                              Visited Ely on Saturday gone. Again it was an early booking due to things to do later so we arrived at 6.30pm to take our table. We were told it would be needed back by 8.45pm.

                              There is both an upstairs & downstairs part to Ely and we were given a table by the window upstairs which seems to be the quieter of the two options having been downstairs before. I think downstairs would possibly be the better option for me.

                              Ely, being a wine specialist, has a huge selection of wines available. As neither of us were having steak we chose a nice Savignon Blanc from NZ (€30) which was very nice.

                              Working off the Early Bird menu (€19.95/€25 for 2/3 courses) the starters had were the Soup of the Day which was a mint with potato & pea soup served with homemade brown bread. I tried some and found the mint a bit strong but the missus loved it. I had the Goats cheese mouse which was served with two small pieces of focacia bread with shaved carrots & walnuts. Again very good.

                              Mains were the Baked Salmon with prawns & potato while I had the Burren pork sausage with mash & onions. Both were ample mains and enjoyed although my mash was slightly colder than I'd have liked.

                              Deserts & coffees were skipped as we polished off the wine and had to head off. All in all an enjoyable meal, although did feel the waitress was trying to refill the wine a bit too often as I got the feeling she was under instruction to push a second bottle onto people.
                              Menu differs from that on website also.

                              €70 + tip was very reasonable for a nice meal. Recommend.

                              Comment


                                Originally posted by Gimmeabreak
                                Noma voted best restaurant in the world, again: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...reaking51.html

                                As an aside, last week myself and KP, whilst full on the excess of a jolly up to Punchestown, were discussing how nice it would be if one of those vagrants currently unencumbered by a full time job took it upon themselves to arrange a night out at L'Ecrivain.
                                Noma are opening up a pop up restaurant in Claridges in London from July 28th to August 6th while their place is closed for renovations. £195 for 5 course dinner if you are interested. you must register your interest at claridges.co.uk.

                                Comment


                                  Restaurant Name: Tippenyaki

                                  Location: Rathmines

                                  Website: http://www.tippenyaki.ie/

                                  Price Range: €€€

                                  Review:

                                  Group of 12 visited Tippenyaki on Saturday for a 7.30pm booking (2 hour slot).

                                  Located in Rathmines about 20 yards up the road towards Ranelagh along the side of the Swan Centre I had noticed it on the many occasions I have been stuck at the lights coming from Ranelagh.

                                  We had booked 12 of the approx 20 seats which overlook the cooking area. for anyone who hasn't visited a teppanyaki restaurant before it basically gives you the experience of watching the chefs prepare & cook the food in front of you in a very showman way (see video on website - Jedward, I know ). Its a fun experience for everyone.
                                  There are normal tables available also but it would be a bit of a waste to take these if you haven't done the teppanyaki thing too often before.

                                  On arrival there are prawn crackers supplied along with a soup of the day (on the house) which was crab. House wine (€21) was ordered as we had a large group & beers were also available.

                                  As I was hungry I had the BBQ'd Pork ribs to start which were good. There was a good selection of main courses available, including a decent sushi menu by all accounts (not my thing) & I went with the fillet steak (reasonable at €21.95). All cooked in front of you this was accompanied with egg fried rice/lentils/sauteed potatoes/onion & pear mix and the whole meal was a very generous portion.

                                  Bill came to €45pp with a fair amount of wine & fun had (deserts skipped) & we had a singalong with the chefs at the end. Recommended to be tried.

                                  Comment


                                    Good review; have eaten here a few times as well, would be happen to recommend. Will have to visit there or Chai Yo again soon, the experience when sitting around the cooking area is a lot of fun!


                                    Comment


                                      Can anyone recommend Roly's bistro? Menupages are doing one of those deals and I was thinking of purchasing as its seems like good value.

                                      Comment


                                        Restaurant Name: Kiin Kiin

                                        Location: Copenhagen

                                        Website: http://kiin.dk/welcome.html

                                        Price Range: €€€€€

                                        Review:

                                        Seeing as Gimmeabreak has been talking about a gastronomy trip to Copenhagen I thought I would put this up.

                                        Kiin Kiin describes itself as “the premier Thai restaurant in Scandinavia and the only one in the world to be awarded a Michelin Star”. My girlfriend and I were lucky enough to eat there on Saturday night, we originally had a booking for a Tuesday but put ourselves on the waiting list for Saturday and got a call on Friday telling us to come in at any time on the Saturday as we had the table for the whole night!

                                        The restaurant is located in the Soho area of Copenhagen and is split over two levels. Upon arrival we were greeted by the executive chef and owner Henrik Yde- Andersen which was a nice touch. You spend the first 30 to 45 mins in the downstairs area sitting on comfortable armchairs and are brought a continuous stream of canapés. These are all served to you by Henrik and he hangs around for a chat too (he seems to spend most of his time front of house in this reception area). Along with your canapés you get offered an aperitif of your choice, I went for their specially brewed Kiin Kiin beer which was very rich and really nice. My GF went for a glass of Champagne which also met with her approval!

                                        The canapés were Prawn Crackers with tomato & chilli, lotus root crackers with lime leaves, a cashew merengue with soya, Spiced tamarind salad, Smoked Chiang mai sausage and Tuna Tartar with lime. Already at this stage, before we had even seen the menus, the variety of food was blending into one so the details on some courses will be sketchy! Of the canapés probably the stand out for me was the Chiang Mai sausage which was nicely spiced without being too strong, and the lotus root crackers which looked dry but were in fact very fresh to eat.

                                        We were then shown the menus and in Kiin Kiin the only option is the tasting menu so this is for information purposes more than anything else. You are also given the wine menu at this time. I will mention the prices at the end but suffice to say the wine was pricey even by Copenhagen standards. We were then led upstairs and to our table. We got a nice surprise and were led to “Table 9” which is “our most romantic table”. There is usually a 6-8 month waiting list as it is screened off from most of the restaurant and you sit on comfortable benches with loads of cushions. We just got lucky with whoever cancelled on the Friday obviously cancelled this table!

                                        We were then brought out the first course of the main menu. This was a Soup based on shellfish with spicy jellies and a satay ice cream. The soup on its own was very nice but you were also served 3 jellies of varying spice and the satay ice cream. The course should be eaten in order, you put a jelly in your mouth wash it down with soup and then use the satay ice cream to cool your mouth. This is definitely needed particularly after the last jelly!! The whole thing was delicious and left us wondering what the next course would be like!

                                        We were then brought a prawn salad in an orchid and lemongrass dressing. Again this was an excellently put together dish with just the right amount of spice and was a great follow on from the soup.

                                        Next up was crispy codfish with mangoes. I can’t remember what spice they used here but I do remember clearing the plate as did my girlfriend which can’t be a bad thing.
                                        This was followed by the Kiin Kiin signature dish which is a Red coconut curry with white asparagus. This is the only course on the menu where you get a choice. You can choose between having the curry frozen or warm. We opted for one of each and I maintain the warm one was the best and my girlfriend maintains the frozen one was best! Both were delicious and plates were cleaned!

                                        Next was a foie gras and ginger dish which to be honest I can’t remember amongst all the other dishes.

                                        This was followed by the “main” course of the menu which was a quail in coconut milk with lime leaves and is the only course that is served with rice. The quail was perfectly tender and the lime gave a great bite to the dish.

                                        That was the end of the main courses and next out was a palate cleanser of sparkling pineapple. It was a great dish and focal point as it crackles when exposed to the air and makes a great sound sitting on the plate. It also is great fun to eat as every time you open your mouth the crackling comes back and is a strange sensation to say the least!!!

                                        There were two desert courses the first being mango and rhubarb with sticky rice; before you can get into the tasty middle though you have to smash open the shell casing (made from condensed coconut milk) with your spoon – great entertainment . Both the casing and the desert inside were delicious and definitely some of the best rhubarb I have ever had.

                                        Next and last up was banana cake with salted ice cream, which although we were full we still managed to polish off as it was so tasty!

                                        We were offered tea and coffee but we had been in the restaurant over 4 hours at this stage so passed on this, also tea in Denmark is not really to our liking.

                                        As I am sure you have guessed this is not a cheap place to eat…the tasting menu which gives you all the courses mentioned above is the equivalent of €110. I would spend it again tomorrow though as the food is that good. As with every restaurant in Denmark wine is where the bill really starts to add up. Half bottles are available for around €50 and we opted for a bottle of Pinot Gris as recommended by the owner Henrik for €85. If you opt for the wine tasting menu that is another €100 per person.

