Dinner Tonight! Where to go? - Restaurant & Eating Out Recommendations for NCD

Just home after dinner in Empire in Swords, formerly the Slaughtered Lamb.

Was never there when it was the slam and we'd lunch there a few weeks ago which I put down to them just opening.

I don't have one single positive from the evening. From being seated to someone taking drinks orders was fifteen minutes.

I ordered wings, which came whole rather than the more usual being split into two, and were soggy so that seperating the two sides/pieces was a battle.

OH had lamb for mains, which was fatty and sparse in terms of the portion, I'd the roast beef, which was so tough I literally sawed at it to get it to edible sizes. My roast potatoes were either burnt or soggy, and the yorkshire pud would have made an excellent sliotar, so tough was it.

And we were overcharged on the bill. The service was also appallingly slow

Even weirder, when going outside for a cigarette out the back, there is a conservatory which houses a back bar, four walls, fully enclosed roof, and everyone in there was smoking including the staff, appears they are breaking the anti smoking laws.

Won't be going back

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

That sounds dreadful.

It was absolutely horrid, there seem to be a surfeit of "management" types who stand around chatting. At one point as we were seated near the kitchen I overheard two waitresses trying to figure out who was going to cover which tables. When we were waiting for the first fifteen minutes we had members of the waiting staff pass us about 10 times without so much as asking if we wanted to order drinks/food

The manager is the former manager of Wrights cafe bar

I do actually have one positive, the place is beautifully done up, and if the service and food were about 1000% better, it's somewhere I'd happily spend a Saturday afternoon having a couple of drinks and chilling out.

Service when we had lunch there was the same, so nothing has changed in the past month or so

I remember slating hogs and heifers when it opened, but the food was decent, these guys can't even get bog standard roast lamb and beef right.

Relaxing night in tonight had a nice Chinese from Jade Palace

Shred wrote: »

I've eaten out of Fabio's (Swords Manor) a couple of more times since and it's been consistently good each time.
The family and I finally got around to trying Ruby's last Sunday evening and it was lovely. It was really busy and we were told there'd be a 15-20 minute wait. We were shown to our table after about 15 minutes and the staff were very friendly and helpful and the service was prompt. I had the ribs which were amazing; lots of tender meat in a lovely sweet and sticky BBQ sauce. Definately the nicest ribs I've had in quite a while and the menu doesn't lie regarding the full rack being for the biggest appetites - I had the half rack and was stuffed! The wife had the Monk fish which consisted of fairly large chunks of fish in a lovely light Tempura batter. Junior had chicken goujons with chips and a bowl of ice cream, there were two soft drinks and a Moscow Mule cocktail and it came to just above €50 which I though was decent value. We'll most certainly be giving it another lash soon.

+1 to both, I finally managed to cook a homemade spag bol that the OH considers better than Fabios this week, it's our go too place if we've both had a tough day, no food is made, and we just want to eat at home.

Most Fridays we are wrecked, so head down to stroll around pavilions, we both work from home frequently so getting out and about at the end of the week is important to us.

Quarter to nine this evening, OH said "what will we do about food" and me thinking that Rubys like most places in Swords closed food at nine, ran him down there.

Turns out they serve food until 10 Thurs-Sat

They were full, so we'd a pleasant time perusing the menu and having a drink while we waited for a table.

We got seated, and shared a carne pizza with salami, pepperoni, parma ham and red peppers, it was delicious, so delicious I ate about twice as much as I would.

The service was superb, the atmosphere was lovely, we'd been previously mid week, and I thought it would be a bit like Wrights/the Schoolhouse (same owners) on a Friday night when it's mental (I'm old, so I don't like mental Fridays)

Not at all, all the tables were occupied, good music was playing, but it was much more restauranty, we thoroughly enjoyed it, and it's now on our list of what to do on a Friday after our regular walk through Pavilions It was incredibly relaxing, I was delighted to see them so busy, and a great mix of people there too

I do have one small quibble, they'd a meat platter on special according to the blackboard in the window, and when we asked about it, was told it was incorrect and the daily special was different, won't stop me going back, but it did set my OCD twitching.

Seperately, I was ill during the week, and ended up in a and e, getting out at about 8:15. OH then got lost driving me home, and wanting to feed me (he can't cook) we ended up in Pink Elephant in Swords. It's rarely mentioned here, so I don't know if it's a case of people don't eat there or think it's rubbish, but I rate it highly for both food and service.

Not feeling 100% I ordered spring rolls and a half portion of yom tum soup with duck (think that's the name, I love the stuff) and left the noodles as I don't like noodles in soup.

Now in what I consider amazing service I asked for a half portion (it's listed as a main) and the server asked a few questions and ended up asking me if I wanted a starter sized portion which suited me down to the ground.

When I didn't eat the noodles, they then spent time explaining that they cook everything from scratch, advised that in future I should specify exactly what I wanted e.g. no noodles, more brocolli/carrots and they would be happy to oblige.

My OHs daugher has massive food allergies and along with Ollies in Skerries, Pink Elephant are one of the most obliging places we can take her to eat.

The service when we were there this week was incredible, and given I wasn't feeling well was sincerely appreciated.

It contrasts to another eatery in Sword whom we visited about five minutes before whom on seating us demanded we order quickly as the kitchen was closing 35 minutes later.

The Ohs son is over this weekend, and as I fed the OH a large breakfast/brunch, we'd a rare opportunity to overrule him, and so decided to go to Chilli Shaker for dinner.

Twas lovely, I'd the aloo chap and then the meat platter for two (all for me ) and Ohs son had the chilli masala as his main (can't remember his starter, it was something mundane like a bhajee) and loved it

The service was excellent, Ohs son was warned the masala was very hot and sure enough it was, but he loved it, and my food was super, apart from some lamb that was very gristly and I left it. When the waiter came to collect the plates he asked if there was a problem with what I had left and was very courteous when I explained I don't like gristle in meat.

Only gripe is that they got the bill wrong and left off two glasses of wine, they were very appreciative when I pointed out that they were undercharging (now stop scratching your heads, I suffer from the honesty gene and years of working as a waiter), but I'd reckon about one time in five I go out to eat I have to point out an undercharge on the bill and it irks me.

As a result they got no tip, but we will definitely be going back