Restaurant Guide

Susie_Q

I went to Brasserie Sixty6 on George's Street earlier this week for lunch. The place was much bigger inside than I had expected, it was practically cavernous... perhaps more so because of the lack of customers.

The lunch menu was very uninspiring and if I hadn't been so tired I think I would have left and gone somewhere else. I eventually settled on some spinach and ricotta tortellini which arrived fairly quickly. The pasta was very very al dente and the portion very small. I'm not a big eater by any means but I was still hungry afterwards.

Decided to get a sticky toffee pudding for dessert which was TERRIBLE! It wasn't a sticky toffee pudding at all, but rather a scoop of icecream in a little dish beside a square of tasteless sponge and another little dish of a very badly made toffee sauce. Bleurgh.

Main was a tenner and dessert was €5. I wouldn't go back.

michelledoh

drdre wrote: »

i also love the chicken wings in elephant and castle.;)

OMG! The buffalo Chicken Wings are amazing! I don't think I've ever had any that nice before!

Mr. Loverman

olaola wrote: »

All in all, never again. They seem to have the usual trick of only good reviews on menupages, which I find hard to believe. They seem rather press-releasey too.

Well there was a previous thread about menupages where it was proven they remove negative reviews if you pay them a fee. People from menupages came along pretending that doesn't happen but were then caught out lying. Hence why I don't use menupages anymore...

pencilsharp

michelledoh wrote: »

OMG! The buffalo Chicken Wings are amazing! I don't think I've ever had any that nice before!

Am dying to try these buffalo wings, have heard so many good comments about them from numerous people in the space of about a week!

Seeming LaBucca restaurant in Ratoaths buffalo wings are practically identical!

Speaking of chicken wings, have been to Brownes restaurant in Blanchardstown Village a few times but tried their chicken wings the other day and they are fab! I always thought it was a bit pricey considering they do no early bird but for 5 of us the other day it was 130euro including two rounds of drink, so maybe they've brought down their prices! Either way its always packed and staff are very friendly but not over friendly (hate that!) .

Also tried KOH restaurant near Jervis Street the other day (think its on the Millenium Walk-think thats what they call it anyway!). Wasn't impressed, food was average and most annoyingly they were 45minutes late seating us for a table booked for 8.30pm. Although when some C list celeb from ireland am came in there was all air kisses and she was seated right away-ggrrrrrrrrr!!!

jclally

Susie_Q wrote: »

I went to Brasserie Sixty6 on George's Street earlier this week for lunch. The place was much bigger inside than I had expected, it was practically cavernous... perhaps more so because of the lack of customers.

They dont help themselves. We booked a table on a Tuesday night earlier in the year for my birthday. We got out of a taxi in the p*ssing rain to find it closed, getting soaked while we found somewhere else. I called the next day to find out what happened - it was quiet so they decided to close, and no one thought to call us. Received more of an explanation than an apology and when I complained I was told to come back some time and we'd get "the VIP treatment". No thanks.

For lunch Id recommend the Chop House down towards the Aviva stadium. Best steak sandwich Ive ever had and a lovely bowl of soup for under a tenner.

Punjab Balti in Ranelagh is always good too.

copacetic

Lovely burger in the counter on Suffolk street last week, very tasty. Fries were a little greasy but burger more than made up for it.

Also very tasty rump steak for lunch in the butchers grill Ranelagh; nicely flavoured, tasty fries and béarnaise to go with it. Reasonably enough priced and friendly service. Stools are a bit uncomfortable if staying for longer I'd imagine though. They aren't deep enough in the seat or something, so you kind of perch on them.

dudara

Two of my recent restaurant visits


Dax Cafe & Bar - I visited this using a voucher purchased from Boards Deals. Some of the tapas were small in size, but the quality was excellent. The clams & chorizo were particularly good, as was the French & Irish cheeseboard. It's not a cheap restaurant, but a nice relaxing spot.

The Green Hen - called in here on a Saturday for brunch. The OH really enjoyed his burger which was full of cheese and bacon and came with a bowl of french fries. On the other hand, I found my more expensive ribeye to be disappointing - a bit small and no accompanying side order. Nice spot though.

daRobot

bungler wrote: »

The old Central Cafe is now a Chinese restaurant.

We tried it last week and when we look in the window it was dead and very small but we were starvin so we said we'd try it.

We got the buffet which is 4 courses for €12.50. To be honest i wasnt expecting much but I have to say the food was out of this world and we've been back about 3 times in the last week.

If your in Blackrock go try it and you will find a hidden gem

I've got to call you out on this one.

I ordered from here tonight with my Gf, based on your recommendation.

Glory is the name of the restaurant. It's food certainly didn't cover itself in it.

We ordered Kung Po, and Cantonese Chicken. Neither tasted anything like they should (I cook this food properly at home, but was hungover and lazy today).

The Kung Po tasted like sweet and sour, and the Cantonese nearly exactly the same, just with a little more rice vinegar added to the gloopy sauce.