                                        If you are ever in Copenhagen I would highly recommend this restaurant. I know Gimmeabreak is trying to organise a trip to Noma but there is more to the Copenhagen restaurant scene than just Noma. There are 12 Michelin starred restaurants and another 12/15 bib gourmands here which for a city the size of Dublin is pretty impressive.


                                        Tl;dr Michelin starred Thai restaurant with amazing food would highly recommend if in Copenhagen. It’s expensive but I would do it all again tomorrow.

                                        Comment


                                          Originally posted by Gimmeabreak
                                          that sounds really great.

                                          cant help but thinking about the guy who cancelled the table.
                                          Musta been dumped the night before or walked in on his missus

                                          Comment


                                            @Kev, any chance of linking the reviews to post #1 that havent been to keep it up to date?

                                            Comment


                                              Originally posted by KevIRL View Post
                                              Musta been dumped the night before or walked in on his missus
                                              He should have still gone on his own!
                                              Last edited by Rasher; 02-05-12, 04:39.

                                              Comment


                                                Originally posted by Dice75 View Post
                                                @Kev, any chance of linking the reviews to post #1 that havent been to keep it up to date?
                                                All done now, apologies if I have forgotten a review from anyone, if I have let me know and I'll update.

                                                Great work all, keep it going.

                                                Comment


                                                  Restaurant Name: Downstairs at Gilbert and Wright

                                                  Location: Clontarf

                                                  Website: http://www.downstairs.ie/

                                                  Price Range: €€€

                                                  Review:

                                                  My mother rang me on Sunday and asked if me and the mrs. would like to go here for my birthday. Not quite deep in RDIII country, but Clontarf nonetheless, the place is just around the corner from Harry Byrne's in the Hollybrook Hotel

                                                  When she said it was 2 courses for €24 I was like dafuq? as last time I was there under previous ownership is was meh and more like €16-18 would've been appropiate.

                                                  Anyway moving on. For starters 3 of us had a ham hock and fois gras terrine. It was very nice, but obviously its hard to fuck up something with fois gras in it. Minor complaints are that the dish was too cold, bordering on frigid and the accompanying bread stick was so hard it could've been used as a shank, but overall I was pleasantly surprised. My sister has the cream of asparagus soup and reported it as 'grand'.

                                                  For main's I had lamb rump and chickpeas as did my mother. This was really good and we got a huge piece of meat. GF had roast duck breast which was also very good as was my sister's roast chicken.

                                                  I didn't bother with dessert as nothing looked too nice. GF had some chocolate and walnut mousse thing that looked ok I guess.

                                                  The restaurant is quite nice, but the service is meh enough. Kind of like serving you is secondary to whatever else they were doing behind the scenes.
                                                  Overall I'd say it's priced about right and the food is of a high quality. I'd prefer Canter's down near Fairview Strand if I was looking for a restaurant in the area though.

                                                  Comment


                                                    Originally posted by careca View Post
                                                    Noma are opening up a pop up restaurant in Claridges in London from July 28th to August 6th while their place is closed for renovations. £195 for 5 course dinner if you are interested. you must register your interest at claridges.co.uk.
                                                    Signed up for priority booking for this but there was a lag with the emails and by the time I got my email all the tickets were already sold out

                                                    Comment


                                                      Originally posted by Lisa View Post
                                                      Signed up for priority booking for this but there was a lag with the emails and by the time I got my email all the tickets were already sold out
                                                      Unlucky. A review would have been good. You'll just have to go to Copenhagen

                                                      Comment


                                                        Restaurant Name: Arbutus

                                                        Location: 63-64 Frith Street, London

                                                        Website: http://www.arbutusrestaurant.co.uk/

                                                        Price Range: €€€

                                                        As promised, the first of two restaurant reviews from a day of fine dining on Sunday, May 20th in London. Our plan was to travel from a friend's house in Streatham, in the south-west of the city, into the centre for lunch at 2pm at Arbutus, then make our way to Kensington in the late afternoon to check into our hotel there, have a few drinks in the nearby Queen's Arms pub and then get to Kitchen W8 by 9pm for dinner.

                                                        After dawdling for a while at Trafalgar Square - I made a short video of the USC marching band and accompanying cheerleaders on the steps in front of the National Gallery - we moved swiftly onwards to look for Arbutus, which is located on Frith Street in Soho. The restaurant has a very unassuming exterior, but through the front door is a nice bright and inviting interior. Front of house staff were on hand to greet us, take our coats and direct us to our table. We were offered bread very soon after sitting down, only had the choice of two but both were fresh and tasty, I tried to restrain myself as with such a day of dining in front of me, I knew I had to pace myself!

                                                        To immediately quench our thirst (yeah, that's it...), we ordered a bottle of the recommended Verdejo, which arrived before the food did - no problems with that! Felt a little guilty polishing off a full bottle between the two of us during lunch, knowing we'd be doing the same later, but since we were on holiday it isn't really such a bad thing I suppose.

                                                        We dismissed the ideas of starters, and dove straight into our mains - I ordered a saddle of rabbit, which came accompanied by some vegetables and a small rabbit shoulder cottage pie in a separate pie dish (not sure what one of these is called actually). The GF chose Loch Duart salmon, with a quinoa salad and spiced courgette purée.

                                                        I had never had 'saddle of rabbit' before, so wasn't 100% sure as to what I was getting, but wasn't disappointed - it was a big, cylindrical-shaped chunk of meat, with at least three different types of flesh; I've just googled it to confirm, it includes the backbone (bone removed obviously) and both loins. The meat was extremely tender and juicy, really nice, and there was a lot of it, but despite that I think I preferred the accompanying shoulder cottage pie, I'm a demon for cottage / shepard's pie at home, it is my favourite comfort food, obviously my peasant background cannot be repressed for long! The pie was just divine, the right about of meat, veggies and mash, there just wasn't enough of it for me - if it were five times as big I still would have finished it off without a problem.

                                                        The GF loved her salmon, I tried a bit and it seemed very nice - but as you would expect in a Michelen-starred restaurant I suppose, something would really need to be wrong for knowledgeable staff to fuck up salmon. She also loved the sides, which I avoided as salads and spiced purees aren't really to my taste.

                                                        We split a single dessert to finish, going for a bitter chocolate mousse (70% Cru Virunga) with Sicilian orange sorbet. Yum. The orange sorbet was the bitter portion of the dessert, the two tastes combined were amazing. You could eat this all day!

                                                        The service was very good, being both prompt and attentive when required - as I had checked out the food prices online last week, I wasn't expecting such good service, as they seemed so 'reasonable' that I thought service might be a little lacking, or the restaurant itself would be a bit tired. I was wrong on both counts, I felt we enjoyed a superior dining experience at a very good price - the final bill (including a 'discretionary 12.5% service charge', helpfully added to the bill automatically ) came to £75 or so.

                                                        I have no hesitation recommending this place as a much better-than-average lunch destination for those visiting London; while there, check out the vintage soft-core porn / artistic photographs adorning the walls outside of and within the bathrooms, they are very cool!

                                                        Edited to add photo of that day's menu:
                                                        SPOILER


                                                        I'd add a review for Kitchen W8 later tonight or tomorrow.
                                                        Last edited by ionapaul; 22-05-12, 16:58.


                                                        Comment


                                                          Originally posted by DeadParrot View Post
                                                          Ate there last night on the strength RDIII's review.

                                                          Very disappointing tbh, even for fast food.
                                                          Butterfly chicken is a fool's choice with scant portions, the missus who isn't really a fan of spicy food asked what was mildest and got mango and lime and still found it spicy.
                                                          I tried it too and it was near as spicy as my own.

                                                          The novelty of ordering at the counter and the availability of sauces, whilst a nice touch, cannot make up for poor pre and a lack of value.

                                                          If you want a value for money meal with better ambience, service, variety and quality, I'd much sooner recommend The Port House Ibéricos directly across from Nando's.
                                                          Which we went to after
                                                          Had to agree with this review. Was going to comment on RDII's piece, but it sort of felt wrong to say anything negative towards it as it was so well written!!

