Stitch and Bear

A long-running Irish blog with reviews of the best restaurants in Dublin and throughout Ireland. Some wine and cocktails thrown in for good measure!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Seapoint Restaurant, Monkstown

This summer is literally doing my head in. It is impossible to anticipate the weather, and hence, dress appropriately. Take this past Saturday. Friday had been a miserable wet day, but when I stepped out of the house on Saturday morning, it was balmy and warm, more like a day in Portugal than a day in Portobello.

After realising that the weather was actually nice, the consensus was that we should go for a little drive towards the sea which is how we ended up in Monkstown. Seapoint restaurant is an inviting venue with an attractive coutryard entrance. Inside, it's elegantly decorated with gray and white tones, with sprigs of lavendar in little white vases and artwork on the walls. There is something infinitely calming and soothing about the restaurant. 

There is a special lunch menu offering two courses for €22, but as we had dinner reservations for later that day, we chose to have just a main course. The menu is short and simple, but full of tasty offerings. I chose the warm spicy beef salad with honey toasted sesame seeds, lime & ginger dressing with Seapoint fries (€16.50). I received a plate piled high with salad leaves which covered soft, seared pieces of beef. The dressing was fragrant and I especially loved the extra crunch and taste delivered by the toasted sesame seeds.

Warm spicy beef salad
Himself chose the pan-seared sea trout with spicy sauteed bok choi and Seapoint fries (€16.50). This comprised of two beautifully cooked pieces of trout in a light sauce with crunchy vegetables. It was simple and fresh and a winner.
Pan-seared sea trout
It's clear there's a clever mind behind the menu at Seapoint, as both our dishes were accompanied by Seapoint fries. Someone there understands that we all crave some fries, even when we order healthy salads and fish dishes. But let me make one thing clear, Seapoint fries are not regular fries, they are amazing fries. They are skinny fries, softly cooked and covered with parmesan, rosemary and sea salt. They are simply rather moreish and definitely hit that spot that craves fries.

Seapoint fries
Still or sparkling water is available from an in-house bottling systems and costs €1 per person for unlimited amounts. We finished our lunch with two good americanos which bought the bill to approximately €42. I do think that this is definitely on the pricy side for lunch, but there was no doubting the good cooking in the Seapoint kitchen. I could definitely foresee a return visit to Seapoint on a summer's evening for dinner and a walk along the sea.

Seapoint Restaurant, 4 The Crescent, Monkstown, Co. Dublin. 
Tel: (01) 663 8480
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