The Restaurant Review Thread

[mocata]

Dinner is a great shout, i am thinking it might suit me and the GF more than a group trip tho.
Dates were changed to Feb cos theres a trade show on then, so have provisionally booked the chefs table in Marcus Wareing. Petrus chefs table also a contender.

[thechamp87]

This is quite good. Anyone been? Looks amazing.

[Raoul Duke III]

This is quite good. Anyone been? Looks amazing.

not to be overly harsh or anything (and nothing against the restaurant) but that kid and her family should be put down

for the good of society

[thechamp87]

not to be overly harsh or anything (and nothing against the restaurant) but that kid and her family should be put down

for the good of society

Ah it's just a bit of fun! Bring your troop into the chef's table in Chapter One and give us a similar report

[Raoul Duke III]

Vintage Kitchen has been booked for Thurs 29 Jan

5 miscreants (V, GAB, ionpaul, Denny and myself) already signed up, kindly post here or shoot me a PM if you would like to attend this evening of fine wine, neat eats and jibber-jabber.

[HiCloy]

Vintage Kitchen has been booked for Thurs 29 Jan



5 miscreants (V, GAB, ionpaul, Denny and myself) already signed up, kindly post here or shoot me a PM if you would like to attend this evening of fine wine, neat eats and jibber-jabber.

In if space still available

[Lord Sir Banter]

Regular Joes restaurant night sign up begins here.
Thinking Nandos or KFC, open to all suggestions. Thank the post for access to the interest forum.

[DeadParrot]

Regular Joes restaurant night sign up begins here.
Thinking Nandos or KFC, open to all suggestions. Thank the post for access to the interest forum.

Supermacs ftw

[Guest]

Any good tips for new York? Want to push the boat out one of the nights but looking for good casual/cheap places to eat on the go too

[ionapaul]

Any good tips for new York? Want to push the boat out one of the nights but looking for good casual/cheap places to eat on the go too

We ate in two pretty nice places in our trip at the start of this month - want to find the time to do a full review but realistically, I no longer have the time during the day to write something up and I am too tired of sitting in front of a keyboard to do it at night

1) Hakkasan (http://hakkasan.com/locations/hakkasan-new-york/) - this place has one Michelin star, we visited early on a Friday evening and it very quiet on arrival, which was a bit off-putting as it is a huge place. It's in a slightly rough-around-the-edges part of Hell's Kitchen, very close to our hotel as it turned out! The food was really nice, we shared a Dim Sum platter to start, then I had the Wok-fry duck breast with tangerine peel, while my wife had the Wok-fry seafood in wild ginger flower with prawn, squid and fish; both starter and mains were really nice. Had an awesome Riesling to accompany the meal. Very, very reasonable bill, think it was around $150 + tip for the above. Would be very happy to recommend.

2) Aquavit (http://www.aquavit.org/) - we pushed the boat out the next night and visited our very first two Michelin starred place; the food and experience was good but it certainly was pricey We decided to go with the Fall Tasting Menu (see here: http://www.aquavit.org/dinner/ - slightly different to what is listed there) and chose a nice white wine to accompany the meal. One annoying thing is that at the start of the meal we let our server know that we wanted the supplemental cheese course; typically, after a few courses we were feeling a bit stuffed and let her know that we had a change of heart (this was about 30 minutes before it would have been served). She indicated it wouldn't be a problem, but I noticed the next day that we paid for it anyway, which I was a little surprised at; it was only $20, can't help but wonder should we have paid or was it a simple mistake? Anyhow, there was loads of food, amazingly presented but maybe not as tasty as I would have expected, some courses (the apple and goat's milk in particular) were as much 'miss' as 'hit'.

I think I preferred the first meal, at less than half the cost!

[thechamp87]

Any good tips for new York? Want to push the boat out one of the nights but looking for good casual/cheap places to eat on the go too

Was there for a couple of weeks earlier this month.