                                                          I got one of the chickens (half or butter) and when i peeled the skin back so came with it all the sauce that was on the chicken. I never eat the skin when in these places and just felt the chicken to be tastless after this. Leads you to pouring the sauce on the chicken, but it isnt cooked in it and just isnt the same

                                                          My friend got the "large" portion of the sides (one large or two smalls). Sweet potato. It wasnt anywhere near a large portion at all.
                                                          It was also cold when it came out.

                                                          Yes the Drinks are free re-fills but unless you plan on sitting there for the day or have an insatiably large appetite for fizzy drinks then this is just wasted.

                                                          When suggested as cheap and cheerful before we went there, at 33e for two people, and below par food, I really didnt enjoy it or would be rushing back. Just don't buy the hype and I love chicken!

                                                          Rounders - That place is just up the road from me, and Carlingford in general is a super place for a night away with the misses or the lads.
                                                          GAA News Website

                                                          Comment


                                                            Originally posted by Semibluff View Post
                                                            Rounders - That place is just up the road from me, and Carlingford in general is a super place for a night away with the misses or the lads.
                                                            You lucky bastage, its a fine spot, one of the nicest places in Ireland ive visited. So good were going back in July. The no bookies was a shock to the system but the shakes were avoided with the online acc thankfully. The only other thing it needs is the extermination the Barney Curley dopleganger that runs the antiques shop.

                                                            Comment


                                                              The Bay Tree and Ghan house are both well worth a visit if you are back in carlingford
                                                              Low fee Euro/UK money transfer, 1st transfer free through my referral
                                                              https://transferwise.com/u/bfa0e

                                                              Comment


                                                                Kiin Kiin sounds incredible. Copenhagen has jumped a few places on my list of places to visit.

                                                                Comment


                                                                  Restaurant Name: Kitchen W8

                                                                  Location: 11-13 Abingdon Road, London

                                                                  Website: http://www.kitchenw8.com/

                                                                  Price Range: €€€

                                                                  After leaving Arbutus at about 3.15pm, we travelled onward to Kensington to check into our hotel on Cromwell Road. Our reservation at Kitchen W8 was for 9pm and as on Sundays the restaurant offered a 'Bring Your Own Wine' option (no corkage fee levied), we had decided to purchase a nice bottle of wine to bring to the table with us. We were staying immediately across the road from a decent sized Waitrose supermarket, which would have been a good spot to pick up a bottle, but we neglected to keep track of the time and by 6pm, Waitrose was closed. Luckily, there was an Oddbins up the road, from where we selected a lovely Australian Riesling - probably my favourite variety of wine!

                                                                  We stopped off en-route to the restaurant to have a pre-dinner drink in the Queen's Arms pub, a lovely spot that had be recommended to me previously. We actually had a really nice lunch here the following day before heading for Heathrow. After downing a pint, we walked up Gloucester Road to the edge of Hyde Park and along Kensington High Street, until we found Kitchen W8 on a side street.

                                                                  As expected, it was quite busy on a Sunday night, but we were greeted warming at the door and shown to our table, which was by the wall in the heart of the main dining room. The lighting was fairly subdued, which made for a nice, romantic atmosphere.

                                                                  Service was very good - obviously the staff was fully professional - and it seemed that many patrons were taking advantage of the 'Bring Your Own Wine' option, as the staff was very happy to oblige in this regard. We were offered a choice of three freshly baked breads soon after our menus were handed to us, I went for a slice of pumpkin-and-poppyseed loaf, mmmmmm!

                                                                  As this was our main meal of the day, we ordered both starters and mains - I selected the grilled white asparagus, covered with thinly sliced veal, a poached egg, and truffle pesto, while the GF chose a sweet onion tart, which came with smoked anchovies and broccoli. As asparagus is the king of green veggies, I was never going to order anything else here! It was really nice, the asparagus and veal were warm, while the egg and pesto were cool - a nice contrast. They combined well, and the size of the dish was just right, enough to whet the appetite but not sufficient to fully satisfy your hunger. The sweet onion tart was very well received as well, she thought the anchovies were particularly nicely done - I had a nibble of the tart and was surprised by how sweet it was, you could almost have it for dessert.

                                                                  The Riesling was so nice that we were trying to pace ourselves and leave a good glass each to have with our mains; I had gone for the rump of new season lamb, which came with some pulled shoulder meat atop bulgar wheat, and some slices of spring carrot. This was simply superb - both choices of lamb were tender and juicy, and the bulgar wheat (this was somewhat similar to a side of barley risotto) could be the nicest starchy side order I've ever had, while the carrot slices were both soft and flavourful. The GF went for fish again, the fillet of sea trout with herb spatzle (similar to an egg noodle) and spring vegetables on the side - this dish was highly recommended by our waitress. She wasn't wrong, as the GF loved it; the fish was served medium rare and was really juicy with a lovely texture to it. The sides were excellent, and there was enough to sate any appetite. Two thumbs up for both mains

                                                                  As we were so full by the time our plates were removed, we decided against trying dessert, and the GF simply had a coffee while I finished off my glass of wine - the Riesling bottle tragically empty by this stage. We did not feel rushed to leave, even though we were among the last dozen or so customers in the place; it was still a little after 10.30pm so I guess it wasn't too late.

                                                                  When we finally settled up, the bill came to about £85 including tip - our bottle of Riesling cost £11 in the wine shop, so our superior dining experience came to less than £100 in total, a relative bargain for expensive London in my opinion!

                                                                  I have no hesitation in recommending Kitchen W8 to anyone visiting London; it may be a little off the beaten track for those not staying in the area, but should be worth the effort of getting there I think
                                                                  Last edited by ionapaul; 23-05-12, 10:45.


                                                                  Comment


                                                                    Restaurant Name: Peploes Steak & Wine Bistro

                                                                    Location: St Stephens Green Dublin

                                                                    Website: http://www.peploes.com/

                                                                    Price Range: (from 1 to 5 €€€€€) €€€€/€

                                                                    Review:

                                                                    I was invited to this place as part of a dinner party of 50 or so guests. I had never heard of it before and was excited when I looked at the website and seen the food on offer. The website is abysmal itself in terms of design and userability. Bearing in mind I went as part of such a large group - it may not be an accurate representation of what the place is like for those dining on a normal occasion. The review is or more appropriate for a group booking but so I will just give a trip report of the night and you can make what you want of that.

                                                                    We were greeted with a wine reception outside which which was quickly turned into an invitation to get seated inside - much to my approval as I was famished.

                                                                    To start I had Aromatic Quail Salad with Radishes, Pomegranate, Almonds & Yoghurt. It was delightful. It was very light and presented as fair portion size. Just enough to get me all giddy for the mains. I didn't fancy anything else to start which included;

                                                                    Carpaccio of Irish Beef Artichokes & Parmesan

                                                                    Linguine with Dublin Bay Prawns, Cherry Tomatoes, Chilli & Basil

                                                                    Soup of the Evening (Forget what it was)

                                                                    Warm Brie in Filo with Pruneaux d’Agen

                                                                    I think there was a pretty even distribution of choice for starters and I didn't hear any complaints! I was impressed with the speed of delivery of the food. It seemed that there was an abnormal amount of staff for such a small place without there being any clutter. They all seemed pretty synchronised in servicing the tables.

                                                                    The staff couldn't keep my wine glass full and were equally as insistent with the bottled water. I'm not sure how a group dinner works in terms of ordering and distribution of wine and water but the staff were eager to ensure you weren't without a drop. I took the max value line after each refill and ended up valuetowning myself by the end of the night.

                                                                    Roll on the mains and I took a fairly standard line and ordered the Marrow Crusted Irish Fillet of Beef with Red Wine Sauce (Supplement €5.00). Bearing in mine I was well oiled I have to say it was one of the nicest fillets of beef I ever had. It was so juicy and almost melted in your mouth. Cooked medium-rare as ordered it came with a sharing portion of sautéed onions, steamed veg and chips which I must say were a little on the skimpy side.

                                                                    Other mains included:

                                                                    Char-Grilled Irish Sirloin Steak with Spinach, Red Onion Jam & Béarnaise Sauce

                                                                    Roasted Duck Breast with Sprouting Broccoli, Fondant Potato,Mushroom & Madeira Sauce

                                                                    Fish of the Evening (cant remember)

                                                                    Pan Seared Scallops With Spring Vegetables, Chorizo Salad & Sorrel Sauce

                                                                    Cêpes Risotto with Rocket, Parmesan & Truffle Oil


                                                                    Again I didn't hear or see anything strange with anyone else's dishes. I sampled a neighbouring woman's duck breast after she had finished and it was pretty good. Similar to the steak, medium done and very juicy.

