Patrick_O

It's essentially a deli/food shop with a communal table at the back. It's a good spot for Saturday morning with the papers. The food is solid enough but not a destination spot.

I think there was enough technical ability shown in Johnny's dish to merit more than a 2...very insulting score to give him. Marcus clearly leans towards classical dishes as we saw last night when we raved about essentially a couple of high end meat and two veg plates.

Your experience mirrors mine last year. Food was ok but no better than that. I found the service to be patchy too and left feeling a little puzzled about the hype I'd read before my visit.

I'd heard that the 2012 guide was coming out earlier than usual...anyone any info on proposed date?

Speaking to people in the industry at the Food & Wine Magazine Awards last Sunday, it seems Michelin have been out in force all over Ireland for the last six months so I expect there to be a lot of movement after what have been a very static couple of years. Hop you're right about the Bib this year Simon

Thortons edges it for food. Their set lunch is one of the best bargains in the city. For high end that might not be on your radar, try Dax (www.dax.ie) or Restaurant 41 (www.residence.ie). Others worth checking out for good food in less formal settings are: Locks Brasserie China Sichuan Pichet Pig's Ear Winding Stair For decent gastro pub food and a great selection of artisan beer and whiskey, try Mulligans on Manor Street ( www.lmulligangrocer.ie) Enjoy!

I can highly recommend Campagne in Kilkenny www.campagne.ie

I will be in Leeds in a couple of weeks and would rather take my chances at the chip van in Elland Road than darken the door of Mr. Martin's venture. I agree with the previous posters about the whole exercise being yet another cynical idea probably dreamt up by "branding executives", but more importantly I don't rate him as a chef and have no desire to eat his food. At least if Ramsey Inc. pumps out yet another cookie cut venture, chances are the food will be half decent.

Always prefer to leave it to others to mention our place. Cheers for the kind words btw-chuffed you rate us so highy.

I couldn't agree more Harters. Kinsale dubbed itself the "Gourmet Capital of Ireland" sometime in the early seventies and it stuck. It wasn't true then and it certainly isn't true now. I have copied a list below that I posted previously-apologies for the length. In terms of Irish produce, at the moment there is some great local shellfish available so if you order Dublin Bay Prawns, Scallops or Lobster you should eat very well. Likewise, lamb is in season but quite expensive. We also have some excellent smoked fish products here so somewhere like Winding Stair is a good place to sample great local smoked produce from producers such as Frank Hedderman or Woodcock Smokery. Brunch: Odessa – Cool vibe, very good Eggs Benedict and juices. Avoid for dinner! Espresso Bar , Ballsbridge – Usual brunch staples done very well. Good place for celeb spotting too! Green 19, Camden Street – Essential hangover food for Sundays! Rolys Café, Ballsbridge – A bit noisy sometimes but very good scrambled egg and smoked salmon! Panem Café, Ormonde Quay – Seats about 6 people but makes fantastic croissants and stuffed savoury