Absolutely awful, Chinese food at it's worst. The only minor plus was that the chicken was plentiful, but was dry and cut in overly large chunks.

Perhaps you had something that was difficult to mess up, special fried rice etc, but my god, that place is a kip that I won't be ordering from again.

mdan

Hi, I was just wondering has anyone ever een to the restaurant in Adare Manor. My uncle is coming home from usa in sept and he loves fine dining - i wouldnt be able to afford to go there and try it and then bring him again in sept so would love to hear what you think?

the beer revolu

Had the misfortune stay in and eat in The Mills Inn Ballyvourney, Co. Cork last week. BLT on brown bread at lunch wasn't bad so I had that both days.
But dinner......:eek::eek:
I ordered a minute steak from the fixed menu which came with chips, salad and fried onions. Having a feeling that these guys wouldn't believe me if I ordered the steak rare, I ordered it blue. From experience, I also knew that their salad is predominately potato salad (with chips?!) so I asked for that to be left out.

Amid two other cockups at the table my steak arrived..........medium!
I pointed this out to the server who took it back but audibly sighed in my ear while doing so. What came back a few minutes later was a steak that had been taken straight from the fridge and flashed in the pan - chilled in the centre complete with a bit of lettuce and a great big dollop of potato salad!
Yumm hostile staff, a raw chilled steak (albeit seared), potato salad, chips and onions that seemed more boiled than fried.

At one point during proceedings a waitress bumped into one of our chairs, dropped a plate and roared "this is why we don't normally have a chair here", despite that the order was taken while that chair was there and no attempt was made to reseat us. They were the rudest and most aggressive staff that I've come across, ever, in Ireland.

You know the help yourself breakfast area that usually has croissants, rolls, brown breads, yoghurts, fresh fruit, fruit juices, prunes, cheese etc. etc.?
Well the mills has cereal and orange juice...that's it, a table with a couple of Kellogs mini packs and orange juice.

I know that this isn't an accommodation forum but I'd also like to point out that my room had the kitchen ventilation right next to my window and the kitchen bins directly below. Noisy and smelly ..... nice!

The funny thing is that The Mills has a really good reputation locally and always seems busy for food. Can't figure that one out
I might also point out that many mains on the A la Carte menu are in the €25 region - pub grub at fine dining prices!

dudara

Some more restaurant visits - I have a few new nice ones to write up also

Seapoint Restaurant, Monkstown - Lovely light food, served with great fries. Very nice interior and appears to be a really popular local restaurant. A little expensive for lunch, but maybe that's to be expected in the neighbourhood.

The Butcher Grill, Ranelagh - A steakhouse which offers meat cooked over a wood smoked grill. Food was very good here, but considering the slightly cramped nature of the place, and casual setting, I thought prices were too high - especially for cocktails and wine. Still, if you like your steak, it's worth a visit.

No1J

Has anyone gone to Mat the Trasher on Pembroke street. I have often stopped at their place in Bird hill for a quick snack and thought it nice, but now they are going full restaurant fare, big on seafood, any reviews?

fonecrusher1

Went to Nandos today. What an expensive overrated restaurant. Nice looking establishment, everything else is wrong.

Almost 9 euros for a chicken wrap which consisted mostly of floppy lettuce with the occasional morsel of chicken. Basically i could have got a similar wrap in a deli in any shop for less than half the price.

If i'd gone for an additional side order & perhaps a coke, i'd be looking at shelling out the guts of 15 euros. What a joke.

Never again. They will not last long with such silly prices.

ElleEm

I've only been once and thought the same. It's just chicken and chips!!

emeraldstar

Yep, Nando's is crap. I usually refuse to eat there.

I love Nandos. €26 for a dinner for two adults and one child, a full chicken, sides and drinks. I don't think that's too bad when it's so yummy. Any time I've been there it's been really busy too.

Uriel.

Couldn't agree more.

Ridiculously expensive.

Portions are tiny and overall quality is not worth the premium charge.

I can't see them lasting long-term here without some adjustment in their business model

Then again Eddie Rockets have a similar setup and prices I guess and they've stuck it out long-term...

fonecrusher1

Deleted User wrote: »

I love Nandos. €26 for a dinner for two adults and one child, a full chicken, sides and drinks. I don't think that's too bad when it's so yummy. Any time I've been there it's been really busy too.

Each to there own but when you think about it a chicken is only a few euros, chips, corn on the cob??? Thats all cheap stuff. Stuff you could easily prepare for a third of the price in your own home. Its just not proper restaurant grub in my opinion.

As ElleEM said its just chicken & chips!!!! But very very expensive chicken & chips.

For the same money i'd take a full chinese/indian/thai meal any day.

Italia

Nando's in Ireland is a joke.
Its NOTHING at all like the real Nando's in South Africa (where it originates) and the local menu is a poor copy of the original - both in taste and quantity.
I practically lived in Canal Walk Nando's (Cape Town) for a year. I loved the Lemon & Herb and the 3chili Peri-Peri chicken.

fonecrusher1

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

Each to there own but when you think about it a chicken is only a few euros, chips, corn on the cob??? Thats all cheap stuff. Stuff you could easily prepare for a third of the price in your own home. Its just not proper restaurant grub in my opinion.

