Simon_S

I've been intending to write about Alexis Bar and Grill, recently opened on Patrick St. in Dun Laoghaire, for quite a while, and as I've mentioned it in a couple of other threads I thought it was time it got one of its own. Normally, I wouldn't be inclined to visit (or indeed comment on) a restaurant so soon after its opening, but I made an exception here. What a happy exception it was. The restaurant itself is big (seats 90 I believe) and comfortable enough, the kitchen open at one end so you can watch the cooking as it happens should you feel so inclined. It really is quite a large space and will probably have a good bistro kind of atmosphere when a little more full. On our visits there numbers were a little small (unsurprising given the newly-opened status) so we had to make our own atmosphere. I stress, it wasn't unpleasant in any way, but this is not the kind of room you would call cosy! The menu is reasonably short and simple, and not arranged in the standard starter-main format. Some dishes are smaller, some are larger, some are available in half portions, basically you can eat whatever you like the sound of. On my first visit I had the feuilleté of button mushrooms, garlic thyme and white truffle oil, followed by the Cassoulet de Toulouse. Hazel started with the seared scallop risotto with Fresh peas and then moved on to the roast wood pigeon tartlet, braised onion and endive salad. The feuilleté was really delicious, with very light and flaky pastry surrounded by mushrooms in a very rich mushroomy sauce. The truffle oil was (mercifully) served with a very light hand. The scallop risotto was even better, expertly cooked and displaying really good quality ingredients. These were better scallops than I've had in some Michelin-starred restaurants -- excellent stuff. Mains didn't disappoint either, the cassoulet more solid than liquid and all the better for it, and my few tastes of the pigeon tartlet were good, although I didn't try much of it. Our next visit saw a repeat of the scallop dish (which was as good as we remembered), and some new mains: the pan-fried peppered duck, sautéed spinach, confit potatoes and the braised beef short ribs "reform". Again, this was good hearty food, beautifully prepared and presented and with really good ingredients. My one minor criticism was that I'd prefer the duck taken off the pan a few seconds earlier, but it was a small point. The meal, once again, was very good, and proved that our earlier visit hadn't just been beginner's luck. The best bit (and how often can you say this?) was the bill!! Given the quality of cooking and ingredients, I wouldn't have been surprised to see that first meal creeping up towards 3 figures for 2 of us. Granted we'd skipped dessert, but for two starters, two mains, two or three glasses of wine and some coffees we got in and out for 60 quid. That doesn't happen often these days! So, in short, if you're in Dun Laoghaire looking for hearty food at a good price you should definitely pop in. If you're not you should make the trip. Given that I live nearby and have long despaired of the culinary desert that is Dun Laoghaire, Alexis is now the proverbial oasis. I really hope this restaurant takes off, since I imagine they're going to have to do a lot of business to keep quality high for the prices they're charging. We'll certainly be doing our best to support! In fact, we like it enough that Hazel and I are having our engagement celebration there with our families on Friday night. Let's see if they're any good at pouring champagne! Website is under construction, but menus can be downloaded here. Si PS Off-topic, but I must stop writing reviews only of places that I like...

It won't change your mind! Ah Corinna, I do enjoy your truffle-oil hatred. It didn't feature anywhere in my meal, from what I can remember, although champagne pre, several wines during, and several brandies afterwards have dulled my recollection somewhat. I didn't notice an especially heavy hand with the salt either, but that may have been a function of what I ordered (duck sausage followed by slow cooked beef). Pre-theatre wasn't too difficult to come by, but we reserved 4 weeks in advance, and it was a Wednesday evening. In any case, all of us (work colleagues, some more foodie than others) really enjoyed our evening, and booked a lunch on July 4th before we left. Getting back to Tom D, maybe I was a little harsh. It's not a bad list, it was just the rankings of Mint especially, and Thornton's, L'Gueuleton and Mermaid to a lesser extent that annoyed me. Si

Guessing here, but with the lid on I always imagine the pressure will be somewhat raised in the pot, causing the water to boil at a higher temperature thus cooking quicker. I stress, however, that this may be totally false! Si

So what would you put on your list? BTW, going back to my earlier "getting it all on the one plate" point, I was in Chapter One at the weekend and the potatoes (croquette) were served separately. Somehow it's OK with their style of dining, although I don't think that one type of potato should be expected to go with each dish, be it croquette or baby potatoes. I can't remember if this was always the case (I know there was always optional extra vegetable). ← Funnily enough I was there last Wednesday and I got the croquettes as well. I was surprised to see them served with everything. Still, I was very impressed with the food (early bird) at Chapter One. Our group was very well looked-after and we all ate very well. I hadn't been for a while, and I didn't know quite what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. The sommelier deserves a special mention, and coincidentally he was interviewed in the same Irish Times supplement being discussed here. As regards the list, I think TD does an okay job, it's his star ratings I don't agree with. You know my feelings on Mint and Thornton's already, and I think it's fairly perverse that he reckons l'Ecrivain deserves a second star. It's obvious to me that TD likes a particular kind of cooking, and he always seems quick to knock anything that has even the merest hint of what he considers pretension. That's a shame, since a lot of modern cooking gets unnecessarily tarred. I also dislike the slightly snide tone to some of his comments (Mint, Thornton's, even Shanahan's, though on balance I agree with him there!) Off the top of my head, Dax and Pearl would probably get a place on my list (as might the newly opened Alexis if the list stretched to Dun Laoghaire) and it's interesting that there's nothing remotely ethnic here. It's not a bad list for places to get good food, but it contains nothing surprising, and the very fine gradation (half-stars) seems a bit silly to me too. Of course, while it's a silly and useless list for people who hang around here, it might be useful enough to the average mere mortal. Si