                                                                    For dessert I made a bad call and ordered a Hot Chocolate Fondant with Mocha Sauce & Caramel Ice-Cream. Don't get me wrong it was amazing - too good but they are normally too heavy and rich and leave me too full. Other options included:

                                                                    Strawberry & Rhubarb Crumble with Vanilla Ice-Cream (looked like a lasagne but tasted great)

                                                                    Amaretto & Cherry Crème Bruleé

                                                                    Selection of Farm House Cheeses with Fig Jam, Grapes & Crackers

                                                                    Overall it was a top rated meal. I know things can be skewed when part of a group and a dinner for 50 is worth a lot to them. I don't know how anyone else in the restaurant would have felt with the noisy atmosphere we brought in. The menus we had is the group dinner menu which is different from the one on their website.

                                                                    I would definitely recommend it for a great meal based on what I witnessed.

                                                                    Comment


                                                                      Funny I was going to reply saying how I find Shanahan's obnoxiously expensive and you finished with exactly that terminology. Like I'm all for paying Michelin star quality and everything that goes with it, but €50 for a steak and €10 for a side just seems cynical to me.

                                                                      A few of us went to Thornton's a couple of weeks back and spent little more per person for 8 courses with accompanying wines than you did at Shanahan's.

                                                                      Comment


                                                                        what was the origin of your T-Bone GAB? I have become very interested in such things since reading that Steak book.
                                                                        "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                                        Comment


                                                                          I've been very lazy with my reviews lately and can't really remember too much about the various meals so here's a few scores and comments from recent meals out:

                                                                          Pearl, Merrion Row: 5/10. Wierd night, they delayed us for almost an hour over our booked time (8.30pm) to get a table. Then they tried to persuade us to sit in some alcove yoke that was like a prison cell. Desserts were revolting, service was unctuous and smarmy. Overpriced and unpleasant, will not be returning.

                                                                          Bay, Clontarf Road: 7.5/10. Great brunch destination, especially with kids. Very focussed on healthy options (calorie counts listed for all dishes), kitchen can surprise on the upside with their daily specials. Friendly staff, always packed with locals.

                                                                          Matt the Threshers, Pembroke St: 8/10. Didn't expect much as I don't really go for the whole gastropub experience and they really surprised in a good way. Specials of brill and mackerel were excellent. Well priced too.
                                                                          "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                                          Comment


                                                                            Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post

                                                                            Bay, Clontarf Road: 7.5/10. Great brunch destination, especially with kids. Very focussed on healthy options (calorie counts listed for all dishes), kitchen can surprise on the upside with their daily specials. Friendly staff, always packed with locals.
                                                                            Again, 13 nicker for a fry and it doesn't even come with a cuppa cha....taking the piss more than just a bit. Was nice though, and the outside seating is pretty cool.

                                                                            Comment


                                                                              Originally posted by zuutroy View Post
                                                                              Again, 13 nicker for a fry and it doesn't even come with a cuppa cha....taking the piss more than just a bit. Was nice though, and the outside seating is pretty cool.
                                                                              I usually get the Eggs Benedict and it's top notch.

                                                                              If I want a good fry, I'll make it myself but the ingredients will probably add up to over 13 yoyos (decent sausages, rashers, pudding and eggs from the organic guy in the farmers market in St Annes)
                                                                              "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                                              Comment


                                                                                Lovin' Spoon near Walton's off Dorset St. 7 bucks..boom!

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                                                                                  Restaurant Name: Thoronton's

                                                                                  Location: Stephens Green, Dublin 2

                                                                                  Website: www.thorntons.ie

                                                                                  Price Range: €€€€€

                                                                                  Don't have much time but I'll scribble up a quick review. Myself, Roadsweeper, Cardshark, Halfbaked and Keane went here a couple of Fridays back. We took our seats about 8:40. The room is lovely and the first thing you notice when you walk in is the floor to ceiling wine cellar. There’s a bottle in there for €5k if you’re a recent lottery winner. We decided to let them recommend the wines and got a bottle with every second course. Reggie did look the part swirling it in his glass testing it out and going ‘ok’, while I prayed he hadn’t just accepted some ridic priced bottle. He also said he wasn’t a bit seafood fan so they made him a special menu and he ran ridic well.

                                                                                  Without going into ridiculous detail about the dishes they were as follows

                                                                                  Smoked Mackerel with Tomato Consommé and Cucumber Ice –Really good.

                                                                                  Reggie got Bacon and Cabbage Terrine with Pea Sorbet for this course.

                                                                                  Braised Pig’s Head with Carrot Purée and Poitin Sauce – Again I was very impressed with this one.

                                                                                  Bere Island Queen Scallops with Woodland Herbs and Cucumber-Lime Mousse –Felt like it was lacking something. Was gone in a second and made to look worse by the dish Reggie got which was Éireyu Beef Carpaccio with Parsley Purée and Horseradish Cream

                                                                                  “Mi-Cuit” of Foie Gras rolled in Black Truffle with Warm Brioche – Homer Simpson drool face. The highlight for me. They gave us a little spoon of white truffle powder on the side which was amazing stuff. Pretty sure it beats most class A’s in terms of potency and the lump of Foie Gras was biiiig.

                                                                                  Fillet of Atlantic Turbot and Truffle Mousse with White and Wild Asparagus. –Pretty good and a fairly substantial dish. Had never tried turbot before. Reg of course runs well again and gets Loin of Milk-Fed Veal with Broccoli Mousse and Rosemary Sauce which was reportedly very nice.

                                                                                  Nettle and Thyme Sorbet – one of the better sorbets I’ve had, drenched in gin.

                                                                                  Bresse Pigeon with Char-Grilled Baby Leeks, Truffle Scrambled Egg and Shallot Sauce. -Enjoyed this much more than the Pigeon in Bon Appetit. It was cooked rarer and was melt in the mouth. Halfbaked was disappointed.

                                                                                  Cashel Blue Cheese with Grapes, Walnuts and Apple Juice –What it says on the tin

                                                                                  Chocolate Crème Brûlée with Coconut Mousse -Top nothch, but much too rich for the end of a monster meal.

                                                                                  The wines were as follows:
                                                                                  Vouvray, Marc Brédif, Loire Valley, France, 2009
                                                                                  Pinot Noir, Dom. Dinler-Cade, Alsace France, 2006
                                                                                  Umathum, "Auslese", Chardonnay/Scheurebe, Austria, 2009
                                                                                  "Los Lingues" Carmenère Gran Reserva, Casa Silva, Chile 2008

                                                                                  The white Pinot Noir and the Umathum were the highlights for us all I think. All told the bill including tip came to €900 for the 5 of us, so pretty pricey. I felt things were of a higher quality in l’Ecrivain but would certainly recommend giving Thorton’s a go. Kevin Thornton himself came out and had a quick chat with us at the end. Overall I think we were seated for more than 3 hours. Service was amazing throughout.

                                                                                  Tl;dr: Cardshark went to a Michelin star restaurant and had Bacon and Cabbage.

                                                                                  Comment


                                                                                    That white Pinot Noir was amazing.

                                                                                    Comment


                                                                                      Restaurant Name: Saagar

                                                                                      Location: Harcourt St, Dublin 2

                                                                                      Website

                                                                                      Price Range: €€€

                                                                                      Despite booking the day before, confusion reigned in the holding area on arrival which was to set the trend for the evening. The two young waiters(the only two serving that evening) had an animated debate as i looked at the walls adorned with tributes and awards until the dust settled in a form of truce with neither waiter entirely happy on each others take on the confusion but hurried us into the dining area all the same before backing out and continuing the debate out of shot. I noticed looks in from some of the kitchen staff and hoped we didnt irk the powers that be. If we hadnt already known then soon enough it came apparant they hadn’t a clue what they were doing and if i was told it was their first week on the job i would have believed it but i like a bit of caberet all the same.

                                                                                      We were left sitting there without menu or water for what seemed like ages but was actually probably ten minutes before we were even approached. But before we could think of vocalising the racism card a full Indian family spanning 3 generations on the adjacent table were in the same boat as us albeit a more patient boat. Eventually when i waved them down and made eye contact he scarpered to the kitchen to get things rolling with the jug of water and menu.