Had great meals in all of the following:

Hundred Acres - really cosy neighbourhood place down in SoHo. Great at this time of year and had really enjoyed it previously. Reasonable prices, excellent food. One of my favourite restaurants in NYC.
Toro NYC - cool spot. Had originally eaten in their Boston restaurant and it's fantastic. Spanish tapas. Not over the top prices. Really worth a visit.
Gramercy Tavern - 2 areas within this restaurant, one Michelin starred with tasting menus and very expensive iirc. Ate in the more casual 'Tavern' section and it the food was excellent.
Public - down in SoHo. Has 1 Michelin star. Cool, modern, decor and great food. Kangaroo carpaccio was delicious. Lamb main was excellent also.
La Esquina - this place is great if you like Mexican food. You go in through a taco fast food joint and there's a door saying 'Employees Only' which you get taken through. They bring you downstairs through the kitchen and into a fantastic bar/restaurant space and great Mexican food. Fun spot.

If you're there with the other half then 230 Fifth on 5th Avenue & 27th is a great spot for a few evening rooftop drinks with an incredible view of the city. You can almost touch the Empire State Building.

If I think of anything else I'll get back to you.

[thechamp87]

Just on Paul's point above about enjoying the cheaper meal more than the second one - I've spent quite a lot of time in NY in the past couple of years and have always found that spending an evening in a good mid-range restaurant and a few bars is much more enjoyable than going all out for the white tablecloth Michelin experiences. The buzz of the city is what I like most about NY and you get that much more in the neighbourhood restaurants and bars imo at much less cost. Have had fantastic evenings in all the above restaurants I listed.

Paul - did you by any chance watch the SA match in an Irish bar on West 54th St? Might have seen you as I was leaving but I was very hungover and could be wrong!

[ionapaul]

Just on Paul's point above about enjoying the cheaper meal more than the second one - I've spent quite a lot of time in NY in the past couple of years and have always found that spending an evening in a good mid-range restaurant and a few bars is much more enjoyable than going all out for the white tablecloth Michelin experiences. The buzz of the city is what I like most about NY and you get that much more in the neighbourhood restaurants and bars imo at much less cost. Have had fantastic evenings in all the above restaurants I listed.

Paul - did you by any chance watch the SA match in an Irish bar on West 54th St? Might have seen you as I was leaving but I was very hungover and could be wrong!

I can't remember the street - we actually had to wander from Irish pub to Irish pub, always being directed onwards, until we found one showing the match with a $20 cover charge! - but the pub itself was called the Old Castle; were you there? I definitely didn't spot you, apologies if you were somewhere in my eyeline and I blanked you! We were upstairs, there were about 20/25 in the room and my wife and I were sitting in between two groups of South Africans, who were very pleasant but I know they would've been right in our faces if they had had the upper hand that day. Oh, I was wearing a Connacht jersey like the tourist I was

[thechamp87]

I can't remember the street - we actually had to wander from Irish pub to Irish pub, always being directed onwards, until we found one showing the match with a $20 cover charge! - but the pub itself was called the Old Castle; were you there? I definitely didn't spot you, apologies if you were somewhere in my eyeline and I blanked you! We were upstairs, there were about 20/25 in the room and my wife and I were sitting in between two groups of South Africans, who were very pleasant but I know they would've been right in our faces if they had had the upper hand that day. Oh, I was wearing a Connacht jersey like the tourist I was

Haha yep Old Castle, didn't actually register the Connacht jersey . We were upstairs too down the end if you went right at the top of the stairs. We had done a similar walking tour of midtown Irish bars and begrudgingly paid the $20 as the game had started. Certainly wouldn't be rushing back there!

[Dice75]

Anyone been to "Forest Avenue", somewhere near The Burlo apparently?

[mocata]

GF was there last week, v impressed. Menu looked well thought out, c 100 a head so on the pricier end of things.

[DeadParrot]

Any good tips for new York? Want to push the boat out one of the nights but looking for good casual/cheap places to eat on the go too

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/where-to-eat-new-york-nyc-best-restaurants.html

I'd recommend Keen's steakhouse for a fancy one anyway

[Raoul Duke III]

Vintage Kitchen has been booked for Thurs 29 Jan

5 miscreants (V, GAB, ionpaul, Denny and myself) already signed up, kindly post here or shoot me a PM if you would like to attend this evening of fine wine, neat eats and jibber-jabber.

