[Review] 3 Leaves, Blackrock Market, Blackrock, Co Dublin

It's a bitterly cold January lunchtime as we enter Blackrock Market. Wind is funnelled by the crowded aisles and as we pass the shuttered doors of Michelin-starred Heron & Grey, I find myself wishing for somewhere warm and cosy. Going for lunch after my yoga class, while still in my yoga leggings, doesn't seem like a good idea anymore. 

We are here in search of 3 Leaves, a small Indian restaurant from chef Santosh Thomas and his wife Milie who came to Ireland over 10 years ago. The buzz about this little spot has been quietly growing, and last year Thomas scooped the Best Indian Chef in Dublin gong at the Irish Curry Awards. Not bad for a small little spot in a market!

Gulabi chicken curry

[Review] Pickle Eating House and Bar, Camden Street, Dublin 2

Sometimes a new restaurant opens which challenges your perception of a certain cuisine, and highlights it in a way you've never experienced before. Indian food has been on an upward trend in Ireland, thanks to excellent cooking from restaurants such as the now-closed Jaipur, Kinara and Ananda. Sunil Ghai was the acclaimed chef behind the popular fine-dining Ananda and, along with Benny Jacob, he's opened the arguably best Indian restaurant in Dublin to date. 

Pickle, at the southern end of Camden Street, has a wonderful interior with beautiful tiled floor, solid wooden tables and a patchwork of bright Bollywood posters on the walls. It's not formal, but the fine quality of the fittings doesn't make it overly casual. The menu is mouthwatering with a wide selection, and it took a few visits before I felt that I had sampled enough dishes. What's clear here is that the food is undeniably exquisite, rich with flavours and spice. Whether it's a tandoor dish or a curry, every dish is far more than the sum of its parts and the best that it can be.

Highlights include the tawa machhi, or crispy pan-fried sea-bass coated in semolina, topped with crab chutney and a carrot and cauliflower pickle along with crunchy potato chips (€14). I adore tandoor lamb chops and the version at Pickle is sublime with juicy meat fading into charcoal bone, along with dashes of a mind-boggling but delicious strawberry green chilly chutney (€13).