                                                                                      We were given complimentary popadoms that came with some very flavoursome garnishes that you’d scoop with small mustard spoons. Halfway through the popadoms i spotted the starters approaching so theres no messing about once they get going. Not one to get down on prompt service but its always a bit unnerving when you spot the next course coming out while your already on something because your thinking theyre going to clear it off to the side before taking it away while your pre-occupied with feasting your eyes on the starter. Especially as its complimentary and they still have rights on it its not really something you can make claim over taking back because theyve given it to you on their bat. So you need to be getting the defences up by making a clearing for the starters while holding the plate of popadoms with one hand at the edge of the table to signal your still on it. Table real estate becomes an issue now and all the time your trying to act calm to not give the waiter the impression that your put out or hes scuppering anything to keep him onside.

                                                                                      Service was one thing but thankfully the food was in complete contrast. The waiter poured the wine and when he was done screwed the cap back on!. Ok a chianti as you expected but did you ever see that before!. As i was holding back the smile after this move i spotted the the other waiter crash through a pushed back chair on his way back to the kitchen. The quality of the service took a turn for the better when the Maitre d of the evening made his entrance in nonchalant but classy style. It wasn’t long before he could be likened to a lion master, He didn’t do much but in a way that was the beauty. He was orchestrating events by small gestures and mainly his presence all the while leaving you nodding with approval of the performance. You could just see when he was around the floor the two lads were working with more harmony, initiative and fluidity.

                                                                                      I got onion bhajee for starters which were crispy, light and dryish and not a big heavy dough ball. Its always a good feeling when you come up big on a starter selection. Its as if your in tune with the whole place and like youve double guessed the bad beat of an interesting sounding starter that turns out to be a damp squib and it sets the tone of whats to follow.
                                                                                      The danger wasn’t over yet!. The Jumbo prawn tikka masala main was decent but a slight let down overall because the term jumbo was a bit of a stretch for the actual size of them on arrival but more so because they were slightly dry on the bite and weren’t as succulent as they should have been. The Pilau rice wasn’t plentiful by any means but all told i was full when i was done.

                                                                                      Headed to the men’s room at the end and considering the restaurant is located in the basement and theres a further walk down a corridor to reach the mens i was amused to see a sign on the jacks door which read ‘Please note toilets are for use for customers only!. I mean who is going to be brazen enough to walk off the street to a basement restaurant across the dining floor and down a corridor to be put off by such a sign. I was tempted to point this out to Philip Baker-Hall on the way back but i realised when he reached our table earlier doing his chit chat rounds despite nodding along in appropriate places he barely knew what i was saying so i thought i’d just leave it this time.
                                                                                      Last edited by rounders123; 12-06-12, 20:45.

                                                                                      Comment


                                                                                        Restaurant Name: The Winding Stair

                                                                                        Location: Lower Ormond Quay

                                                                                        Website: http://www.winding-stair.com/

                                                                                        Price: €€

                                                                                        Went here yesterday evening around 6pm and although there were lots of tables free, we were told we would have to have the table back by 7.30. A few more couples came in after us and were told the same thing and by 6.45 they had refused 4/5 couples so obv best to book ahead. Place is small and cosy but might be a bit too tight for some people (although they did move tables around to make space). Its on the first floor of an old building so no wheelchair access (hence winding stair )

                                                                                        Prob a mixed review on the food. Mrs Careca absolutely loved it but I wasn't totally overawed. Its home cooking Irish food done simply but well.

                                                                                        I had the pig hock with pea custard to start. This was really good and came with toast, lettuce leaves and pickles. Plenty of ham in the dish but I would have liked an extra bit of toast (or 2). Was very tasty though. Mrs had a gravlax (sp??) of beetroot trout with similar trimmings to mine. I'm not a trout man so didn't try it but it looked great and I'm told tasted fantastic.

                                                                                        For mains I had the lamb shank and herself had the plaice. The meat on the lamb shank was fall off the bone stuff (as you'd imagine) but the sauce and sides left the whole thing down imo. It came with fried potatoes which didn't do much for me and green beans. The gravy was a big let down and I just wasn't wowed by the dish. The plaice that herself got was huge and cooked to perfection. Came with baby potatoes and cucumber and red onion salad. This was def the winner of the two with the fish itself the star. Portions are very big (herself had to leave some of the fish behind) so we didn't go for a dessert but they looked good from what I could see.

                                                                                        €24.95 for 2 courses with the option of a glass of wine for €27.95. Service was excellent.

                                                                                        Def a place to go if you want comfort food cooked well.

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                                                                                          I'm heading to l'Ecrivain again tomorrow night - gonna go through my old review and everyone else's to see if I can pick up any pointers! May write up another review if the experience is sufficiently different this time around.

                                                                                          Also went to the Bridge Bar & Grill again in recent weeks (I had reviewed it previously), it didn't warrant a second review but I'd like to once again recommend the place, definitely the nicest restaurant within a short walk of Grand Canal Square, so worth a visit for those hitting the Bord Gais Energy Theatre.


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                                                                                            I'd nearly pay for your meals just to read your reviews Rounders, also very enjoyable read in general this thread.

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                                                                                              I've Pichet booked fo Friday night, so i'll put up a review afterwards.

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                                                                                                Made my first visit to Patrick Guilbald on Saturday. As GAB has a review on the first page of this, I'll just cover anything else to add

                                                                                                We had booked for 8:30 and were shown straight to our table on arrival. We then had a decent wait for menus, water, and to order, so our first course didn't come until ~9:30. The rest of the meal was well paced over the next 3 hours or so. We went for the 8 course tasting menu (€160) and accompanying wines (€85)

                                                                                                The tasting menu is a surprise, but all courses are from the menu, so you can see the descriptions here (http://restaurantpatrickguilbaud.ie/menus/a-la-carte). The only exception was the lobster, which was in a buttery sauce, with cabbage.

                                                                                                It went
                                                                                                Bread - big selection, all I tried were good
                                                                                                Rabbit Terrine Amuse Bouche
                                                                                                Foie Gras
                                                                                                Crab
                                                                                                Lobster
                                                                                                Pigeon (rare)
                                                                                                Goats Cheese (served with Jacobs cream crackers!)
                                                                                                Sorbets
                                                                                                Dark Chocolate Tart
                                                                                                Coffee with Petit Fours and chocolates

                                                                                                For me, the Lobster was the highlight, fantastic taste and texture. The crab was also excellent, although the wasabi kick on it got mixed views from our group. Pigeon was nice but not as good as those two. Hard to call anything a low point, the Goats Cheese and Foie Gras were both nothing special.

                                                                                                Overall the food was excellent and the whole experience went very well. However it's not cheap, and I don't think it was worth the premium over going to Chapter One (we ended up paying €280 per head, vs ~€160 in chapter one)

                                                                                                Other recent meals:
                                                                                                Coppinger Row (http://coppingerrow.com/, €€) - it was fine. Nothing massively good or bad to say about it. We didn't try the cocktails which seem to be a big selling point of it. 6/10

                                                                                                The Chop House (http://thechophouse.ie/, €€) - Recently won best Irish gastropub, it was ok but I wouldn't go that far. Scallops starter was v good, Rib eye steak ok (came with nice chips and green beans and onion marmalade), Crab Salad was nice, Rabbit cooked 3 ways didn't go down great. Service was pretty sloppy considering we went at a quiet time. 5.5/10

                                                                                                An Port Mor, Westport (http://www.anportmor.com/, €€) - Seafood focused restaurant in the town centre. Should have written up a review on this after I went, might have remembered a bit more of it! I was very impressed though, all courses and service of a very high standard. 9/10

                                                                                                Grogans, Glasson (http://grogansofglasson.com/, €) - I had heard there were 2 v good restaurants here so stopped on the way back to Dublin, it's about 5km off the Galway-Dublin road the Dublin side of Athlone. Seafood was pretty good, service a bit patchy. 7/10

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                                                                                                  Restaurant Name: The Oar House

                                                                                                  Location: Howth

                                                                                                  Website: here

                                                                                                  Price: €€€

                                                                                                  Time to get back on the reviewing horse. I was taken, allegedly by three small children, out to the Oar House to mark Father's Day yesterday. Despite the pun-tastically terrible name, the Oar House has long been our favourite fish joint in Howth and I was eagerly anticipating some piscine pabulum as I pointed the automobile towards the penninsula. Parking was scarce but eventually we located a spot on the quay and disembarked. Entry was delayed for a moment as the kids were suitably enthralled by the resident seals in Howth harbour, they're about the size of sealions at this stage. The kids and the tourists seemed to like them anyway. For me watching seals is like watching poker; it looks cool from a distance but rapidly gets tedious. Anyway.

