[Review] Sprezzatura, Grantham Street, Dublin 8

Sprezzatura is the latest entrant into the Dublin dining market, and even after just one visit, I'm confident that it's going to go the distance. Semolina pasta is freshly made onsite every day and sold along with a selection of small plates at what can only be called crazy low prices. Every dish is under €10 and at these prices, it's going to be packed.

Located in the premises of the former Grantham's cafe, it's a stones throw from Camden Street, and a multitude of various corporate offices who will surely appreciate having a good new lunch spot. The restaurant is  in the minimal style, and split across two rooms. The first room is centred around a large communal table and high seats, while the other room holds tables and booths. The furniture is what I term "plywood chic", a style which supports the quick and cost-effective fit-out of new restaurants.

Penne pasta with Toonsbridge ricotta and nduja

[Review] The Green Hen, Exchequer Street, Dublin 2

When you eat out a lot, it means that you tend to return to certain restaurants on a regular basis. A list of favourite spots develops over time, with new restaurants being added once they've proven their consistency. The reverse is also true, and I occasionally bid a sad farewell to a once-favourite that has slipped down the list, perhaps due to the departure of a chef, or a change in approach. 

One venue that has been on my favourites list for a long time now is The Green Hen on Exchequer Street. The reason it's on my list is three fold. It has French style food, it offers a great value set lunch menu, and finally, lunch is available on Saturday and Sunday (instead of being forced into brunch as is the case in so many spots now). 

The Green Hen has a classic French bistro vibe with a heavy red curtain buffering those inside from the cold outside. Inside, the brightness is dialled down, making for a secluded spot in the busy middle of town. A beautiful bar decorated with a large vase of fresh flowers, dark wood panelling and parquet floors complete the atmosphere. 

Wild game terrine with spiced chutney, crumb and toasted sourdough

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

Campo Viejo Tapas Trail 2012

Last year, I won two tickets to the first Campo Viejo Tapas Trail, courtesy of the Irish Food Bloggers Association. Our trip turned out to be a wonderful experience, where we sampled the very best of Spanish tapas available in our fair city. It wasn't all just about the tapas, as some flamenco dancing, guitar music and a guided walking tour of Dublin was also thrown in. You can read more about my Campo Viejo Tapas Trail 2011 experience here. While my tickets were gratis, the most amazing part about this experience was the low cost of the tickets, costing a mere €20.

Vibrant paella at Salamaca (Tapas Trail 2011)

The good news is that the Campo Viejo Tapas Trail is returning in 2012, with some dates already sold out. The tickets continue to cost a paltry €20 per head, and will take in Salamanca, Salamanca Fusion, Havana Tapas Bar and The Market Bar. Each restaurant will present their three best tapas for your enjoyment, alongside a measure of Campo Viejo Reserva (delicious stuff). To bring the vibrancy of Spain to life, guests will be treated to a mix of Spanish-themed entertainment.

Flamenco dancing at Salamanca (2011 Tapas Trail)

The Campo Viejo Tapas Trail will take place each Wednesday (6.30 - 9.00 pm) and Sunday (2.00 - 4.30 pm) between June 27th and August 19th. Each trail will have 80 places. Guests will be split into 4 groups, each starting at a different restaurant, and working their way around the trail. For further information and to purchase tickets, visit www.facebook.com/campoviejoireland or www.campoviejotapastrail.com.

Yummy Drummy Card at Dundrum Town Centre

Dundrum Town Centre has recently launched the aptly named Yummy Drummy card, which offers discounts to diners in many of the restaurants and cafes located in the shopping centre. For some reason, availability is limited to just 5,000 cards but registration still appears to be open. If you find yourself in Dundrum on a frequent basis, then this card could be well worth applying for.

Regular listings of the discounts available will be emailed to card holders, and offers are supposed to change regularly. I've provided the offer list from April 5th below in order to give you an idea of the available discounts.

Broadly speaking, I think this is a great initiative from the restaurants and cafes in Dundrum Town Centre.  I love a discount or offer, coming from a combination of my unique penny-saving mother and long-term postgraduate career. I especially like the straightforward simple discounts, such as a flat 10% discount from burger chain Eddie Rocket's, 15% from pizza restaurant Milano or 10% from the delicious Port House. Kudos to venues such as these for making life easy for customers.

However, what I immensely dislike are the offers with T&Cs attached, particularly T&Cs that are akin to requiring that you paint yourself blue on a Wednesday when Scorpio is in ascension. Harvey Nichols First Floor Bar & Restaurant appears to be the most limited offer followed by others such as Siam Thai and Roly's Saul. Sorry restaurants, I don't want to have to remember details for this type of stinginess.

