[Review] Fallon & Byrne at the People's Park, Dun Laoghaire

We had driven to Dun Laoghaire with the intention of a having a nice brisk walk along the seafront and taking a goo at the controversial new library. After walking all around the new venue, I quite disliked the cold, bleak exterior of the library, but really liked the wide open inside space, with lots of room for daytime readers. I'd love to see this new resource becoming a big part of the Dun Laoghaire community.

As well as building a new library, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is also currently engaged in restoring the famous People's Park to its original historic layout. The classically beautiful Victorian Tea Rooms pavilion has been refurbished and now hosts Fallon & Byrne's second restaurant (the first being their multi-storied home on Exchequer Street). In order to prepare for its new role, the pavilion has been extended with a lightweight glass structure to allow natural light to flood in, while the beautiful original features are retained. In addition to the restaurant, there's also a cafe/takeaway section stocked with sandwiches and salads where customers can quickly grab and go.

Interior at Fallon & Byrne at the People's Park

Following our walk, we managed to arrive at the Tea Rooms just in time to order from the lunch menu. A large salad of seared tuna salad with asian vegetables, sesame and soy dressing came stacked high on the plate with two decent-sized tuna steaks. A roasted skate wing offered up plenty of meat, along with tasty capers and braised leeks. I love skate wing, especially when served like this with lots of lemony, sharp butter and vinegary capers. 

Skate wing with braised leeks

Seared tuna salad with asian vegetables

Overall, Fallon & Byrne have done a good job here (as you would expect). They will cater to many different groups with this location; the morning coffee crowd, the ladies who lunch, followed by evening diners. When finer weather rolls around, it will be possible to sit on the terrace, or grab something from the deli to eat in the park itself. 

Personally, I know I'll be back on a sunnier day to sit out and watch the sunlight twinkle on the sea.

Fallon & Byrne, The People's Park, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin
Tel + 353 (0)1 230 3300
URL: www.fallonandbyrne.com
Twitter: @FallonandByrne

Alexis, Dun Laoghaire

I've been under a lot of pressure lately, but not from work. Oh no, work would be a fine thing indeed. Instead, I've been faced with the task of taking the Mother- and Father-in-Law to good restaurants in Dublin. Late night conference calls and dealing with pressurised project timelines are grand, but I was in a cold sweat at the thought of disappointing Mrs. H. There are some people in your life that you can't stand to disappoint.

When it comes to dinner, Mr. & Mrs. H. have a simple set of criteria. Good value, preferably on an Early Bird, good food and a nice atmosphere. I racked my brains, looking for venues which would impress, therefore gaining me some serious brownie points. Reflected glory and all that. One name on my list of restaurants to visit came immediately to mind, namely Alexis of Dun Laoghaire.

Alexis is large and open, nicely decorated in browns and creams, with a long marble-topped bar dominating one side of the room. For me, the only downside was the weird tromp l'oeil quilted wallpaper, which seemed to cheapen the rest of the decor. Tables are nicely spaced, allowing for a more intimate dining experience.

We all ordered from the set menu, which offers two courses for €18, or three for €23. We were wowed by the arrival of surprise starter plate from the kitchen, with compliments of owner Patrick. A beautifully seared sweet scallop, celeriac puree, a little deep-fried ball of soft moist pig's head topped with a dainty poached quail egg. Presentation was stunning, with more than a little cheffy flair on show thanks to artfully arranged micro leaves and nutty caramelised crumbles.

Surprise  starter plate of seared scallop, pigs head, quail egg and celeriac puree

A starter of cold smoked organic salmon was equally beautiful with the vibrant salmon colour standing out on the white plate while Edenderry Farm ham terrine was a dense slice of pressed meat. The terrine could have done with more of the tangy crunchy piccalilli as there just wasn't enough of it to accompany all the meat. Mr H. never fails to order soup, and he loved the dramatic tableside pouring of his fennel soup, with fennel puree and orange zest. 

Cold smoked organic salmon with pickled vegetables

Edenderry Farm ham terrine with piccalilli

We needed some breathing space after our unplanned two starters, and thankfully the service was nicely timed to suit. His slow roasted corn-fed chicken came with wild nettle puree and mousseline potatoes. The addition of a hay smoked leg elevated this dish past the traditional Sunday lunch version. Mr and Mrs H both opted for the 48 hour cooked feather blade beef with button mushrooms and creamed potatoes. Simply served, the beef was tender and soft. 

My choice of smoked haddock came atop a mound of spring onion mash, with samphire, poached egg and a smooth lemon and chive butter. Breaking into a poached egg and watching the yolk ooze out is one of the true food pleasures. The haddock was delicious when dipped into the egg yolk and butter sauce, accompanied by the salty juiciness of the samphire. My sole complaint about the main courses would be their portion sizes, which were simply massive. Even Himself of the never-ending appetite felt that the portions were too big.

Slow roasted corn-fed chicken

48 hour feather blade beef

Smoked haddock with poached egg and spring onion mash

There was never any doubt that we were going to order dessert, even after three courses. Some meals, you are just going to have dessert, no arguments. Mr and Mrs H shared a rich flourless Valrhona chocolate and raspberry cake, served with a swirl of deliciously salty caramel sauce. Himself chose the simple sounding fresh strawberry mousse, with a layer of strawberry jelly on top. My choice of clementine creme brûlée was deliciously creamy with a light delicate crust of burnt sugar, but I didn't pick up much of the advertised clementine flavour. This was compensated for by another swirl of that finger-licking salted caramel sauce.

Flourless raspberry & chocolate cake

Fresh strawberry mousse

Alexis' wine list consists of organic and biodynamic wines. I very much enjoyed a light and tasty Domaine de Mirande Picpoul de Pinet (€6.00 per glass) while Mr H had a glass of Cantina Social Frentana Montepulciano D'Abruzzo (€5.50).

The end result? A very content set of parents-in-law and very full stomachs. Choosing the Early Bird Menu at Alexis does not mean settling for a lightweight version of the a la carte menu. The elegant presentation of our dishes was top notch showing that Alexis is a place with both substance and style. 

Alexis, 17-18 Patrick's Street, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin
Tel: +353 (0)1 280 8872
URL: www.alexis.ie
Twitter: @AlexisDublin