Now up to 8 deviants, keep 'em coming. Given the popularity of this place I need to let them know early if we'll have more.

[MrsFlushdraw]

Have Bon Appetit booked for Saturday the 20th of December. Looking forward to it!

[newbie2]

Why is that crazy?

He doesnt want anything 'experimental'.

Meat Fruit (c.1500)
Mandarin, chicken liver & foie gras parfait, grilled bread

Savoury Porridge (c.1660)
Frog’s legs, chanterelles, garlic, parsley & fennel


not sure non-foodies would go with that sort of stuff.

IMO

[Dice75]

Trying to get a lunch booking in town for Christmas Eve is proving a lot trickier than anticipated, some places booked up a year in advance!

[Lord Sir Banter]

Butcher Grill is a good spot.

[Raoul Duke III]

Old stinker review:

Restaurant Name: Fallon & Byrne

Location: Exchequer Street, Dublin 2

Website: here

Price Range: €€€€

<Blah blah blah....rant>

F&B market themselves as foodies, this might be acceptable in the case of the food hall on the ground floor and also the wine bar but the restaurant has gone to the dogs. Avoid with extreme prejudice.

2/10

In the interests of fairness and natural justice, it should be noted we had an extremely good time, with good grub, in the downstairs wine bar at the w/e. Excellent service too.

7/10

[Strewelpeter]

A huge +1 for GAB's 9/10 for Ananda in Dundrum.

I've eaten in a few great Indian restaurants, none in Ireland where there are plenty of ok options, but Anand goes right to the top of the list.

All those great ones were very authentic and specifically from one region or another. Anand is different its a very refined take on the traditional Indian menu but they absolutely nail the flavours.
Tasting menu for 55 a head is superb value for the quality of food on offer.

[Denny Crane]

If you haven't been, I think you would like San Lorenzo

I chanced going here one Saturday and the queue was out onto the street, went to Olesya instead (dips are still great!) and made a booking for last weekend. Menu is very enticing, going to have to return a couple of times to get through it. Service was fantastic, I particularly enjoyed how they deftly handled a complaint from the two insufferable women beside us. A+ imo.

[Guest]

We ate in two pretty nice places in our trip at the start of this month - want to find the time to do a full review but realistically, I no longer have the time during the day to write something up and I am too tired of sitting in front of a keyboard to do it at night

1) Hakkasan (http://hakkasan.com/locations/hakkasan-new-york/) - this place has one Michelin star, we visited early on a Friday evening and it very quiet on arrival, which was a bit off-putting as it is a huge place. It's in a slightly rough-around-the-edges part of Hell's Kitchen, very close to our hotel as it turned out! The food was really nice, we shared a Dim Sum platter to start, then I had the Wok-fry duck breast with tangerine peel, while my wife had the Wok-fry seafood in wild ginger flower with prawn, squid and fish; both starter and mains were really nice. Had an awesome Riesling to accompany the meal. Very, very reasonable bill, think it was around $150 + tip for the above. Would be very happy to recommend.

2) Aquavit (http://www.aquavit.org/) - we pushed the boat out the next night and visited our very first two Michelin starred place; the food and experience was good but it certainly was pricey We decided to go with the Fall Tasting Menu (see here: http://www.aquavit.org/dinner/ - slightly different to what is listed there) and chose a nice white wine to accompany the meal. One annoying thing is that at the start of the meal we let our server know that we wanted the supplemental cheese course; typically, after a few courses we were feeling a bit stuffed and let her know that we had a change of heart (this was about 30 minutes before it would have been served). She indicated it wouldn't be a problem, but I noticed the next day that we paid for it anyway, which I was a little surprised at; it was only $20, can't help but wonder should we have paid or was it a simple mistake? Anyhow, there was loads of food, amazingly presented but maybe not as tasty as I would have expected, some courses (the apple and goat's milk in particular) were as much 'miss' as 'hit'.

I think I preferred the first meal, at less than half the cost!

Was there for a couple of weeks earlier this month.