As ElleEM said its just chicken & chips!!!! But very very expensive chicken & chips.

For the same money i'd take a full chinese/indian/thai meal any day.

I don't think you could prepare it for a third of the price (well, you could with a tesco value chicken I guess). You could say the same about any food you eat out, that it can be cooked at home cheaper. I just love Nandos. KFC would be a bit cheaper, (also just chicken and chips) but it's manky greasy food.

olaola

I have to say I love a bit of Nandos. The chicken is consistantly good - and they've a decent loyalty card. If I want something quick when I'm out and about and I don't want to eat fast food $hoite, it's a great alternative. Other than Crackbird, which is fried, there is no other chicken place that's half decent and quick. It's our usual pre-cinema meal, so looking forward to the one in the city centre opening so we can hit it before the flicks in town.

The Hill Billy

OP - We have a Restaurant Guide thread for reviews. Will move these Nando posts to that thread.

HB

temply

Have been heading to Bar Pintxo in Templebar quite a bit as of late! Was there last Sat & had the a good few dishes, including the bravas, chicken dishes & the fab deep fried prawns - we got a table out the back on their lovely terrace. I tell ya its a lovely way to spend an afternoon! With a nice bottle of syrah, I think the bill came to 42 quid, and we took our time! Deffo one of my fav spots now in Dublin to go for a bite to eat.

Reganio 2

I was planning on going out for a meal tomorrow (Probably about 7) with the girlfriend, I was thinking of going to Pizza Stop around Chatham Lane. But do I need to make reservations and would you recommened it? Something cheap and no reservation would be perfect. Thanks

dudara

Some recent trips - I've been having a winning streak of meals lately.

Cafe Paradiso in Cork - this is a vegetarian restaurant, but trust me, you'd barely realise. The food is substantial, creative and very tasty. We enjoyed a lovely 2 course lunch for approx €50. Only thumbs down came from the expensive coffee (€2.80 a cup). 8/10

Chapter One, Dublin - we had dinner here for a special occasion. I found the whole experience to be very welcoming and relaxed. The food, as you would expect, was very good. I particularly enjoyed my parmesan tortellini. Not cheap at all (we spent over €200), but cheaper lunchtime and early bird menus are available. Make sure to order coffee and petit fours (great value at €3). 8/10

The Dining Room by Conrad Gallagher - I'm disappointed to see that Gallagher has closed Salon des Saveurs. Whatever about his business methods, he is a fine chef. Now he's opened another venture in the dining room at La Stampa hotel, replacing Balzac. It offers simpler food (compared to SdS) but at competitive prices. The Early Bird menu is particularly good value, but watch out for the supplement on the steak. The dining room is a little gloomy and could be brighter but you could get to meet Gallagher himself. 7/10

Brabazon Restaurant at Tankardstown House, Slane - I was blown away by the luxuriousness and style of Tankardstown House. This is a true boutique/country house hotel and the restaurant was pretty good too. There's an effort to source local food - but I found the portion sizes to be all over the place and uneven. Tasty. 7/10

Caros

Ate at The Old Convent in Clogheen, Co Tipperary in June, it was superb - €65 per person for an 8 course tasting menu. I did fall at the last course but managed a taste of all the elements in it.

olaola

Went to the Mandarin House last night on Parnell Street. The restaurant itself isn't very salubrious, but the staff are lovely and we were VERY impressed with the food. Definitely the best dumplings I've ever had, and the mains were very tasty and very generous. I'd go so far as to say it was the best Chinese I've ever had! Very reasonable too, next time I think we'd order fewer main courses as there was a bit of food left over.

Sergeant

olaola wrote: »

Went to the Mandarin House last night on Parnell Street. The restaurant itself isn't very salubrious, but the staff are lovely and we were VERY impressed with the food. Definitely the best dumplings I've ever had, and the mains were very tasty and very generous. I'd go so far as to say it was the best Chinese I've ever had! Very reasonable too, next time I think we'd order fewer main courses as there was a bit of food left over.

Agreed. Have been in China on a number of occasions, about 8 months in total. The food in Mandarin House is very good, authentic for the most part, and much better than some of the rubbish you get in China. There is some wonderful food in all the regions of China, but the locals don't always eat it. Like the Irish ordering a chicken fillet roll for lunch when some delicious brown bread and smoked salmon is available.

olaola

Sergeant wrote: »

Agreed. Have been in China on a number of occasions, about 8 months in total. The food in Mandarin House is very good, authentic for the most part, and much better than some of the rubbish you get in China.

There was a girl with us who had lived in China for 3 years, said the same herself.

dudara

The Mandarin House is a great spot for some real Chinese food. I love their cumin lamb (can't remember what it's called on the menu).