Weafer & Cooper - a restaurant I'd heard about before I knew it as my friend raved about it. It is close to where we live and we have been here many times, be it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And really, each time it has done what it said on the tin. I wont' say it's amazing, or I can't wait to get back there but it has a lovely familiarity and you know what you'll get when you go there.
Our most recent trip there was mid-week, which meant the rest of the week felt incredibly long, so something I probably won't repeat! We were asked whereabouts we wanted to sit, there were a few tables taken at the front of the restaurant but we decided to go down the back, and got a booth. It's well known (to my husband at least!) that I do like a booth. It's nice and private but you still have a good amount of room!
Service was friendly. We were brought our wine after ordering the food (when the wine order had been in for a good 5 minutes) but the wine brought was white when we'd ordered red. Not a big deal and it was rectified immediately.
The menu is pretty good for dinner, but for me, I would say, it never has anything on it really that would jump out at me and I was searching the blackboard in vain for specials, as there were none to be had. I eventually went for the chicken, which I always say I won't order as I could have it at home anyday, but really nothing else appealed. My husband went for the belly pork.
When the chicken arrived, the singing glory on the plate was the stuffing! Wrapped in bacon, it had sausage mixed in and had an incredible taste. I also liked the hazelnuts sprinkled around the dish and the chicken itself was nicely cooked, tender but with a nice crisp skin. There was figs as well on the plate, which I didn't care for and far too many baby potatoes for one person. My husband polished off his belly pork no problem, really enjoyed it.
AS it was a mid week dinner we didn't have coffees or desserts, preferring to head home for that.
I would always recommend Weafer & Cooper as a good breakfast or lunch place. I'd say it's great for a family gathering, be it a birthday or christening or whatever. For dinner, it's not inspirational, but it's good quality food, served with a smile, and it's not too expensive. It will continue to be a regular dining destination for us....
L
Weafer & Cooper, Glasthule Main Street, Glasthule, Co. Dublin
www.weaferandcooper.com
Thursday, 14 November 2013
Sunday, 10 November 2013
Always good - The Whitefriar Grill
With a quick stop for a glass of fizz in the Westbury on the way to dinner, my husband and I arrived at the Whitefriar Grill last night to meet my brother in law and his wife (J & L). I've been to the Whitefriar Grill quite a few times since it opened, for brunch, lunch, early bird and a la carte dinner and it never fails to impress.
They had changed the restaurant down around the kitchen area, there were booths which have been replaced with regular tables and the kitchen is now on show, which I don't remember it being before. Think a big Camden Kitchen. Looks good though.
We were shown to our tables by the maitre d' who is always very friendly and welcoming. We did notice straight away that there was a bit of a chill coming in from the window behind us and given these evenings are very cold, it's not very pleasant. The couple at the table beside us looked pretty cold as well, but were bravely smiling through it! The maitre d' did his best to tape up the window, it still felt a bit cold but warmed up after a while. Anyway, the menu in my opinion, always has a good selection, something for everyone. There were no specials though which I was surprised at, any other time I've been there there's been specials. Still it wasn't hard to pick something.
We all had different starters, I had the scotch egg, which was wrapped in crab and then deep fried, and came with a lobster sauce. I love eggs and the flavour combination although not one I would have thought of, was so tasty, I hoovered it up. My other half had 4 oysters, which came with a tomato salsa and mignonette sauce, which he devoured. L had the seared foie gras, which went down a treat and J had the gambas pil pil (prawns on tomato bread) which also disappeared pretty quickly.
So a great start with the starters. Nice amount of time then till the mains arrived. I can't stand it when your mains are brought straight after the starters have been cleared but this was perfect, around 15-20 mins. Mains were monkfish/scallops (me), the boys both had burgers and L had the venison. Mine was really good, came with a nice few crispy bits of bacon, saffron potatoes and a pea puree. Only complaint I'd have is that the bowl was full of liquid, as if something hadn't been drained properly, but it didn't take away from the taste, it was really nice and the monkfish and scallops are a lovely combination. The burgers did what they said on the tin and the venison was tender and full of flavour.
Dessert wise, again my dairy intolerance struck so I just had an americano (which was nice and strong). My husband asked for an ameretto and had a coffee as well, and J had the eton mess, which was pretty good by all accounts.