Had great meals in all of the following:

Hundred Acres - really cosy neighbourhood place down in SoHo. Great at this time of year and had really enjoyed it previously. Reasonable prices, excellent food. One of my favourite restaurants in NYC.
Toro NYC - cool spot. Had originally eaten in their Boston restaurant and it's fantastic. Spanish tapas. Not over the top prices. Really worth a visit.
Gramercy Tavern - 2 areas within this restaurant, one Michelin starred with tasting menus and very expensive iirc. Ate in the more casual 'Tavern' section and it the food was excellent.
Public - down in SoHo. Has 1 Michelin star. Cool, modern, decor and great food. Kangaroo carpaccio was delicious. Lamb main was excellent also.
La Esquina - this place is great if you like Mexican food. You go in through a taco fast food joint and there's a door saying 'Employees Only' which you get taken through. They bring you downstairs through the kitchen and into a fantastic bar/restaurant space and great Mexican food. Fun spot.

If you're there with the other half then 230 Fifth on 5th Avenue & 27th is a great spot for a few evening rooftop drinks with an incredible view of the city. You can almost touch the Empire State Building.

If I think of anything else I'll get back to you.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/w...staurants.html

I'd recommend Keen's steakhouse for a fancy one anyway

Cheers for the tips lads, will check them out when planning the trip, probably will steer clear of the higher end stuff though ps anyone eaten at the view at the top of the marriot?

[V for Vendetta]

Meting point is Birchalls in Ranelagh at 6.30. For anybody who isn't familiar with the place it is on the corner opposite McSorleys

Good man Hayes! Sure it's not often we get out....

[Raoul Duke III]

Aiming for arrival to catch second half of Munshterrrrrrr vs Clerrrrrrrrrrrmont. i.e. just after 6

Not sure they do martinis.

[Iago]

They'll have City v Everton on won't they?

[Raoul Duke III]

They'll have City v Everton on won't they?

It's Ranelagh baby. Probably polo.

[newbie2]

Restaurant name: L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon,

Restaurant location: London

Restaurant website: www.joelrobuchon.co.uk/

Restaurant price: €€€€


Had lunch here the other week with a pal of mine before heading to watch a match. One of the best meals I've had.
We were a little early and on arrival there was no problem and we were shown our seats. The layout is a little strange - a little bar like. It was quite small too. Only capable of doing maybe 60 covers or something. the tables were high tables with what can only described as stools.
Our waiter - Alex - was suitably french which I must admit I had a little trouble understanding because of his accent.
We ordered a pre lunch gin and tonic and perused the menu. Lots on offer. We were told we could order anything we liked which incluided the a la carte and special truffel menus. We elected to go for the 4 course set lunch menu. Two starters/main/desert or cheese, with matching wines.

To start I had:
Game Terrine with Lardo di Colonnata and confit pear
Really nice
Marinated salmon served on a thin tart with confit fennel
Okay - the tart added a nice crunch, but I thought I'd get better salmon in super Valu.

Main course:
Scottish lobster conchiglioni with coral emulsion
Probably the nicest thing I've ever eaten

Desert:
Selection of Cheese
naturally a very small portion.

I don't drink red wine so I had a very well selected few glasses of various whites and a nice sweet port with the cheese. I'm fucked if I can remember what they were.

We were the last in the restaurdant at this stage so we decided to go upstairs to the 'exclusive' bar. A couple of vintage wiskeys later and we headed off - not before parting with a reasonable £220 - which I tohught was well worth it.

if you're in London get yourself down there - worth every penny.

[newbie2]

Restaurant name: The Greenhouse

Restaurant location: Dawson Street, Dublin

Restaurant website: www.thegreenhouserestaurant.ie

Restaurant price: €€€€

It's our anniversary this week so I got to choose the restaurant. I chose The Greenhouse on Dawson St. Myself and the wife had been meaning to visit here since we had some great experiences at 'The taste of Dublin' in recent years.