focaccia. Cheap Eats: Dunne & Crescenzi, South Frederick St - Italian anti pasti, panini, pasta etc Yamamori Noodles, Georges St-Decent sushi and good noodle dishes The Exchequer Gastro Pub, Excehquer St - All the usual gastropub staples Michie Sushi, Chelmsford Lane, Ranelagh – Tiny place but best sushi in Dublin IMO Manifesto, Rathmines – Really good pizzas and simple pasta dishes. Mid Level Lunch/Dinner: Pichet, Trinity Street - Contemporary bistro - very popular Winding Stair, Ormonde Quay-Modern Irish Cooking, great wine list La Maison, Castlemarket St - Classic French bistro cooking in bright, modern room Nona Valentino, Portobello – Interesting Italian cooking in bright room by the canal. Juniors, Bath Avenue – Great buzz, simple dishes cooked well. L'Gueleuton, Fade St - French style brasserie with an Irish twist Pig's Ear, Nassau St- Good quality Irish cooking with nice views of Trinity College The Brown Bear, Naas – High quality gastro pub ( www.thebrownbear.ie). In the middle of nowhere but worth the journey! Dillinger’s Ranelagh – Small space but cool vibe, great cocktails and solid cooking. Eatery 120 Ranelagh – Good bistro fare and decent wine list Camden Kitchen, Grantham Street – Small but bright, modern space. Cooking is good and inventive bistro moderne style. The Green Hen, Wicklow Street- Usual bistro staples. Can be hit and miss but when it’s good it can be very good. Bang Café – Awful interior design but decent mid level bistro cooking! China Sichuan – The best Sichuan cooking in Dublin. Worth the 25 minutes or son on the Luas from St. Stephen’s Green. Wolfe’s Artisan Bistro, Capel Street – Very new and right on top of their game. Very good quality ingredients cooked simply. Café Bon, Malahide – The little sister of Michelin Starred Bon Appetite but IMO a far nicer experience. 30 minutes on the Dart from Pearse St. It’s a nice way to spend a Sunday! The House, Howth – Really chilled out spot. I’d recommend for brunch on a Sunday particularly. Cellar Restaurant at Merrion Hotel – Very nice space for a Hotel restaurant and good quality ingredients cooked simply. Locks Brasseries, Portobello – From the same stable as Pearl Brasserie but less formal. Very good quality bistro food in relaxing room by the canal. High End - Relative Good Value Lunch/Expensive Dinner: Thorntons, St. Stephens Green - my personal favourite in Dublin. Great lunch deal at the moment for stellar cooking. 1 Michelin Star but tipped to win back second. Chapter One, Parnell Square - Very popular, high end Irish cooking and service. 1 Michelin Star. Salon des Saveurs, Aungier St. – They only do tasting menus at night but prices are very reasonable for the standard of cooking on offer. Very good lunch and early evening deals at the moment. Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, Merrion Hotel- Currently Ireland's only 2 Michelin Star. Sublime service, very good food, very expensive. One Pico, Schoolhouse Lane- So far overlooked by Michelin but excellent lunch deal for the standard of food and service. Pearl Brasserie, Merrion St- Stunning room with great service and excellent quality cooking. Dax, Merrion Street – Decent tapas in the bar for moderate price, very good food and service in the dining room and exceptional wine list.