                                                                                                  We entered the relatively cramped premises of the Oar House which was heaving with fathers of all ages, all enjoying themselves in the knowledge that this was one meal they wouldn't have to shell out for. After a short wait for our table, we were seated. A nice touch was the kids colouring pens and pirate-themed paper; this keeps the little feckers busy in the interval between being seated and the arrival of the first course. The Oar House's gig is fresh fish, simply cooked with no fancy frills. There's a nice standing menu with all the usual suspects like chowder (decent, from memory), squid, mussels, plaice, fish and chips (ever-popular and really good but if you come to Howth to eat fish n' chips, then get it from Beshoffs) and fish pie but the real interest for me is always the specials board. The dish that caught my eye was the brill with chive hollandaise, a real favourite of mine. Unfortunately it also caught the eye of Mrs Duke and the waitress solemnly informed us that there was only one portion left in the kitchen. Having dropped this verbal bombshell, she then hovered expectantly, aware of the mounting tension at the table. Luckily, poker training stood me in good stead in here as I stared Mrs Duke down until she folded her hand and allowed me to take the pot. Well, it was Father's Day after all.

                                                                                                  Mrs Duke then plumped for the plaice with almond butter as a consolation prize and we ordered half a dozen oysters and a portion of cajun squid to start. The brats ordered up two portions of fish and chips, I requested a carafe of Muscadet after the requisite 'who's driving?' debate and we waved away the helpful waitress. Just as the pirates were coloured in, the first wave of food arrived - the staff again showing a healthy dollop of common sense as they shipped out the kids mains with our starters.

                                                                                                  My oysters provided the requisite dose of iodised essence of Carlingford. I tend not to adorn my osters with anything more than a squeeze of lemon juice but Mrs D took one with the accompanying vinaigrette and assured me it was exemplary. Mrs Duke's cajun calamari is an old favourite of hers, I tried some and have to say I found the batter slightly greasy but she had no complaints. The kid's fish n' chips were excellent, basically a half-portion of the adult version with beautifully fresh haddock encased within a very light beer batter. A tempura chef would almost be proud to claim that batter. I sneaked a fair bit of the young fella's when he wasn't looking. Their chips were thick, floury and I would bet deep-fried in groundnut oil. Excellent. The baby ate quite a few of these and fecked the rest on the floor, nobody seemed to mind - it's that kind of place.

                                                                                                  My main was the star of the show, a meaty portion of beautifully cooked brill (one of my favourite fish, comparable to turbot) with a smooth chive hollandaise sauce on the side. The only bum note was the addition of some almond butter sauce, which I eloquently described as 'shite'. Chips on the side got dunked in the hollandaise and destroyed. Mrs Duke's plaice was perfectly acceptable but I could tell she was still stewing about the brill. I mollified her with a top-up of Muscadet and eventually her defences crumbled.

                                                                                                  'I want a brownie' and 'I want a lollipop' were the dessert demands of the junior members of the congregation. The brownie was about the size of a midlands county with an accompanying scoop of ice-cream. In the interests of parental quality control I tried a bite and it was excellent. I ordered pecan pie to share with Mrs Duke but the waitress shamefacedly returned from the kitchen to inform me it was 'off'. She then offered a freebie banoffi in mitigation which was a superior example of the species. I think I've eaten too many slices of banoffi in my life though, maybe if Heston Blumenthal ever serves me one I might be tempted again. My espresso was dreadful but you can't win them all. We escaped after about 90 minutes with no crying, tantrums or spilled drinks (well, apart from me on all counts). €120, including tip.

                                                                                                  The Oar House is not a sophisticated fish restaurant but it is a good one. Don't go there on the first date, save it for the tenth.

                                                                                                  8/10
                                                                                                  "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

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                                                                                                    Right a quick enough review of our second trip to l'Ecrivain in the last year:

                                                                                                    Restaurant Name: l'Ecrivain

                                                                                                    Location: Lower Baggot Street, Dublin

                                                                                                    Website: http://www.lecrivain.com/

                                                                                                    Price: €€€/€€€€

                                                                                                    We arrived at 7.30pm on a Tuesday night to a relatively busy restaurant; almost all tables in the main dining area were occupied, so we were seated upstairs in the small balcony / mezzanine. We were the only diners up there for about 15 minutes, but the remaining five or so tables filled up over the course of an hour or so. We were slightly worried about being overlooked up there, but apart from waiting what seemed like ten minutes to get our menus and water, our worries proved groundless.

                                                                                                    With both of us hungry, we eagerly ordered to get the show on the road - I went for Hake, with clams, almonds and bean shred to start, while herself went for the Quail with mushrooms and celery. Before the starters arrived, our waiter brought us an amuse bouche of pickel mackeral with aioli, and a foamy gazpacho - pretty tasty, though maybe the gazpacho wasn't setting the world alight! We also had some of the freshly baked bread; I ended up having two slices of the Guinness bread, it was almost like cake!

                                                                                                    My Hake was great, a real big meaty portion, with lovely toasted almond pieces and bean shred. The dish also came with squid ink, though I don't think that added anything to the taste, maybe it was just their for presentation? The girlfriend's Quail was very well received, two sizeable (for quail) pieces that looks really nice.

                                                                                                    We had also ordered a bottle of Italian Grillo, which was recommended by the sommelier - very nice. We were given a nice palate cleanser between courses, a refreshing sorbet-type thing I can't adequately describe!

                                                                                                    For our mains, I went for the Wicklow Lamb, while herself went for the Hereford Beef. Both were presented beautifully, as were all dishes I saw that night to be honest. I had three big chunks of lamb, it was decent but nothing special really, and as I had such high hopes I was a bit let down. The Hereford Beef seems much nicer, I tried a little bit and it was extremely tender. There was a decent amount of it as well.

                                                                                                    For desert, I went for a Chocolate Brownie Mousse, while the girlfriend choose the Rhubarb and Custard Brulee. Both were nice without being extraordinary - of course, both of us were full by this point so nothing really was going to fire us up that much!

                                                                                                    We didn't go for any dessert wines or coffees, and hit the road shortly after 10pm. The final bill came to €205 incl. tip, we were on a Menupages deal so effectively paid €140 in total. It was a satisfactory meal, we weren't as impressed as the first time, but the service was very good and the atmosphere enjoyable so I'm sure we'll be back. From my seat in the balcony, I actually got a sneaky look into the kitchen and whenever I saw Derry Clarke he was rushing around looking very pressured (the place was very busy so I guess there was much to do all evening); I felt a little bit sorry for him! Nice to see a 'big name' chef still giving it loads in his kitchen I suppose.

                                                                                                    Poor quality images of last night's menu:

                                                                                                    SPOILER





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                                                                                                      Originally posted by ionapaul View Post
                                                                                                      Right a quick enough review of our second trip to l'Ecrivain in the last year:

                                                                                                      Restaurant Name: l'Ecrivain

                                                                                                      Location: Lower Baggot Street, Dublin

                                                                                                      Website: http://www.lecrivain.com/

                                                                                                      Price: €€€/€€€€

                                                                                                      We arrived at 7.30pm on a Tuesday night to a relatively busy restaurant; almost all tables in the main dining area were occupied, so we were seated upstairs in the small balcony / mezzanine. We were the only diners up there for about 15 minutes, but the remaining five or so tables filled up over the course of an hour or so. We were slightly worried about being overlooked up there, but apart from waiting what seemed like ten minutes to get our menus and water, our worries proved groundless.

                                                                                                      With both of us hungry, we eagerly ordered to get the show on the road - I went for Hake, with clams, almonds and bean shred to start, while herself went for the Quail with mushrooms and celery. Before the starters arrived, our waiter brought us an amuse bouche of pickel mackeral with aioli, and a foamy gazpacho - pretty tasty, though maybe the gazpacho wasn't setting the world alight! We also had some of the freshly baked bread; I ended up having two slices of the Guinness bread, it was almost like cake!