This is just a fabulous report. You sure know how to travel, Bryan. Bravo! Si

That pretty much covers my opinion on this. I'm really not sure that I trust Tom Doorley at the high-end level, or anywhere else for that matter. He's obviously not a million miles away with his choices, but his breakdown into stars makes virtually no sense. Of course, far better information is available on eGullet! Si

I'm really enjoying this report, but I'm struggling with having to read Lbs instead of £. Even the # symbol might be easier to read if you can't make the £ symbol. Sorry about the nit-picking. Carry on!! Can't wait to see how you get on in Paris and Barcelona. Si

A good n- creepy guess but incorrect. 141. An extremely bizarre tea-party. The table is set with beer braised rabbit with carrots, onions and potatoes, a jar of lemonade and butter tarts for dessert. CLUE: a jar of peanut butter and ants CLUE: It had a very limited release even though the director is well known for both his direction *and* animation. Added clue: Director was a member of Monty Python. ← Would that be "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". Cracking film. Si

If it keeps happening, it becomes a problem for more than the restaurant owner. Regular no-shows in a small place are going to mean either higher prices to cover the empty tables or, in the worst case, a restaurant going out of business. I'm not a restaurant owner, but I'm not impressed to see customers treating restaurants in this way. If people think it's okay to do that, then they shouldn't be surprised if posters here tell them otherwise. Of course, I'm not denying that the restaurant spokesperson here was rude -- he was -- but it's naive of customers to assume they can treat service providers any way they see fit, and continue to receive a smiling response every time. In this case, I perfectly understand the OP's situation, and I sympathise with it, but from my standpoint he treated the booking and the restaurant in a very cavalier fashion. It's not illegal, but it's not cool. Incidentally, the over-booking policy being advocated simply will not work in every market. Plenty of customers (myself included) expect to be seated at the time they have booked. If I get to a restaurant and that's not happening, I won't stay long. Of course, that's a general comment and may not be applicable to Joe Beef's target market. Si

I hope I'm not the one spreading misinformation! What we need is Kevin Thornton on here to answer all our questions!! Si

Hmmm, according to the website, it's open for lunch on Thurs, Fri, Sat only. I'm not sure if that's right? Plus, I think the prix fixe lunch is available on Sat. It certainly was in December, and I don't think they've changed it. It's a nice way to spend a Saturday, although shopping afterwards is not recommended! Si

That website has been there for a while (I mentioned it upthread), and certainly existed pre the refurb, so some of the details have yet to be updated. The 30/40 lunch price on the site does not tally with the prices advertised at the restaurant. Si

I asked them that on our earlier visit, and they said that as it stands it's fine to just walk in, but they don't know how that will change over time based on popularity, etc. Certainly for now, a walk-in should be fine, and that's exactly what we did. I imagine if it starts filling up on a regular basis they'll take bookings as well. I also meant to say, in time they're hoping to have canapes available at lunch, which strikes me as an excellent idea for those time-constrained office workers -- people like myself in fact...! Si

Not the proverbial sausage. We didn't want to be too controversial, after all. In other news, a (vegetarian) colleague was there on Saturday night. He reports a few service lapses and a long wait for dessert, but on balance he enjoyed it I think. Most interestingly, on arrival he asked if they could have a drink at the bar prior to taking their table, but was informed that the bar was full. Word may be getting out. Si

The lack of digestive system in the Jolly Red Fat Man makes me think of my son's current favorite movie, Santa Clause 2; when the real Santa has to find a wife, someone makes a "clone" Santa who can't eat/drink so no one realizes Santa is on a field trip. But I can't remember anything about pork pies and sherry in that movie!! ← I shall be more forthright, this movie was just released last year in the UK. It is based on a renowned British author, noted for having his books as the most shoplifted (no he is not J.K. Rowling). Clue giveaway: Death decides to become the jolly fat man because somebody,um, off'd him. ← Well, I'm guessing it's (Terry Pratchett's) The Hogfather, which wasn't really released as a movie, just shown on Sky coming up to Christmas. Si