Turned out they didn't have much ameretto left but they gave my husband what there was and didn't charge us for it.
When the bill came they'd also taken off a percentage to make up for the draught which was really decent of them.
Whitefriar Grill never disappoints, the food is of a great quality, it's a friendly cosy place with a great atmosphere and you could see how popular it was last night as it was absolutely packed for the whole time we were there. We look forward to returning soon.
L
Whitefriar Grill, 16 Aungier Street, Dublin 2
www.whitefriargrill.ie
They had changed the restaurant down around the kitchen area, there were booths which have been replaced with regular tables and the kitchen is now on show, which I don't remember it being before. Think a big Camden Kitchen. Looks good though.
We were shown to our tables by the maitre d' who is always very friendly and welcoming. We did notice straight away that there was a bit of a chill coming in from the window behind us and given these evenings are very cold, it's not very pleasant. The couple at the table beside us looked pretty cold as well, but were bravely smiling through it! The maitre d' did his best to tape up the window, it still felt a bit cold but warmed up after a while. Anyway, the menu in my opinion, always has a good selection, something for everyone. There were no specials though which I was surprised at, any other time I've been there there's been specials. Still it wasn't hard to pick something.
We all had different starters, I had the scotch egg, which was wrapped in crab and then deep fried, and came with a lobster sauce. I love eggs and the flavour combination although not one I would have thought of, was so tasty, I hoovered it up. My other half had 4 oysters, which came with a tomato salsa and mignonette sauce, which he devoured. L had the seared foie gras, which went down a treat and J had the gambas pil pil (prawns on tomato bread) which also disappeared pretty quickly.
So a great start with the starters. Nice amount of time then till the mains arrived. I can't stand it when your mains are brought straight after the starters have been cleared but this was perfect, around 15-20 mins. Mains were monkfish/scallops (me), the boys both had burgers and L had the venison. Mine was really good, came with a nice few crispy bits of bacon, saffron potatoes and a pea puree. Only complaint I'd have is that the bowl was full of liquid, as if something hadn't been drained properly, but it didn't take away from the taste, it was really nice and the monkfish and scallops are a lovely combination. The burgers did what they said on the tin and the venison was tender and full of flavour.
Dessert wise, again my dairy intolerance struck so I just had an americano (which was nice and strong). My husband asked for an ameretto and had a coffee as well, and J had the eton mess, which was pretty good by all accounts.
Turned out they didn't have much ameretto left but they gave my husband what there was and didn't charge us for it.
When the bill came they'd also taken off a percentage to make up for the draught which was really decent of them.
Whitefriar Grill never disappoints, the food is of a great quality, it's a friendly cosy place with a great atmosphere and you could see how popular it was last night as it was absolutely packed for the whole time we were there. We look forward to returning soon.
L
Whitefriar Grill, 16 Aungier Street, Dublin 2
www.whitefriargrill.ie
Saturday, 9 November 2013
Life begins at 40..... the Pigs Ear
Having recently turned 40, as has become a tradition, friends of mine treated me to a birthday dinner yesterday evening in the Pigs Ear. This place was Jacob's Ladder in a previous incarnation and I had been there for a group dinner years ago, and remember it being pretty good. So I was looking forward to trying the Pigs Ear. We got there early enough for the Early Bird which is served 5.30-6.30pm Monday to Saturday. Not much of a window to get in there but at least they do offer it on Saturdays as well, which a lot of restaurants don't.
Arriving first, I was greeted by the friendly maitre d' and brought to our table, or rather I turned around and our table was right there, just inside the door. I don't think anyone wants the table just inside the door, but the other tables were taken. My friends, M and D, arrived and had just sat down when a waiter came over to see if we were ready to order. We obviously weren't and he didn't seem very pleased with us! Not very friendly either, no smile, no 'that's no problem' he just looked a bit annoyed and went away again, to return about 10 seconds later asking did we want to order drinks. I mean efficient is great, but cracking a smile would have gone a long way! Maybe he was having a bad day. Anyway, after getting our drinks we ordered off the early bird, where there were three starters and three mains to choose from. A short menu Gordon Ramsey would be proud of! I didn't think there was a great amount of choice, I know it's an early bird but another option per course would have been welcome - maybe the mushroom soup that's on the A La Carte which sounded lovely.
