Restaurant Guide

quazzy

Went to Pichet for the first time yesterday.

Grabbed an early bird - just about. PLace was due some big number for 7pm and asked if they could have the table back at that time.

Got in at 5:20 so it wasn't gonna be a problem really.

2 courses are 19.40 and 3 for 24.90 ( I think that was the price)

Early Bird on website does not reflect the VAT change
http://www.pichet-restaurant.com/uploaded/files/1268761340_lunch__early_evening-1.pdf

Very friendly and attentive staff. Always topping up our Free Tap Water. (was driving so no drinky). Also, dropped over more bread when I polished off all that was in front of me while waiting for starters.

Great explanation of the menu offerings and a check back after each course.

Wifey and I have starter and main each and shared a dessert course.
Wifey had risotto followed by Shoulder of Lamb. She said the risotto was one of the best she has had. I tried it too and found it to be very good. Lamb was excellent.

I had the Terrine ( great ham ) followed by Roast Cod with shellfish, chorizo and samphire. Fish was perfectly cook and sauce was great

Shared a strawberry pavalova with lemon curd and cream

The early bird menu is short, 3 starters + 3 mains + 3 desserts, but shows a good range of dishes and you should try it.

spent less than 50 for 5 course between 2 people and no booze.

Great food, great service. Give it a go.

I'll be back

Brian

dudara wrote: »

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

Had quite an opposite experience with them at a recent lunch. Service was slow, food was oily, and the main substance of several of the meals appeared to be the same feta, herb and nut mix. Prefer the Quay Co-Op across the bridge from the city library.

dudara

Baza210 wrote: »

Had quite an opposite experience with them at a recent lunch. Service was slow, food was oily, and the main substance of several of the meals appeared to be the same feta, herb and nut mix. Prefer the Quay Co-Op across the bridge from the city library.

That's a pity. When I lived in Cork, I liked the Quay Co-op for basic food, but that was about it.

Some more restaurant reviews from my blog

A recent stay at Bellinter House near Navan included dinner at their Eden Restaurant. Good solid cooking. This is the kind of place you might go for a swishy family dinner. 7/10

We went to Rustic Stone on Georges Street, Dublin, using the €25 Irish Times reader offer. (The current €25 value menu is pretty much the same). Huge amount of food which felt much richer than the health claims on the menu. Excellent value for €25, but I don't know if I'd pay the regular menu prices. Cooking steak on a lava stone has a novelty factor, but it wears thin and is hot! 7/10

Tapas at the Port House Ibericos in Dundrum. Cosy romantic venue from the Port House venues. Very good tapas - I particularly liked the pan-fried mackarel. Nice prices too. 8/10

Lastly, a Sunday lunch at the Fatted Calf, Glasson, near Athlone. I'd call this spot a gastropub, except that would be too pretentious. A lovely spot with great food. Well worth a detour if traveling on the Dublin-Galway road. 8/10

SlinkyKittin

Sharing some excellent value for money and really good customer service last Saturday night in Portlaoise.

Special offer in Kelly's Foundry, €59 - 3 course meal for two and a bottle of house red or white. Thought this might have been an early bird or weeknight offer, but we were booked in for 8pm on Saturday, maitre d told us the special offer, great choice, had chicken wings, OH had garlic mushrooms, both of us had steaks and huge desserts and the house White. Very impressed with customer service too, friendly, chatty, but not in your face either. . We'll be back again :P:P

SlinkyKittin

Just had another fantastic dinner in the Kingfisher Indian Restaurant in Portlaoise - as the OH pointed out, the food in here never disappoints, am stuffed.

chancer007

have checked a few places, dobbins,ely,pigs ear,la maison..nothing really catches the eye

can anyone recommend a decent early bird in city centre?

thanks
in advance

Hardi1

Hi, try Pichet (yuuum) or Dax

dudara

Perhaps the Dining Room by Conrad Gallagher?

chancer007

Thanks for replies.

Opted for early bird in Louies Bistro on Mountjoy Sq.

Excellent value & really tastey food.
Service was very prompt & no hanging about between courses which I like.

Will def go back

_blank_

It's a great place!

pugwall

dubber wrote: »

Thought I'd post up about a new pasta/pizza place that has opened up on North Strand Road called Don Mimi. Smallish place but they've got a great vibe going on and do fantastic pizza & pasta - highly recommended by me I've no affiliation with them, but would like to see them do well so I can continue scoffing their food :pac:

+1 Great spot. Best pizza in Dublin! Dublin needs more restaurants this size. Small and quaint on the verge of the city centre.

barleybooley

Has anyone eaten in San Lorenzo's yet? Any good?

Chocoholic84

Jello wrote: »

Anyone ever been to 'La Caverna' in Temple Bar?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

I know this post is nearly 3 years old, lol...but anyway, yes I've been and it's fab!

diddlybit

Has anyone tried 777 yet? There was a really good review of it in the Times and I really want to try some good Mexican food.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2012/0225/1224312270656.html

Sergeant

diddlybit wrote: »

Has anyone tried 777 yet? There was a really good review of it in the Times and I really want to try some good Mexican food.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2012/0225/1224312270656.html

If it's anything like its sister restaurants Dillingers and the Butcher Grill in Ranelagh then the food will be good, massively overpriced, and with very uncomfortable seating.

Alun

That's what I got from the review which, contrary to diidlybit's comment, didn't come across very positive at all.

diddlybit

I have to say, I'd be really annoyed if I booked a table and was seated at a bar for my meal.

dudara

Re 777: I'll have a review out on my blog soon, but in short, I really enjoyed the food and drink, interior is really cool and prices are just a bit too high.