There wasn't a separate team per se, but one of the waiters definitely seemed to have the job of tending to the canape bar, both in terms of drinks and food. He was behind the bar or looking after us for most/all of the night. Aside from that, we had a couple of other waiters along the way to deliver food/bread/cheese/whatever, but they were mostly in the main dining room during the evening. It certainly feels quite separate from the restaurant, at least in the formality levels, but at the same time you don't really forget where you are. I'd feel perfectly comfortable popping in for a glass of something and a quick snack even if I wasn't dressed for going out, etc., but it won't be replacing my late-night post-pub Roma II batter sausage any time soon. We made some "funny" comments about chips, chicken nuggets, ketchup and what-have-you, and they were all taken in good part! Si

Mint Thornton's Another option in Thornton's would be to go for canapes. Si

I'm a little behind on my eG posts, but we did indeed go to Thornton's for canapes last week. The bar area has been made more comfortable with 1950s vintage sofas and tables replacing the smaller tables and chairs. The lighting isn't quite there yet, apparently, but the changes that have been made are good improvements IMHO. The canape menu itself has about 12-14 choices, all at €3.50. A brief read down through them immediately gives the impression that they're not making any money at that price, as ingredients are not compromised. From the list, we chose 8, as follows: - Guinea fowl with Szechuan peppercorn - Blue fin tuna - Foie gras with almonds - John Dory with truffle foam and black truffle - Venison with Valrhona chocolate - Scallop with something - Goat's cheese with something else - Goose with a further something (Sorry about the vagueness of some of these descriptions, my memory did its best!) Also on the menu was a bacon and cabbage terrine, and some more vegetarian-style canapes that we didn't sample. All in all, there were some very impressive flavours here, and at €3.50 they're an absolute steal. Highlights for us were the goose and the John Dory (so we ordered one more of each), but really, all of them were very enjoyable in their own way. When coupled with the fact that you get the full bread service while eating, we had virtually enough to eat with 10 canapes between 2 of us. Of course, we then went and blew the budget somewhat by ordering a semi-decent bottle of wine, not to mention 2 cheese trolley courses and some port. It should be noted that the service doesn't suffer in any way by only ordering canapes, and we were treated exceptionally well. Granted, it was a quiet enough night in the restaurant, but even still, I was surprised to get proper silverware, napkins etc., and wine poured for us for the night. Nonetheless, the mood at Thornton's is definitely moving away from stiff and formal, and I felt comfortable eating my canapes while clad in jeans. (Yet another pro-Thornton's post from me. It's becoming a habit!) Si PS I checked the menus and lunch is €35 for 2 courses, €45 Euro for 3, so not as expensive as we thought, but more expensive than posted on the restaurant website.

Yes indeed, as much as I enjoyed the Port House, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to a visitor from Barcelona! Dublin, as you probably know, is an expensive city, and price isn't always correlated to quality here. Still, off the top of my head, I'd recommend L'Gueuleton for good food that won't break the bank (although you can't book) and The Winding Stair for some Irish-style food at medium prices. I haven't been to the latter myself, but I've heard good reports from people I trust. Incidentally, if you find yourself in Dun Laoghaire for any reason (it's about 10k south of Dublin along the coast) I would heartily recommend the newly opened Alexis, which I intend to review on eG any day now. More ideas will come to me, and I'm sure Corinna will be along shortly with a few recommendations. Ireland has experienced a wave of immigration in recent times which also means there are some excellent ethnic eats at very low prices if you know where to look. At the moment, I don't, but Corinna might... Meanwhile, you can check out menus and prices for a lot of restaurants here, although many of the reviews need to be taken with a healthy fistful of salt. I hope you enjoy your trip! Si

Aha!!! Congratulations, you are correct. One of Tom Hanks' earlier appearances, and a film that I love for some strange reason. The original clue refers to the scene where a group of neighbours visits the Klopeks. Hans, the nephew, hands around a tin of sardines and a bag of pretzels, which are entertainingly consumed by a gurning Hanks. Si

Is that Down and Out in Beverly Hills? ← I'm afraid not, although I think you're correct that DAOIBH also had an "eating from the dog's bowl" scene. Here's another food-related clue for 95: At one point, a plate of brownies is accidentally dropped on a porch. Si

Time for another clue here, perhaps? Another food-related scene of this film has someone eating from a bowl meant for the family dog. Si

I didn't listen to the end of the show either, and I missed the Arzak thing. Just goes to show that some of the points I made upthread about the Irish diner might not be too far from the mark... KT came on the air the following day (Wed, about 28 mins into the programme if you fancy a listen) and basically said the whole thing wasn't about chips, it was about bad behaviour of guests. He was unwilling to get into the nitty gritty of what happened, but as I say, he came across well. I think chicken nuggets, ketchup and spicy potato wedges might be a worthwhile order... Si

I did. I thought KT came across very well, actually, although for every word Joe Duffy spoke I felt my IQ lower a notch. Si

If the opportunity arises, I'll ask for them with something of a glint in my eye... Si