D and I got the same starter, the poached and fried hen's egg with Clonakilty black pudding and M got the salt cod brandade with dillisk cured salmon. I have to say poaching and frying the hen's egg did nothing for me, it was basically a fried egg in a tiny skillet (presentation was lovely) with some black pudding crumble. The flavour was good but there wasn't much to it and it was accompanied by a small spoon to eat it with which was a bit awkward as I had to chisel the egg off the bottom of the skillet. M had the cod with salmon but we thought at first she'd been given the wrong starter, as the dish is really more salmon than cod, the cod hiding in a 'brandade' of cucumber. Don't think any of us knew what a brandade was. According to Wikapedia "Brandade is an emulsion of salt cod and olive oil eaten in winter with bread or potatoes". So, you learn something new every day! She thought it was nice enough but commented that the cod mixture tasted more like some sort of potato mixture so not convinced it delivered taste wise.
Onto our mains, and we all had the hake. The other mains options were spelt and beetroot risotto and belly pork. We didn't order any sides, although there were no potatoes/chips whatever with the fish. But there was a very tasty carrot and orange puree which went well with the hake, which was nicely cooked. I also really enjoyed the seeds that were sprinkled on the dish, the burst of flavour from them every now and then was gorgeous. Nice addition.
Desserts were brown bread ice cream, lemon rice pudding and vanilla cheesecake but as I'm dairy intolerant I try to avoid the worst of dairy i.e. cream and cheese, when I feel like being good. So didn't have any dessert, nor did the girls. I just had an americano (decent americano) and we had one more glass of wine each. As we do ;) I also ordered the home made tea cakes, 3 of which arrived, so we had one each. Nice, dark chocolate and marshmallow. Basically what it says on the tin. Or actually not in this case as they arrived in a Cambridge's biscuit tin!
With the americano, the milk and sugar were presented like this
Now I'm all for kooky presentation, but I think the Siucra bag is taking kooky a bit too far. A lot of restaurants now seem to be presenting milk in those kilner type bottles and that's cute if a bit messy when pouring, but the sugar bag, maybe not...
Bill came to around Eur160 including tip, which is fairly decent as it included around 2 bottles of wine between us. I was treated to my dinner, the only reason I know the bill amount is because I had to work out the tip ;)
The food was nice enough, wine was good, service was fine, atmosphere was ok and they didn't push us out the door even though we only had the table till 8.30pm, but I wouldn't be rushing back, I didn't think there was anything special about it.
L
The Pigs Ear, 4 Nassau Street, Dublin 2
www.thepigsear.com
Arriving first, I was greeted by the friendly maitre d' and brought to our table, or rather I turned around and our table was right there, just inside the door. I don't think anyone wants the table just inside the door, but the other tables were taken. My friends, M and D, arrived and had just sat down when a waiter came over to see if we were ready to order. We obviously weren't and he didn't seem very pleased with us! Not very friendly either, no smile, no 'that's no problem' he just looked a bit annoyed and went away again, to return about 10 seconds later asking did we want to order drinks. I mean efficient is great, but cracking a smile would have gone a long way! Maybe he was having a bad day. Anyway, after getting our drinks we ordered off the early bird, where there were three starters and three mains to choose from. A short menu Gordon Ramsey would be proud of! I didn't think there was a great amount of choice, I know it's an early bird but another option per course would have been welcome - maybe the mushroom soup that's on the A La Carte which sounded lovely.
D and I got the same starter, the poached and fried hen's egg with Clonakilty black pudding and M got the salt cod brandade with dillisk cured salmon. I have to say poaching and frying the hen's egg did nothing for me, it was basically a fried egg in a tiny skillet (presentation was lovely) with some black pudding crumble. The flavour was good but there wasn't much to it and it was accompanied by a small spoon to eat it with which was a bit awkward as I had to chisel the egg off the bottom of the skillet. M had the cod with salmon but we thought at first she'd been given the wrong starter, as the dish is really more salmon than cod, the cod hiding in a 'brandade' of cucumber. Don't think any of us knew what a brandade was. According to Wikapedia "Brandade is an emulsion of salt cod and olive oil eaten in winter with bread or potatoes". So, you learn something new every day! She thought it was nice enough but commented that the cod mixture tasted more like some sort of potato mixture so not convinced it delivered taste wise.