The restaurant really has no tables for two, so if you think you've booked a table for two, you'll probably be seated at the bar.

tSubh Dearg

Ate in Tippenyaki in Rathmines last night with himself and my parents. We sat at the counter, so got a great view of the show the chefs put on.

The food was excellent and reasonably priced, as when you order something from the Teppenyaki menu it comes with soup or salad to start with, which is a nice little bonus.

The chefs are amazing to watch, I have never seen eggs being bounced about so much without breaking! They also cook the food to perfection, including himself's blue steak.

The floor staff are equally awesome and managed to squirrel out that it was almost my mum's birthday and all the staff came over and sang to her with a guitar and tambourine, while presenting a delicious piece of the chocolate fudge cake.

All in all we had a fun evening and would definitely go back.

a1dinger

I tried Montys of Kathmandu last week. It's a Nepalese restaurant at the top of Eustace Street in Temple Bar. It was fantastic and I'd recommend it to anyone.

I can only describe Nepalese cuisine as a cross between Indian and Chinese. It's really tasty, not too spicy and doesn't leave you feeling bloated when you've finished.

The staff are very friendly and helpful. The food is served on what I assume are bronze dishes which really enhances the ethnic vibe of the place.

I liked it so much I ended up going 3 times in just under 2 weeks. They also have a restaurant in Rathgar which I visited 1 of the above 3 times. The food didn't come on a bronze dish but the surroundings, decor, etc. seemed fresher and a little more modern.

Over all the food was as good in both places but I'd go for the one in Temple Bar as it felt a little more authentic.

marley123

Ate in Jaipur in Dalkey last wk - really good value ( mid wk all night Value Menu ) food looked & tasted great, service very friendly & effecient.

On another note - is there anywhere in Dublin that is ever going to be as an enjoyable dining experience as Pearl Brasserie - was there couple wks back & we had one of the Private Booths which was amazing ! superb pre starter of a Terrine was melt in the mouth & a pre main course clenser of a sorbet which was topped off with vodka & champagne at the table...

Sergeant

marley123 wrote: »

Ate in Jaipur in Dalkey last wk - really good value ( mid wk all night Value Menu ) food looked & tasted great, service very friendly & effecient.

On another note - is there anywhere in Dublin that is ever going to be as an enjoyable dining experience as Pearl Brasserie - was there couple wks back & we had one of the Private Booths which was amazing ! superb pre starter of a Terrine was melt in the mouth & a pre main course clenser of a sorbet which was topped off with vodka & champagne at the table...

Chapter One maybe? Pearl is fantastic though, especially if you manage to get one of the booths.

Ate in Bijou in Rathgar recently. Very disappointing. My lamb main course was very tough, despite being ordered rare; the portion sizes were meagre, and we were told we had to vacate the table at 9pm, despite they serving us cocktails only 10 minutes earlier. Not even an offer to have them at the bar.


Had a much more enjoyable experience in the Oarhouse on Howth pier. Delicious crab cakes, that were heavy on the crab, and light on the filler. Excellent main courses of John Dory and plaice, that were generously portioned, and cooked like good fish should be - simply. Nice buzzy atmosphere as well.

dudara

marley123 wrote: »

On another note - is there anywhere in Dublin that is ever going to be as an enjoyable dining experience as Pearl Brasserie

Chapter One is a great experience, as is Bon Appetit. But the best food right now is from The Greenhouse.

Ironmaiden11

It's not what I expected! Portions are tiny. It's really not good. Unfortunately!

BoardsMember

Pearl is consistently excellent I have to say, our favourite in Dublin going back years. I haven't tried Lockes yet but as a sister restaurant I'd be interested.

Bijou is ok, but is it not far above decent pub grub I reckon.

Anyone tried Mulberry Garden in donnybrook. Eaten there twice and was excellent both times, its a little gem of a place.

olaola

BoardsMember wrote: »

Anyone tried Mulberry Garden in donnybrook. Eaten there twice and was excellent both times, its a little gem of a place.

AH yeah! I keep meaning to look into this place more. Sounds lovely. Love Pearl too btw, need to get to Locks again now they've taken it over.

dudara

BoardsMember wrote: »

Anyone tried Mulberry Garden in donnybrook. Eaten there twice and was excellent both times, its a little gem of a place.

Lovely spot - very pleased with it. The limited menu options may put some people off. But if you're someone who has faith in the chef, then you should enjoy.

olaola

dudara wrote: »

Lovely spot - very pleased with it. The limited menu options may put some people off. But if you're someone who has faith in the chef, then you should enjoy.

The limited menu really appeals to me, I can't bear to choose! I want it all, and I really will eat anything so if I'm given a full menu I get stressed out when asked to choose!

The Hill Billy

For those of you with food allergies I thought that I'd pop up a link to this review in the Dublin County North forum.

The establishment in question - Ollie's in Skerries - isn't a restaurant, but is a bar that does good food.

Chocoholic84

Best Indian - Diwali
Best Italian - toss up between Toscana and Russo's (Russo's better value)
Best "posh" place - Sabor Brazil - absolutely amazing & I rave about it to EVERYONE. Fab service, decor, food EVERYTHING! AND not too hefty a price tag gem! After that, Dax or Pearl Brasserie
Best Thai - Thai Spice off Talbot St is another hidden gem - also have an amazing ongoing deal of 2 course meal for 2 with bottle of wine for €39.99, KOH is also amazing! Does anyone remember Mangetu on Baggot St? Was there once years ago and LOVED it, unfortunately closed now.