Just a quick update to say that we were featured on the "Bobby Flay's Ireland" special for the food newtwork. I'm pretty sure it's being repeated on St. Patrick's day. We're at the very end. Overall the show gives a good insight into food scene here at the moment so it's well worth checking out if anyone intends heading this way.

I agree about the whole area being a fraudster's paradise but also feel that there is an element of natural selection at work here. Undoubtedly some people will be conned but I reckon anyone who hands over their hard earned for a restaurant reservation deserves everything that's coming to them.

Thank you for the kind words. When you're coming to this neck of the woods be sure to contact us.

Thanks EMW. We own a neighbourhood bistro in south Dublin. We source the best local, seasonal produce we can find and try to make simple yet inventive dishes. We also have a small deli/pizzeria. We regularly travel and check out other cities to see what's new and fresh so we get some ideas and inspiration. We're in the process of making some changes to the restaurant and will be relaunching, including a new website at the end of February. Our current website is located at www.alexis.ie

Just back from a very enjoyable few days in NYC and although we didn't get to eat everywhere on our wish list, we sampled a good cross section and got plenty of good ideas. The less fussy food we ate was definitely the most memorable and a few random thoughts were as follows: Lupa- Probably the most memorable lunch of the trip. Excellent ingredients served simply with good home made pastas and a well chosen wine list. Simple yet superb. Jean Georges- All the classic Michelin formality and technically excellent food. Every dish was perfectly cooked and seasoned yet presentation let some of them down ( A veal escalope on the plate with just some clumsily chopped broccoli on top sticks in my mind). Overall, hard to fault the technical aspects of the meal but no wow factor. Hard to reconcile with the 3* restaurants in Spain for example but I guess that's a whole other conversation. Aldea - The least enjoyable experience of the trip. We found it to be a case of style over substance. Lots of sous vide cooking and superfluous foams yet surprising bland. The place looks great and was very busy yet the food we are was very average and the staff showed little knowledge of the menu or ingredients. Ma Peche - Very interesting mix of classic French techniques with vibrant Aisan flavours. Beef tartare and pork cheeks were bursting with flavour and very enjoyable. Very cool atmosphere and complimentary Wagyu taster from the chef was delicious. Morini - Really good homemade pasta and simple regional Italian dishes done very well. Extremely well organised FOH team. Great spot to chill out at Sunday lunch and do a spot of people watching. EatalyWe spent a ridculous amount of time here. Every time we passed, we dropped in for an espresso or something to eat and ended up buying more produce than we could take home! What a fantastic place. The attention to detail is staggering and I could happliy lose myself in there for a whole day. I only wish we had somewhere like this in Ireland. Overall it was a great trip and we ejoyed some excellent cocktails in the Flatiron lounge and Death & Co. We never made it to so many other places but will definitely head back towards the end of the year and fill in the gaps. Thanks again to everyone who gave us such great recommendations. We learned something from each and every meal and have been inspired which was the purpose of the visit.

Thanks again for the great advice, it's a huge advantage to visit any city when you're armed with such fantastic information. If Del Posto is a must for lunch then should I cancel EMP or Jean Georges? I'm trying to balance the itinerary so we're not overloaded to the point we don't enjoy it. I'm sure there are hundreds of great places that we haven't even mentioned but we've such a short time we have to pick a few and stick with them. We will definitely be back later in the year too...probably October..so we can take care of any unfinished business then!

The itinerary is starting to take shape. Lunch in Jean Georges and EMP are booked, as are dinners in Aldea and WD50. I reckon we will also definitely visit MaPeche ( I don't think it's possible to book?) and one of the casual Italians-probably Osteria Morini. After that we'll play it by ear. If we have any notches left on our belts, we may fit in a cocktail or two. We plan to visit the Flatiron Lounge when we go to Aldea, but any other suggestions for good bars? Thanks again for all of the excellent advice.

Thanks again, these places look great. How is Lupa these days? I'd an excellent casual Italian lunch there a few years ago.

Thank you all for the great suggestions. Some of them were on my radar but plenty there that I hadn't been aware of. I will report back after the trip.

Hi all, My bro and I are in the restaurant business in Ireland and take a trip each year for a few days to get ideas from restaurants that are at the top of their game in other countries. We've found this to be an invaluable source of inspiration on previous trips to London, Paris, San Sebastian and Barcelona. We'll be in NYC for four nights in January and want to take in some of the places that are really on top form. It doesn't have to be high end ( although one lunch will be Jean Georges...looks like the best bargain the city?) but should have passion and a drive for quality. I would really appreciate some local knowledge and a heads up for some hidden gems.We eat everything and are open to any suggestions but as we work long hours would probably not have the type of time required to try get a reservation at the likes of Momofuku Ko. Thank you.

Fair enough Erica. I personally found it hard to stomach the light hearted nature of the piece which portrayed the thieves as likeable rogues when in fact they were merely better dressed, more attractive versions of the pond life who smash your car window and steal your stereo.

Glad to see Time Hayward finds the whole episode so amusing. He's clearly never had to pay a weekly wage bill for a restaurant.

Although the phone rant was inexcusable, I too can sympathise with MW on this. I think the review itself as a standalone is overly harsh and slightly pedantic but in the context of half a dozen previous good experiences, it seems very unfair that the restaurant was not afforded the opportunity to make amends prior to publication of such a scathing review.

We enjoyed a nice few days in Santa Margherita Ligure. Unfortunately the food wasn't up to much and many of the recommended restaurants were closed or full. Of those we tried, Rosa in Camogli was about the best. Trofie with pesto follwed by whole grilled sole were very simple and all the better for it. The view at dusk was spectacular. Thanks to those who made recommedations.

That's it in a nutshell John. I'm in the business myself and make a point of issuing a polite response to any writen complaint, regardless of the nature of it. In my experience the vast majority of people leave very happy, a small percentage complain due a legitimate gripe and a small percentage complain because they are professional complainers! Either way, the objective of the restaurant should be to win them back as opposed to piss them off.