Off Topic Thread 3.0

pickarooney

swiwi_ wrote: »

The reviewer didn't hold back...

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/restaurant-reviews/rugby-star-quality-can-t-rescue-the-food-here-1.2807323

But still gave it three stars.

pickarooney

pickarooney wrote: »

But still gave it three stars.

I read that yesterday. Couldn't help but feel the reviewer dislikes rugby slightly more than the food!

swiwi_

Deleted User wrote: »

I read that yesterday. Couldn't help but feel the reviewer dislikes rugby slightly more than the food!

Although we all (and I include myself) are open to celebrity endorsements, there is no logical reason why a pub associated with rugby stars should automatically serve 5-star grub.

If anything, the fact that the names in of themselves may attract clients may mean the pub has to work less hard to produce good cuisine.

irishbucsfan

swiwi_ wrote: »

Although we all (and I include myself) are open to celebrity endorsements, there is no logical reason why a pub associated with rugby stars should automatically serve 5-star grub.

If anything, the fact that the names in of themselves may attract clients may mean the pub has to work less hard to produce good cuisine.

If you're an investor in a new business and your name would attract even the slightest bit more interest then why wouldn't you advertise the fact?

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Deleted User wrote: »

I read that yesterday. Couldn't help but feel the reviewer dislikes rugby slightly more than the food!

It certainly sounds like the reviewer went in with a bit of an attitude towards the place.

sydthebeat

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

It certainly sounds like the reviewer went in with a bit of an attitude towards the place.

Sounds to me more like a pretty novice head chef.

No experienced head chef should let a plate of food out without an ingredient that's listed on the menu, nor would allow closing of kitchen while there's a sitting table mid meal.

Felix Jones is God

Ah, God be with the days when all we had were certain rugby players tweeting the hell out of nandos

irishbucsfan

It's really weird that it got 3 stars when you read the review...

swiwi_

irishbucsfan wrote: »

If you're an investor in a new business and your name would attract even the slightest bit more interest then why wouldn't you advertise the fact?

I don't think I argued against that.

My argument: top rugby player association doesn't necessarily equal decent food.

Which is self-evident.

awec

The bridge was fairly terrible when it first opened too. Will probably take them some time to figure it out .

irishbucsfan

awec wrote: »

The bridge was fairly terrible when it first opened too. Will probably take them some time to figure it out .

Is it better now?

awec

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Is it better now?

Yea it's decent. Wouldn't say it's amazing, best thing on the menu is chicken wings or a burger which kind of sums it up a bit.

dregin

Bear got worse with each visit. The Bridge took a while to settle all right, but I think they're running a tight shop there now.

irishbucsfan

awec wrote: »

Yea it's decent. Wouldn't say it's amazing, best thing on the menu is chicken wings or a burger which kind of sums it up a bit.

That sounds like their food is simple enough for me to understand!

dregin

Also, pubs are for drink. Restaurants are for food. I cant think of anywhere that mixes both well.

awec

irishbucsfan wrote: »

That sounds like their food is simple enough for me to understand!

Yea it's simple stuff. I've only ever been in at weekends, not sure if they have a different weekday menu. Don't get me wrong it's nice enough but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there over other pubs for food.

The biggest problem with it is a lack of space and a lack of tables.

irishbucsfan

I get the impression that the Bridge doesn't serve Harp

awec

irishbucsfan wrote: »

I get the impression that the Bridge doesn't serve Harp

It doesn't, just the usual beer and then the unpasteurised Pilsner Urquel.

That stuff is lovely but you'll feel it the next day.

I haven't had a harp in ages ibf, these past few years I've noticed i generally just stick to the Guinness. Just get a bit sick of the fizzy lager pints.

Felix Jones is God

irishbucsfan wrote: »

I get the impression that the Bridge doesn't serve Harp

That and it's not "giraffe friendly"

dregin

Felix Jones is God wrote: »

That and it's not "giraffe friendly"

Us giraffes gave in years ago to the fact that we're going to spend most of our lives ducking, just in case I've never had an issue in there and have a couple of inches on awec.

irishbucsfan

awec wrote: »

It doesn't, just the usual beer and then the unpasteurised Pilsner Urquel.