• Ananda - 10% discount on food only from a la carte menu Sun - Thurs
• Bagel Factory - 10% off
• Café Libro - 20% discount on all food & drinks
• Cortina's - 15% off any bottle of wine Mon - Fri
• Douglas and Kaldi - Starter, main course, dessert and bottle of wine for 2 people for just €50
• Eddie Rocket's - 10% discount
• L'Officina - Lunch offer of pasta and house dessert for €15 Mon - Fri 12pm-4pm
• Gallery Café - 10% discount Mon - Fri
• Frangos World Cuisine - Free dessert with every adult meal purchased from Carvery Mon - Fri 5pm-9pm
• Harvey Nichols - 10% discount on lunch and cocktails in the 1st floor restaurant & bar. Tues - Thurs only
• Milano - 15% discount. Not valid with any other offer
• Ristorante Del Arte - 20% off main menu (Not applicable to special menus)
• Roly's Saul The Restaurant - 10% discount on the a la carte dinner menu (food only) Sun - Thurs 5pm - 10pm
• Siam Thai - 10% discount on cocktails anytime and 10% off a la carte menu Sun - Wed
• The Counter - 10% off all food Mon - Fri
• The Port House - 10% discount
• Wagamama - 15% off food Mon - Fri
• Yogism - Buy one yogurt, get a second for €1
• Yo!Sushi - 20% discount Tues - Fri

Seagrass, Portobello, Dublin 2

One Saturday night a few weeks ago, we decided to go out for dinner. Regular readers of the blog might mutter that this isn't a surprise. We hadn't made any reservations, which is the height of folly in the current Dublin dining scene. Despite the economic pressures, good Dublin restaurants are experiencing high demand, and diners really need to reserve tables in advance. After a short hop on the bus, we found ourselves at Seagrass, Portobello, which appeared to have some free tables.

Seagrass was reasonably full when we wandered in at 8pm, but lots of diners appeared to have finished eating. This lead me to brilliantly deduce that there must be a popular Early Bird, confirmed later by the menu posted at the entrance. In another moment of Holmesian deduction (craft beer bottles on one table, bottles of cava on another), I realised that Seagrass must also operate a BYOB policy. In case I hadn't figured it out, droves of diners were arriving in with all kinds of plastic & brown paper bags. This appears to be one of the best kept secrets in Dublin. The most impressive thing about the BYOB policy at Seagrass is that they don't charge a corkage fee!

Chef Seán Drugan has a simple policy - offer great food and service at affordable prices while sourcing the best local and international produce. The Irish provenance was apparent in his starter of sauteed Kerry & Sligo mussels and wild clams with chili, herbs and lime (€9). The shellfish were perfectly cooked, served plump in the shells with a tasty broth that was both light and creamy.

Clams & Mussels

My slow braised beef terrine with tomato ketchup, mint cream and capers (€8.50) came served on a wooden board with a crazy shock of rocket leaves hiding the terrine. Digging underneath, I found what looked like a slice of set gravy. I have to admit that the mixture of cold & wet gravy just didn't work for me, despite the tasty tomato ketchup. The addition of mint cream and capers just added to the bizareness of the dish.

Slow braised beef terrine

At this point, we were at a fork in the road. His starter had been top notch, while mine caused the mind to boggle. I wondered aloud if we were dealing with a crazed genius chef. The score was tied, only the main course could decide for us. We had ordered the special, a lamb platter (€40 for two, or €25 for one). What arrived at the table was a thing of beauty, with immaculate presentation, worthy perhaps of Masterchef. Other diners even muttered appreciatively as it arrived at the table.

Shoulder of lamb platter with roast vegetables

The lamb was succulent and juicy lamb with the crusty flavoursome end bits also included, accompanied by hearty roast vegetables and sweet, sharp gravy. Our questions about the creativity of the chef were definitively answered as there was undoubtedly a cook of ability in the kitchen (if sometimes a little off-track). 

We finished up and left satisfied, but other diners lingered after us. Clearly there is no pressure from Seagrass staff to turf out customers in order to prepare the table for the next set of diners.  Seagrass was a refreshing discovery for us - excellent value (Early Bird offers 3 courses for just €21 all night Sun - Thurs, and 5-7pm Fri & Sat), relaxed service and a 100% free BYOB policy. The BYOB trend is surely set to grow this year, as wine sales in restaurants suffer due to over-priced wine lists. Well done to Seagrass for being ahead of the pack.

Seagrass is that rare elusive beast - the lesser spotted, good value, creative local bistro.