When I rang looking for a reasonable time to eat - I was told 7.30pm or 9.30pm. Pretty shity times TBF but we went for the 9.30pm slot. We arrived early (about 9) and were seated straight away. The menu was a 5 course 'surprise' menu. I was'nt too keen on this as I like to know what I'm eating but I kept my protestations to myself and ploughed on in.
Lots of h'oderves arrived. These were all really great. I'm normally not a fan of food being served on inanimate objects instead of plates, but they looked great stuck to various stones/slates etc.
Some nice breads were offered too.
A nice bottle of Sancerre was opened and not long after our first course arrived:

ROAST FOIE GRAS, WINTER CONSOMME, BACON CREAM, ROSCOFF ONION, APPLE & SMOKED EEL TOAST
Really nice - there was a bit of frozen apple puree on top that I thought it could do without.

HAND-DIVED SCALLOP, CAULIFLOWER, LARDO, BRILLAT SAVARIN, TRUFFLE
Very nice - my wife is generally not a fan of scallps but she said this dish turned her.

At this point our waiter arrived at our table offering us some freshly grated truffle with our meat course @ €20 per head. The truffles were displayed on a plate, on some hay under a glass jar. I thought it looked like something they had picked up off the satble floor. we declined. Without knowing what we were eating for our mains - how could we decided if we wanted to put truffle on it.

SIKA DEER, WINTER VEGETABLES, BURNT PEAR PUREE, DEER PARMENTIER
Wow - this is how to do venison. It was rare but not that bloody rare that fucks with the consistancy. Really nice piece of meat. Veg - were veg

We ran out of wine so we got a glass each - at €14 each - robbery

CHOCOLATE, CARAMEL, BANANA, PEANUT
I'm not really a desert person - but this was very good. It came with a coconut 'foamy thing' on teh side which I thought didn't bring that much to the party.

SELECTION OF ARTISAN CHEESES
Choose a nice blue and a really nice brie and then asked the waitress to surprise us. The only thing that really surprised us was hoe small she could actually portion out the cheeses.

At €90 a head I thought it was a bit pricey for what it was. The wine at €50 was worth and with all the 'extras' the total was €310 including tip @ 14%

The food is very good and the service was good too, but I think if they are going to get a star, they need to stop piling on the extra charges.

[newbie2]

Actually reading your review again reminded me that the room was fairly cold.

But I'm not sure my experience was quite as bad as yours. i selected my own wine for a start.

I dont like the way they dont leave the wine at the table too. The hungry monk used to do this aswell, until i dragged the cooler over beside my table.

[elbows]

Restaurant name: The Greenhouse

Restaurant location: Dawson Street, Dublin

Restaurant website: www.thegreenhouserestaurant.ie

Restaurant price: €€€€

It's our anniversary this week so I got to choose the restaurant. I chose The Greenhouse on Dawson St. Myself and the wife had been meaning to visit here since we had some great experiences at 'The taste of Dublin' in recent years.

When I rang looking for a reasonable time to eat - I was told 7.30pm or 9.30pm. Pretty shity times TBF but we went for the 9.30pm slot. We arrived early (about 9) and were seated straight away. The menu was a 5 course 'surprise' menu. I was'nt too keen on this as I like to know what I'm eating but I kept my protestations to myself and ploughed on in.
Lots of h'oderves arrived. These were all really great. I'm normally not a fan of food being served on inanimate objects instead of plates, but they looked great stuck to various stones/slates etc.
Some nice breads were offered too.
A nice bottle of Sancerre was opened and not long after our first course arrived:

ROAST FOIE GRAS, WINTER CONSOMME, BACON CREAM, ROSCOFF ONION, APPLE & SMOKED EEL TOAST
Really nice - there was a bit of frozen apple puree on top that I thought it could do without.

HAND-DIVED SCALLOP, CAULIFLOWER, LARDO, BRILLAT SAVARIN, TRUFFLE
Very nice - my wife is generally not a fan of scallps but she said this dish turned her.

At this point our waiter arrived at our table offering us some freshly grated truffle with our meat course @ €20 per head. The truffles were displayed on a plate, on some hay under a glass jar. I thought it looked like something they had picked up off the satble floor. we declined. Without knowing what we were eating for our mains - how could we decided if we wanted to put truffle on it.