That stuff is lovely but you'll feel it the next day.

I haven't had a harp in ages ibf, these past few years I've noticed i generally just stick to the Guinness. Just get a bit sick of the fizzy lager pints.

Yeah I've actually found the same. Unfortunately I'm in Bulgaria currently on work and there's not much avoiding the lager unless you want to drink a ludicrous amount of vodka, and I can't do that any more either!

Felix Jones is God

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Yeah I've actually found the same. Unfortunately I'm in Bulgaria currently on work and there's not much avoiding the lager unless you want to drink a ludicrous amount of vodka, and I can't do that any more either!

What's Bulgaria like, are you in Sofia...I want to go but wondering if it's worth it

irishbucsfan

Felix Jones is God wrote: »

What's Bulgaria like, are you in Sofia...I want to go but wondering if it's worth it

Yes we have an office here in Sofia. I always enjoy my time here, certainly worth coming for a long weekend. Everything is very cheap. Further out on the coast there are some lovely towns near Varna and Burgas which make for really nice destinations if you're looking for a beach holiday, Sofia itself is a fair distance inland but you can fly internally quite cheaply if you want to do both. You could probably see everything in Sofia itself in a weekend though, also food is definitely very hit and miss, I've had some gloriously woeful restaurant experiences here!

Definitely worth waiting for summer when the weather is stunning.

Felix Jones is God

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Yes we have an office here in Sofia. I always enjoy my time here, certainly worth coming for a long weekend. Everything is very cheap. Further out on the coast there are some lovely towns near Varna and Burgas which make for really nice destinations if you're looking for a beach holiday, Sofia itself is a fair distance inland but you can fly internally quite cheaply if you want to do both. You could probably see everything in Sofia itself in a weekend though, also food is definitely very hit and miss, I've had some gloriously woeful restaurant experiences here!

Definitely worth waiting for summer when the weather is stunning.

Yeah, I've had the same food experience in Budapest, some great, some iffy.
Not really a sun or beach worshipper, so even a winter holiday would appeal to me if there is plenty to do there, may look into it tyvm

irishbucsfan

Felix Jones is God wrote: »

Yeah, I've had the same food experience in Budapest, some great, some iffy.
Not really a sun or beach worshipper, so even a winter holiday would appeal to me if there is plenty to do there, may look into it tyvm

Yeah if you do head over let me know and I can suggest some places to eat that are actually decent and come with the official IBF seal of approval (also known as the McCafferty award)

dregin

dregin wrote: »

Also, pubs are for drink. Restaurants are for food. I cant think of anywhere that mixes both well.

Ah cmon that's a bit silly, there's plenty of places around now that mix both, or where you can get a decent meal or also just get a drink if you want. It's unlikely the food is going to match a decent restaurant but it can still be fine.

irishbucsfan

In rural areas in particular I find pubs often do really good food. Maybe based on Wray's Law (which I just invented) which argues that sparser population means for less specialisation and therefore a decent chance at getting a good pint and a good dinner together.

awec

irishbucsfan wrote: »

In rural areas in particular I find pubs often do really good food. Maybe based on Wray's Law (which I just invented) which argues that sparser population means for less specialisation and therefore a decent chance at getting a good pint and a good dinner together.

Depends what you're after. Shepherds pie and a mound of chips and I'm sure a pub is as good as anywhere.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Haven't been in it for a while but the Gin Palace beside Jervis St. used to do both food and drinks well.

irishbucsfan

irishbucsfan wrote: »

In rural areas in particular I find pubs often do really good food. Maybe based on Wray's Law (which I just invented) which argues that sparser population means for less specialisation and therefore a decent chance at getting a good pint and a good dinner together.

One of the best steaks I've ever had in my life was in Matt the Thresher's down in Tipp. But there are plenty of pubs in Dublin where you can get perfectly serviceable food.