Onto our mains, and we all had the hake. The other mains options were spelt and beetroot risotto and belly pork. We didn't order any sides, although there were no potatoes/chips whatever with the fish. But there was a very tasty carrot and orange puree which went well with the hake, which was nicely cooked. I also really enjoyed the seeds that were sprinkled on the dish, the burst of flavour from them every now and then was gorgeous. Nice addition.
Desserts were brown bread ice cream, lemon rice pudding and vanilla cheesecake but as I'm dairy intolerant I try to avoid the worst of dairy i.e. cream and cheese, when I feel like being good. So didn't have any dessert, nor did the girls. I just had an americano (decent americano) and we had one more glass of wine each. As we do ;) I also ordered the home made tea cakes, 3 of which arrived, so we had one each. Nice, dark chocolate and marshmallow. Basically what it says on the tin. Or actually not in this case as they arrived in a Cambridge's biscuit tin!
With the americano, the milk and sugar were presented like this
Now I'm all for kooky presentation, but I think the Siucra bag is taking kooky a bit too far. A lot of restaurants now seem to be presenting milk in those kilner type bottles and that's cute if a bit messy when pouring, but the sugar bag, maybe not...
Bill came to around Eur160 including tip, which is fairly decent as it included around 2 bottles of wine between us. I was treated to my dinner, the only reason I know the bill amount is because I had to work out the tip ;)
The food was nice enough, wine was good, service was fine, atmosphere was ok and they didn't push us out the door even though we only had the table till 8.30pm, but I wouldn't be rushing back, I didn't think there was anything special about it.
L
The Pigs Ear, 4 Nassau Street, Dublin 2
www.thepigsear.com
Monday, 4 November 2013
Quick nod to Cafe Java in Ballsbridge
So, my work history over the last couple of years has been a bit patchy, a bit on and off if you will. Personal circumstances have meant that I give up my job a couple of times in a row. Having said that, I have been very lucky in that I've managed to get a job again soon enough when needed. My current position is in Ballsbridge, only several stops from my current house beside the seaside and going well so far. Anyway, I used to work in the area around 10 years ago and it's changed a lot in the 10 years with new restaurants and cafes, but I have to admit I can't remember if Cafe Java was around back then.
When I find somewhere I like for lunch during the working day I tend to become a creature of habit and go back again and again. I spent 18 months having lunch in the McCafe off the Naas Road for example. Hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it! Also, there wasn't much choice around there....Anyway, for the last month I have been going for lunch a lot to Cafe Java. It's cosy, the service is friendly and efficient, and they make two really good dishes in particular - the lunch omelette and the BLT. I don't have cheese in the omelette but even so, it's bursting with flavour and not at all dry. It comes with a lovely fresh side salad and some brown bread. Which isn't really necessary but a nice addition. The ham they use is top quality as well. The BLT actually does have crispy bacon in it, which is often promised but not delivered. It also comes with a side salad.
I might go mad and try somewhere else tomorrow, but I doubt it.
Until my Friday feed in the Embassy Grill ;)
Update:
Forgot to mention they have the best music as well, it's mostly 80s and I don't know the idea behind it but kudos to them for some very enjoyable tunes at lunch!
pps: Just found out today they do an all day brekkie. Score.
Cafe Java, 49 Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
http://www.cafejava.ie/cafe-java-locations-ballsbridge.html
When I find somewhere I like for lunch during the working day I tend to become a creature of habit and go back again and again. I spent 18 months having lunch in the McCafe off the Naas Road for example. Hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it! Also, there wasn't much choice around there....Anyway, for the last month I have been going for lunch a lot to Cafe Java. It's cosy, the service is friendly and efficient, and they make two really good dishes in particular - the lunch omelette and the BLT. I don't have cheese in the omelette but even so, it's bursting with flavour and not at all dry. It comes with a lovely fresh side salad and some brown bread. Which isn't really necessary but a nice addition. The ham they use is top quality as well. The BLT actually does have crispy bacon in it, which is often promised but not delivered. It also comes with a side salad.
I might go mad and try somewhere else tomorrow, but I doubt it.