SIKA DEER, WINTER VEGETABLES, BURNT PEAR PUREE, DEER PARMENTIER
Wow - this is how to do venison. It was rare but not that bloody rare that fucks with the consistancy. Really nice piece of meat. Veg - were veg

We ran out of wine so we got a glass each - at €14 each - robbery

CHOCOLATE, CARAMEL, BANANA, PEANUT
I'm not really a desert person - but this was very good. It came with a coconut 'foamy thing' on teh side which I thought didn't bring that much to the party.

SELECTION OF ARTISAN CHEESES
Choose a nice blue and a really nice brie and then asked the waitress to surprise us. The only thing that really surprised us was hoe small she could actually portion out the cheeses.

At €90 a head I thought it was a bit pricey for what it was. The wine at €50 was worth and with all the 'extras' the total was €310 including tip @ 14%

The food is very good and the service was good too, but I think if they are going to get a star, they need to stop piling on the extra charges.

Menu looks very similar to when I went and that was over 2 years ago. I loved the food but wine that came with tasting menu was subpar.

[PokerPiper]

FYI - got this from diningroom.ie this morning...

For only €75, Enjoy a Michelin Star 8 Course Tasting Menu for 2 people in January or February (Normally €150).

[Raoul Duke III]

Vintage Kitchen has been booked for Thurs 29 Jan

5 miscreants (V, GAB, ionpaul, Denny and myself) already signed up, kindly post here or shoot me a PM if you would like to attend this evening of fine wine, neat eats and jibber-jabber.

Man down on this - seat available, main table.

[Raoul Duke III]

Restaurant Name: Rio

Location: Ranelagh, Dublin 6

Website: aqui

Price Range: €€\€€€

The Horsehead Elite Annual Christmas Dinner (established 2013) was booked for early December with Gimmeabreak taking on the role of event organiser-in-chief. The usually loquacious GAB was being uncharacteristically tight-lipped as to the location of said event, orders extending only to "Birchalls pub in Ranelagh, be there at 6.30". Speculation abounded as to the ultimate destination - was a naked supermodel festooned with sushi adorning the dining table in chez GAB? Had he arranged a steak showdown at the Butchers Grill? Were we going to Luigis for a spice burger and chips? No choice but to turn up and find out.

I hobbled out of a taxi and into the welcome warmth of Birchalls, an establishment greatly favoured during my student days in UCD. I was glad to see that little had changed, including the bar staff although I noted that the condom machine now charged €5 for 3 johnnies compared to the mid-1990s when said prophylactics could be had for the princely sum of one punt. Rampant inflation at work although compared to what happened to the price of property in Ranelagh over the same period, it probably represents a bargain. The other noteworthy item was the preponderance of Christmas jumpers on the patrons, replete with flashing lights. I'm a reasonably tolerant individual but I don't think it's at all unfair to suggest that anyone wearing such a garment should be neutered forthwith and incarcerated under very unpleasant circumstances. This '12 pubs of Christmas' thing is to blame for such behaviour amongst otherwise respectable citizens and should be banned immediately.

The Horsehead Elite, I was glad to note, rose above such common devices although a most unwelcome trend was discerned in the facial hair stakes. Indeed, V for Vendetta, Strewelpeter and I were outnumbered by the bearded band of KP, Nathy, Iago and GAB. KP at least had the decency to sport a mustachioed effort that made him resemble a 1970s porn star. Pre-prandial libations flowed freely but the one subject not broached was our dinner destination as GAB was giving nothing away. The Horsehead Elite's successful trip to the Velka Pardubice was reprised and this gave rise to an intergenerational moment as an elderly man was being helped by us at the exact moment as the phrase "always go for the bird with the red stillettos" was trotted out. The codger's eyes lit up with excited reminiscence and he nodded his head enthusiastically in agreement - life in that old dog yet.

At 7.55pm, GAB ordered the remaining beverages to be knocked back, we exited the boozer and he then began a masterly class in live trolling a hungry group of Horseheads. Ranelagh is a long strip of road, filled with many dining establishments and he paused at each one, pantomining entry and then marching on. This seemed to amuse him greatly and with Strewelpeter offering odds on each joint, we navigated the strip, crossed the triangle and fetched up outside what I dimly remembered as being McDonalds. "Well, it's not this one anyway" I ventured confidently but was instantly proved wrong as GAB led us inside to a place that was so new you could still smell the paint. This turned out to be Rios, a Brazilian place that inhabits a long and narrow space where you enter past a small bar, then pass a salad buffet and a grill section to enter into the dining room itself. This seemed to be infested by glamorous young men and and slightly less glamorous young women, all of whom appeared to having a splendid time. After some enquiries, we discerned that they were a party of hairdressers which made me wonder where the grumpy old bollocks who barbers my hair hangs out on Saturday nights.