                                                                                                      My Hake was great, a real big meaty portion, with lovely toasted almond pieces and bean shred. The dish also came with squid ink, though I don't think that added anything to the taste, maybe it was just their for presentation? The girlfriend's Quail was very well received, two sizeable (for quail) pieces that looks really nice.

                                                                                                      We had also ordered a bottle of Italian Grillo, which was recommended by the sommelier - very nice. We were given a nice palate cleanser between courses, a refreshing sorbet-type thing I can't adequately describe!

                                                                                                      For our mains, I went for the Wicklow Lamb, while herself went for the Hereford Beef. Both were presented beautifully, as were all dishes I saw that night to be honest. I had three big chunks of lamb, it was decent but nothing special really, and as I had such high hopes I was a bit let down. The Hereford Beef seems much nicer, I tried a little bit and it was extremely tender. There was a decent amount of it as well.

                                                                                                      For desert, I went for a Chocolate Brownie Mousse, while the girlfriend choose the Rhubarb and Custard Brulee. Both were nice without being extraordinary - of course, both of us were full by this point so nothing really was going to fire us up that much!

                                                                                                      We didn't go for any dessert wines or coffees, and hit the road shortly after 10pm. The final bill came to €205 incl. tip, we were on a Menupages deal so effectively paid €140 in total. It was a satisfactory meal, we weren't as impressed as the first time, but the service was very good and the atmosphere enjoyable so I'm sure we'll be back. From my seat in the balcony, I actually got a sneaky look into the kitchen and whenever I saw Derry Clarke he was rushing around looking very pressured (the place was very busy so I guess there was much to do all evening); I felt a little bit sorry for him! Nice to see a 'big name' chef still giving it loads in his kitchen I suppose.

                                                                                                      Poor quality images of last night's menu:

                                                                                                      SPOILER



                                                                                                      I was completely underwhlemed by L'Ecrivain. Thought chapter one was streets ahead of it.
                                                                                                      His rival it seems, had broken his dreams,By stealing the girl of his fancy.Her name was Magill, and she called herself Lil,But everyone knew her as Nancy.

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                                                                                                        Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post
                                                                                                        what was the origin of your T-Bone GAB? I have become very interested in such things since reading that Steak book.
                                                                                                        Originally posted by Gimmeabreak
                                                                                                        I know definitively that Shanahans genuinely source good product. They get their meat from Keepak and a chef visits Keepak weekly to select the Sirloins they wish to have aged for their use. I have it from both sources within the meat industry and also from my neighbour from Banagher who is a chef and worked cooking the steaks in Shanahans for a couple of years and thus was responsible for visiting keepak. I cant say for certain that they were Angus steaks but I would take short odds as the t-bone had very obviously come from a smaller carcass in keeping with the physiology (is that the correct word) of the Angus breed. All of the above adds up to why they charge you €50 for it.
                                                                                                        Here is what they say on their site

                                                                                                        "At Shanahan's we strive to serve the highest quality products and our beef is no exception. Our meat specialist, Anthony Dunne has developed a beef program to ensure that Shanahan's reaches this goal. We only serve Certified Irish Angus beef, but what does this mean?"

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                                                                                                          Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post
                                                                                                          Restaurant Name: The Oar House

                                                                                                          Location: Howth

                                                                                                          Website: here

                                                                                                          Price: €€€

                                                                                                          Time to get back on the reviewing horse. I was taken, allegedly by three small children, out to the Oar House to mark Father's Day yesterday. Despite the pun-tastically terrible name, the Oar House has long been our favourite fish joint in Howth and I was eagerly anticipating some piscine pabulum as I pointed the automobile towards the penninsula. Parking was scarce but eventually we located a spot on the quay and disembarked. Entry was delayed for a moment as the kids were suitably enthralled by the resident seals in Howth harbour, they're about the size of sealions at this stage. The kids and the tourists seemed to like them anyway. For me watching seals is like watching poker; it looks cool from a distance but rapidly gets tedious. Anyway.

                                                                                                          We entered the relatively cramped premises of the Oar House which was heaving with fathers of all ages, all enjoying themselves in the knowledge that this was one meal they wouldn't have to shell out for. After a short wait for our table, we were seated. A nice touch was the kids colouring pens and pirate-themed paper; this keeps the little feckers busy in the interval between being seated and the arrival of the first course. The Oar House's gig is fresh fish, simply cooked with no fancy frills. There's a nice standing menu with all the usual suspects like chowder (decent, from memory), squid, mussels, plaice, fish and chips (ever-popular and really good but if you come to Howth to eat fish n' chips, then get it from Beshoffs) and fish pie but the real interest for me is always the specials board. The dish that caught my eye was the brill with chive hollandaise, a real favourite of mine. Unfortunately it also caught the eye of Mrs Duke and the waitress solemnly informed us that there was only one portion left in the kitchen. Having dropped this verbal bombshell, she then hovered expectantly, aware of the mounting tension at the table. Luckily, poker training stood me in good stead in here as I stared Mrs Duke down until she folded her hand and allowed me to take the pot. Well, it was Father's Day after all.

                                                                                                          Mrs Duke then plumped for the plaice with almond butter as a consolation prize and we ordered half a dozen oysters and a portion of cajun squid to start. The brats ordered up two portions of fish and chips, I requested a carafe of Muscadet after the requisite 'who's driving?' debate and we waved away the helpful waitress. Just as the pirates were coloured in, the first wave of food arrived - the staff again showing a healthy dollop of common sense as they shipped out the kids mains with our starters.

                                                                                                          My oysters provided the requisite dose of iodised essence of Carlingford. I tend not to adorn my osters with anything more than a squeeze of lemon juice but Mrs D took one with the accompanying vinaigrette and assured me it was exemplary. Mrs Duke's cajun calamari is an old favourite of hers, I tried some and have to say I found the batter slightly greasy but she had no complaints. The kid's fish n' chips were excellent, basically a half-portion of the adult version with beautifully fresh haddock encased within a very light beer batter. A tempura chef would almost be proud to claim that batter. I sneaked a fair bit of the young fella's when he wasn't looking. Their chips were thick, floury and I would bet deep-fried in groundnut oil. Excellent. The baby ate quite a few of these and fecked the rest on the floor, nobody seemed to mind - it's that kind of place.

                                                                                                          My main was the star of the show, a meaty portion of beautifully cooked brill (one of my favourite fish, comparable to turbot) with a smooth chive hollandaise sauce on the side. The only bum note was the addition of some almond butter sauce, which I eloquently described as 'shite'. Chips on the side got dunked in the hollandaise and destroyed. Mrs Duke's plaice was perfectly acceptable but I could tell she was still stewing about the brill. I mollified her with a top-up of Muscadet and eventually her defences crumbled.

                                                                                                          'I want a brownie' and 'I want a lollipop' were the dessert demands of the junior members of the congregation. The brownie was about the size of a midlands county with an accompanying scoop of ice-cream. In the interests of parental quality control I tried a bite and it was excellent. I ordered pecan pie to share with Mrs Duke but the waitress shamefacedly returned from the kitchen to inform me it was 'off'. She then offered a freebie banoffi in mitigation which was a superior example of the species. I think I've eaten too many slices of banoffi in my life though, maybe if Heston Blumenthal ever serves me one I might be tempted again. My espresso was dreadful but you can't win them all. We escaped after about 90 minutes with no crying, tantrums or spilled drinks (well, apart from me on all counts). €120, including tip.

                                                                                                          The Oar House is not a sophisticated fish restaurant but it is a good one. Don't go there on the first date, save it for the tenth.

                                                                                                          8/10
                                                                                                          Was in the oar house last Sunday. Got the crab cakes for starters (always yum) Mrs got the calamari. Baby had SMA. I had mixed grill for the main, of which the Plaice was the nicest of the 3 fish as the mackerel and sea bass were over cooked, Mrs got a large crab salad which she said was ok and i had no pecan pie for dessert(sick).

                                                                                                          In fairness on all other occasions I have been there the food has been superb and they do a great early bird during the week.
                                                                                                          His rival it seems, had broken his dreams,By stealing the girl of his fancy.Her name was Magill, and she called herself Lil,But everyone knew her as Nancy.