Addendum: Following our dinner, we organised to visit again with a party of six, where we dined on the Early Bird, and took advantage of the BYOB policy. Some of the quirkiness experienced on our first visit was still here, but there were zero complaints and lots of praise from our group for the meal. The fact that the meal cost only €150 (including some supplements and service charge) was an additional bonus.

Seagrass, South Richmond Street, Portobello, Dublin 2
Tel: +353 (0)1 478 9595
URL: www.seagrassdublin.com
Twitter: @seagrassdublin

Tesco vs Local Shop

We've got a great little shop near us called Field & Vine. It sells all manner of nice food, veggies and fruit. A few days ago I picked up some limes for 25c each there. Imagine my surprise when I saw limes for 39c each in Tesco Dundrum. That's a 56% increase on my local, 'fancy food' shop.

Meal Deal for 2 at Saba To Go

Saba To Go, located in Rathmines, is currently offering a Meal Deal for two people. It consists of two starters and two mains from a limited menu for €25.00, or for €32.50, you can add in a bottle of wine.

The menu available is listed below. It's a pity that Saba's delicious curries are not included in the offer, but the choice is still good and the price is even tastier.

Appetisers

1.	Prawn Crackers served with a sweet chilli sauce
3.	Por Pia Thod [v] crispy vegetable spring rolls with woodear mushrooms & a plum sauce
4.	Vegetable Parcels [v] served with a sweet chilli sauce
5.	Saba Crispy Chicken Wings served with a sweet chilli sauce

Noodles

53.	Ho Chi Min rice noodles with chicken, egg, thai kale & chinese leaves
55.	Hoi An**[v] brown vermicelli noodles with woodear mushrooms, chillis, sweet basil, vegetables, egg & cashew nuts
57.	Danang*** vermicelli noodles with chicken, pak choi, sugar snap peas, string beans, bird's eye chillis, snow peas & holy basil

Wok

82.	Phad Khing* with ginger, shitake mushrooms, spring onion, babycorn & peppers
84.	Phad Prik Sod*** with chillis, onions, peppers, mushrooms & sweet basil
85.	Phad Krapow**** with birds eye chillis, garlic, string beans, peppers, babycorn, tomatoes & holy basil
87.	Sweet and Sour onions, pineapple, spring onions, tomatoes, mixed peppers

Now choose chicken, pork or vegetables & tofu with your wok dish.

Great Value Lunch at Ananda Indian Restaurant

I think Ananda Indian Restaurant in Dundrum Town Centre is something special. It's a collaboration between the Jaipur restaurants, with executive chef Sunil Ghai and London-based and Michelin chef Atul Kochhar. The results are nothing short of amazing, all served in a beautiful, colourful dining room.

Ananda have recently introduced a special value lunch menu, served Tues - Sun, 12.30 to 15.00. For €16, you can enjoy 4 tapas (either a vegetarian or non-vegetarian selection), one main course and a tea/coffee. When we saw this amazing value outside the restaurant we rolled right in.

We got one set of the vegetarian and non-vegetarian tapas, while I chose the lamb rogan josh and he went for the curried seafood biriyani. The little tapas blew us right of the water. Served one at a time, we were treated to super little pops of flavour, where for one, the vegetarian was not overshadowed by the meat-based tapas. Featured in the photos below are a chicken supreme (tandoor cooked), a goat's cheese salad, prawn tempura served with a tomato chutney and finally a delicious curried broccoli in cheese sauce. And that was just half of our tapas.



His biriyani featured fantastically plumped grains of rice, succulent and mixed with deliciously sweet fried onions. Plump prawns and seafood was dotted throughout and came with a sweet yet spicy curry sauce.


My lamb rogan josh was not the spicy hot dish that I was expecting. Instead I got a milder, richer sauce, which featured lots of saffron. Very nice indeed. Add one tasty garlic, onion and coriander naan and we were very happy campers.


This was really high quality cooking. Just because its lunchtime doesn't mean that Ananda is comprimising on quality or taste. The best part, lunch for two people with two large bottles of sparking water and one extra naan - €40.50. Wow.

Milano and Pizza Express Exchange Rate

Milano's have been offering good value deals to Irish diners for the last period of time now. An email popped into my inbox today offering two pizzas for €15. Very tasty indeed.

That is until the equivalent English offer from Pizza Express (the same company) plopped in - two pizzas for £10.

That is a good old-fashioned exchange rate of 1.5 Euro to sterling, but we do have different VAT rates etc to the UK, and the thing is that it's hard to be really peeved-off. Two pizzas for €15 is still good value.