We were seated at our table by young and, I thought, slightly nervous wait staff and the rules explained to us. Rios is all you can eat, with skewers of meat being brought to your table at regular intervals. You can add to this with self-service salads and desserts from the buffet. I wondered this crowd have any idea what they were taking on here as they were liable to be bankrupted by paleo eating machine V for Vendetta who, on previous evidence, has no problem at all packing away half a suckling pig. You get given a card that's green on one side, red on the other and this gives the waiters the nod that you are ready for action. I was anointed as wine selector and ordered a couple of bottles of valpolicella ripasso from a not particularly noteworthy selection. When I conveyed this request to my waiter, he tried, not once but twice, to change my mind to Brazilian wine as, apparently, "it's very popular". Brazil may be home to several wonderful things but wine isn't one of them and I sent him away with a flea in his ear. As a proprietor, I'd also be a bit concerned at my staff trying to downsell a customer - unusual practice to say the least.

In any case, meat started arriving - cheaper cuts of steak (flank, brisket etc), chicken, sausage, chicken hearts (suprisingly tasty), liver, pork - all nicely marinated and flavoured nicely from the grill. This cavalcade of meat continued for what felt like several hours. V for Vendetta was surprisingly outeaten by Iago who put away more meat that is probably considered medically advisable to consume in a month. An impressive performance with the remainder of the Elite not at all that far behind, ensuring value for money dining that is rarely found in Dublin and an 'all you can eat' experience that ranged far beyond the MSG-laden Chinese. We met both husband (Irish) and wife (Brazilian) behind the venture - both charming - and wished them well. I don't actually think they will need it as this place sells itself and stands out as being both value and offering something different in an area of Dublin that has more dining seats per head of population than anywhere else. An inspired choice by GAB - well played. Complimentary brandies and, for some reason Baileys, only added to the seasonal joie de vivre.

I am not really sure where we went next as it seemed to involve a trip through a private dwelling onto a roof terrace where we were supplied with cigars, drink and blankets. There was also a trip into the Sporting Aquarium for the compulsory annual charitable donation to those less fortunate. Mysterious. Roll on 2015.

8/10

[SatNav]

Very funny interesting review RD. You should deffo write a book!

[thechamp87]

How much was it per head?

[Raoul Duke III]

How much was it per head?

I don't know. €30 for all food I think and obviously the drinks bill was a multiple of this

[Raoul Duke III]

One of the evenings highlights was me drunkenly splitting up the bill and despite the protestations of RDIII doing it equally and ignoring that Strewel and v4v don't drink. One solid piece of arbing, IMO.

virgin mojito payback!

[V for Vendetta]

How much was it per head?

A decent tip, teas and coffees plus rounds of various drinks and it was 65 per head. A hard place to spend money actually. The speakeasy up the road with the attractive waitress solved that problem for us though!

[RoadSweeper]

Any particular recommendation of a starred place in London or close my eyes and pick one? Preference is French I guess.

[mocata]

Le gavroche would be first thought,books out months ahead though

[newbie2]

Any particular recommendation of a starred place in London or close my eyes and pick one? Preference is French I guess.

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon
/thread

[Guest]

Heading to Monaco in March. Any recommendations? Was thinking Robuchon's there.

[Keane]

Heading to Monaco in March. Any recommendations? Was thinking Robuchon's there.

I'll possibly be in Nice for a week or so at the end of March also, let me know what dates you're around.

[Guest]

I'll possibly be in Nice for a week or so at the end of March also, let me know what dates you're around.

Only 20-22....just a weekend away.

[careca]

NM

[BennyHiFi]

Heading to Monaco in March. Any recommendations? Was thinking Robuchon's there.