                                                                                                          Comment


                                                                                                            Originally posted by Gimmeabreak
                                                                                                            Restaurant Name: Shanahans

                                                                                                            Location: Stephens Green, Dublin 2

                                                                                                            Website: www.shanahans.ie

                                                                                                            Price Range: €€€€€€€ or so, alot any

                                                                                                            The steak was huge, I mean massive. It was easily one of the best steaks I have ever been served and in terms of how restaurants should serve T-Bone steak, i.e. sirloin end, well trimmed with a naturally large fillet piece, then Shanahans sets the benchmark. (Compare it to Darwins on Aungier Street where when I ordered a T-Bone I was served a wing end with a completely separate piece of fillet - done ever go to Darwins, it should be closed for contempt of its customers). The Fillet was generous and well received.
                                                                                                            Had a funny moment on holidays last week as one of the lads is involved in Darwins & he was not a happy camper when I showed him this piece

                                                                                                            Have been in there a few times myself & always found it ok tbh (not a meat expert by any means though).

                                                                                                            Also (apparently) Darwins, indirectly, supply Shanahans up to 25% of their beef?

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                                                                                                              ...
                                                                                                              "We're not f*cking Burundi" - Big Phil

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                                                                                                                OP updated with links for the latest batch of reviews

                                                                                                                Comment


                                                                                                                  ...
                                                                                                                  "We're not f*cking Burundi" - Big Phil

                                                                                                                  Comment


                                                                                                                    Originally posted by Hitchhiker's Guide to... View Post
                                                                                                                    Must do a review of The House in Howth at some stage. Spectacular food and think its sufficiently off the beaten track to not be well known enough. Highly affordable despite the quality. Bonus is that its next door to the Ray Colliers butchers that have exclusive rights on Lambay Island beef so handy to be able to pick up a few steaks for back home
                                                                                                                    Please do, it's on my list!
                                                                                                                    "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

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                                                                                                                      Restaurant Name: Pichet

                                                                                                                      Location: Trinity Street, Dublin 2

                                                                                                                      Website: http://www.pichetrestaurant.ie/

                                                                                                                      Price Range: €€€

                                                                                                                      I want to start by saying that Pichet is/was my favourite Dublin restaurant. Myself and my girlfriend have had some lovely food in here, exceptional service and some nice sambuca to chase our coffee's. We ate here about ten times last year, but this was our first visit this year. I regularly recommend Pichet to friends and family.

                                                                                                                      We arrived at 7:45 and were seated immediately. I wasn't drinking due to a big BJJ competition the next day, so herself ordered a half bottle of wine (Pinot Grigio) and we shared a bottle of sparkling water. Several other groups of people arrived around the same time and were promptly seated. By the time our drinks arrived, we were ready to order but the waiter said our waitress would be over shortly to take our order. She arrived fifteen minutes later. My GF wanted to order Salmon with Squid Risotto, Iberico Ham and a confit of Fennel and Artichoke. Unfortunately this was off, but she had forgotten to tell us earlier. Someone also forget to tell about three other tables who attempted to order it later.

                                                                                                                      Thirty minutes later, our starters arrived.

                                                                                                                      Starters: Onion tart, Walnut puree, Crozier blue cheese with rocket and balsamic onion (€10). The GF loved this, and the taste i got of it was very nice, especially the walnut puree. I ordered Crisp lamb breast, violet Mustard, Watercress puree and sauce Gribiche (€10). This was not nice, the mustard and watercress puree had the required bite but the lamb was served shredded and rolled in breadcrumb. It was moist and tasteless.
                                                                                                                      *Both starters were served on boards, which the first time i've seen this in Pichet and not something that worked particularly well. It doesn't add anything to the food, so just serve it on a plate please.

                                                                                                                      A further forty five minutes later came our mains.

                                                                                                                      Mains: Roast Cod, Clams a la Grecque, Asparagus, Chorizo aioli, farfalle pasta (€26). My GF had this. She was initially disappointed about the Salmon, but this more than made up for it. The cod was beautifully cooked, and the dish just looked wonderful. I had Ribeye steak cooked medium rare, which was accompanied by bernaise sauce, watercress and fries (€28). The fries were of the kind you get in McDonalds and were served in a similar fashion, wrapped in paper (albeit with the Pichet logo). The watercress was watercress and the bernaise was bernaise. The steak was perfect. I ate it with much gusto and tried but left the rest of the accompaniments.

                                                                                                                      Dessert: The dessert menu has significantly changed and no longer includes an amazing raspberry crème brulee much to my disappointment. My GF ordered the Eton mess (€8), but nothing caught my eye. We ordered coffees (Americano for herself and a double espresso for me) to be served with dessert. The dessert arrived and fifteen minutes later came the coffees.

                                                                                                                      This was my worst experience in Pichet. They appear to be trying new things, but have dropped their standards for food, the variety on the menu was lacking and the service was simply appalling.


                                                                                                                      I didn't leave a tip, and i wouldnt recommend a visit to anyone. I'm going to give Pichet another shot in three months to see if things improve, but if not it will be my last visit.
                                                                                                                      Attached Files
                                                                                                                      Last edited by TomD; 25-06-12, 14:24. Reason: Just attaching a photo of the menu

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                                                                                                                        Restaurant: Seapoint Fish and Grill

                                                                                                                        Location: Monkstown

                                                                                                                        Price Range: €€€

                                                                                                                        The kids were having a sleepover at some friends house, so we decided to head out for the evening for the first time in a long time, and wanted to stay relatively local. Initially wanted to go to La Rouge in Cabinteely, which is getting some decent reviews, but it's closed on monday's, so settled for Seapoint which i'd heard little to nothing about, but liked the simplicity: meat on the grill, or a few fish dishes.

                                                                                                                        Turned up around 7, and there were already a good few people there, and people kept arriving all the way through our meal, so for a monday, that seemed pretty impressive.

                                                                                                                        For starters, we both ordered the mussels in a coconut/coriander/chili sauce. sauce was delicious, simple and effective combination (i wouldn't have minded a tad more heat, but my wife said it was perfect for her). Mussels were delicious, and if we'd had more bread we would have kept dunking it in the sauce until they took our bowls away.

                                                                                                                        main courses: I went for the hake on a bed sauteed spinach and a seafood risotto. everything was well cooked although the risotto rice could have been cooked a tiny bit more, and the flavors were nice but not particularly exciting when put together. i defintely expected more from the risotto.
                                                                                                                        my wife had the baked cod, with tomato and chorizo, and creamy fish, which was a big let down as very little flavor tbh.

                                                                                                                        this was all washed down with a very decent bottle of picpoul de pinet, very dry and sharp.

                                                                                                                        Service was good (until the bill), although it seemed the waitress was working her ass off and 2 guys (manager and assistant) weren't looking that busy.

                                                                                                                        I will probably go back there as they have seem to have some lovely beef on the menu. Hopefully it doesn't let me down.

                                                                                                                        Bill all told came to 100 euros.

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                                                                                                                          Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post
                                                                                                                          Restaurant Name: The Oar House

                                                                                                                          Location: Howth

                                                                                                                          Website: here

                                                                                                                          Price: €€€

                                                                                                                          The Oar House is not a sophisticated fish restaurant but it is a good one. Don't go there on the first date, save it for the tenth.

                                                                                                                          8/10
                                                                                                                          Few niggling injuries (neck, knee and elbow), so i've taken this weekend off training. Walking along the pier in Howth last night and i remember your review, so...

                                                                                                                          My GF had Pan fried Seabass with White Wine and Garlic sauce, and a side order of Garlic and Leek champ (€22). The Seabass was perfectly cooked and hearty, and the sauce had just the right balance not to make it too garlicy. I did manage to get a forkfull while she was distracted, and it was really nice.

                                                                                                                          I had Fillet steak cooked medium rare with sauteed Onions and pepper sauce (€24). I did endure some comments about going to a fish restaurant and eating steak, but i'd already eaten fish twice this weeck so stuck to my guns. The steak was as tall as it was wide, it was advertised on the menu as 9oz, but i think it was bigger than that. Perfectly cooked, succulent and accompanied by a delicious pepper sauce.

                                                                                                                          For dessert, she had the Chocolate Brownie (€6.5) and i had the Toffee Apple Sponge (€6.5). Gentlemen, do not under any circumstance go to this restaurant without having dessert. It was good.

                                                                                                                          Large bottle of sparkling water and some Merlot for herself brought the bill to just over €70. The service was excellent despite the place being full. I left a decent tip and will be back, soon.

                                                                                                                          Thank you.

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