Until my Friday feed in the Embassy Grill ;)
Update:
Forgot to mention they have the best music as well, it's mostly 80s and I don't know the idea behind it but kudos to them for some very enjoyable tunes at lunch!
pps: Just found out today they do an all day brekkie. Score.
Cafe Java, 49 Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
http://www.cafejava.ie/cafe-java-locations-ballsbridge.html
First post - Gourment Food Parlour, Dun Laoghaire
So, first post. Which really means first restaurant review. As mentioned in my profile, my husband and I go out to eat. A lot. I think our family and friends wonder where we always have the money for all our meals out. Well we both work and don't have kids, and like to treat ourselves. I don't like cooking, I have no interest in it, but I love eating good food. My husband is a great cook, he enjoys it and likes experimenting with new foods. and for the most part, I like eating his creations! But mostly, we are serious dining out people. Not a weekend goes by where we are not out for breakfast, lunch or dinner or our favourite meal, brunch. Brunch combines the best of both worlds. It has all the options for breakfast, but with a lunchy savoury slant as well...
Anyhoo, to our brunch yesterday. After a great night out with friends in Dalkey, we were feeling a tad delicate yesterday but as often happens, we had nothing in so decided to head out into Dun Laoghaire. Googling 'best brunch in Dun Laoghaire' brought up Gourmet Food Parlour, which I was surprised to realise, I'd never heard of but they have several locations around Dublin and have been around 6 years. It's the same sort of place as Salt in Monkstown, in that it has nice relaxed décor, friendly staff and really great quality food, I went for the veggie breakfast, which looked amazing. And for the most part, tasted amazing. The mushrooms though (and I am a mushroom fan) were very garlicky, which for dinner, is lovely, but for breakfast? Not convinced. The potato rostis looked great but I found them a bit bland. Having said that, it was all tasty enough and washed down by a very decent Americano. Oh, I should mention, we are coffee fiends, and I can't stand a wishy washy Americano. What's the point of drinking coffee if it doesn't have a kick?!
My husband had the French toast with bacon, which he said was really nice. He couldn't' finish it though, and he'd have a decent appetite so possibly bit too big a portion. The place really filled up after we arrived, so by 12pm it would be slightly hard to get a seat.
It was lovely and relaxed and we enjoyed reading the papers and just not being rushed. It's also great that it's within walking distance for us, so we'd definitely go back and try some other dishes on the menu. Oh and it turns into a tapas restaurant in the evening supposedly, so we might try that some night as well...
L
Gourmet Food Parlour, Cumberland Street, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
http://www.gourmetfoodparlour.com/index.php/restaurants/dun-laoghaire
Anyhoo, to our brunch yesterday. After a great night out with friends in Dalkey, we were feeling a tad delicate yesterday but as often happens, we had nothing in so decided to head out into Dun Laoghaire. Googling 'best brunch in Dun Laoghaire' brought up Gourmet Food Parlour, which I was surprised to realise, I'd never heard of but they have several locations around Dublin and have been around 6 years. It's the same sort of place as Salt in Monkstown, in that it has nice relaxed décor, friendly staff and really great quality food, I went for the veggie breakfast, which looked amazing. And for the most part, tasted amazing. The mushrooms though (and I am a mushroom fan) were very garlicky, which for dinner, is lovely, but for breakfast? Not convinced. The potato rostis looked great but I found them a bit bland. Having said that, it was all tasty enough and washed down by a very decent Americano. Oh, I should mention, we are coffee fiends, and I can't stand a wishy washy Americano. What's the point of drinking coffee if it doesn't have a kick?!
My husband had the French toast with bacon, which he said was really nice. He couldn't' finish it though, and he'd have a decent appetite so possibly bit too big a portion. The place really filled up after we arrived, so by 12pm it would be slightly hard to get a seat.
It was lovely and relaxed and we enjoyed reading the papers and just not being rushed. It's also great that it's within walking distance for us, so we'd definitely go back and try some other dishes on the menu. Oh and it turns into a tapas restaurant in the evening supposedly, so we might try that some night as well...
L
Gourmet Food Parlour, Cumberland Street, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
http://www.gourmetfoodparlour.com/index.php/restaurants/dun-laoghaire
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