I ate at the Blue Bay Hotel where the EPT is held a few years back and it was great.

Best lamb dish i've ever had and i think the price was acceptable for me at the time.

Reviews still seem pretty good and i just strolled in without a booking.

Would be interested to know if that's doable at other hot eateries there.

[Raoul Duke III]

Man down on this - seat available, main table.

Roll up, roll up.
Two seats left for the IPB outing* to the Vintage Kitchen Thursday of next week. BYOW.
Confirmed so far = V, Iago, Ionapaul, Denny, GAB, myself.

Previous review below:

http://www.irishpokerboards.com/forum/showpost.php?p=691056&postcount=490

*not a Horsehead Elite official function.

[Lord Sir Banter]

Roll up, roll up.
Two seats left for the IPB outing* to the Vintage Kitchen Thursday of next week. BYOW.
Confirmed so far = V, Iago, Ionapaul, Denny, GAB, myself.

Previous review below:

http://www.irishpokerboards.com/forum/showpost.php?p=691056&postcount=490

*not a Horsehead Elite official function.

Looks like one, the horsehead elite index tracker will be treating it as such.

[Raoul Duke III]

Looks like one, the horsehead elite index tracker will be treating it as such.

One seat remaining. You are welcome to come along and observe our secret rituals.

[V for Vendetta]

Aldridge Lodge off the charts for food and value.

160 for two. An incredible 3 course dinner plus a phenomenal B&B experience.

Dinner included a scallops starter and a veal main course. Mouthwatering.


image.jpg

Scrambled duck eggs and smoked salmon for breakfast.

[Mickey Rosa]

Aldridge Lodge off the charts for food and value.

160 for two. An incredible 3 course dinner plus a phenomenal B&B experience.

Dinner included a scallops starter and a veal main course. Mouthwatering.


[ATTACH]2203[/ATTACH]

Scrambled duck eggs and smoked salmon for breakfast.

Just had a look, will defo be booking.

[Raoul Duke III]

Aldridge Lodge off the charts for food and value.

160 for two. An incredible 3 course dinner plus a phenomenal B&B experience.

Dinner included a scallops starter and a veal main course. Mouthwatering.


[ATTACH]2203[/ATTACH]

Scrambled duck eggs and smoked salmon for breakfast.

How is Mrs V's mate?

[V for Vendetta]

How is Mrs V's mate?

Very well. Still only the one suprise baby!

In Waterford castle tonight for a work networking thing so we decided to go to Duncannon last night while we were at it. A good use of expenses!!

[Tar.Aldarion]

Mulligan grocers constantly gets better, my god, and so cheap for what you get imo.
I made a booking on short notice, and they made and printed a vegan menu for me.
The drink range tehre is superb btw and they have started giving out whiskey pairings included with desserts, an awesome touch. Also leads to people not liking whiskey giving me their 12yo goodies.
I have also never eaten the same thing twice there.

My menu last night consisted of:


starter of crispy sweet, red and spring onion fritters with chilli marmalade and piccalilli. Very fresh and the pairing of flavours here was great.

main was crispy potato, beetroot & mixed seed burger, lentil haggis (amazing), grilled ballyhoura shiitake mushrooms. Deliciously spiced with differing flavours.

Dessert was some way to finish the meal with a bang, best dessert I've ever had, echoed by all as they started ordering from the vegan menu. It was a Berry and apple "crumble", oat praline, dark chocolate, vanilla spiced cashew cream, candied blood orangettes, blackberry sorbet, highbank orchard syrup.
The berry spicing along with it's warmth was perfect, people sat there with stunned faces with the food in their mouth. Most impressive chef I have to say. Some quality for a 3 course meal made up within a day.



Those three courses came to a paltry 24 euro. A nice Spanish wine, cask cider and whiskey brought that to 50ish. A steal really.

[Raoul Duke III]

Quite the coincidence there Tar. I am en route.

No hipster bullshit please.

[Tar.Aldarion]

Sorry, hipster to the max.

Have you eaten there before? I'm quite local so I love that pub.
Have some Japanese whiskey.
If you really want to copy my night, go to VCC after.