Thornton's Restaurant Dublin

[Andy Lynes]

For those that don't know, Kevin Thornton is the big cheese on the Dublin restaurant scene. He currently holds 2 Michelin stars, and he at least is quite confident of completing the set (read his comments here)following his very recent move into the space that was Peacock Alley in the Fitzwilliam Hotel, overlooking St Stephen's Green in the city centre.

What was a bright and colourful brasserie has been completely gutted and refashioned into a rather blank room filled with just 15 tables, each has 2.3 metes of space.

I know this because Kevin told me when I met him at the end of the meal. He told me a minute or two before disappearing into his kitchen as I finished saying the sentence "It's interesting what happened to Conrad Gallagher though isn't it?". Over his shoulder he replied "No. It isn't. Not at all." And that was the end of that. Oh, well, you can't get on with everyone in this world can you? Especially if you are a nosey English bastard coming on like some sort of policeman or private investigator in a very Irish restaurant.

So, anyway, before I managed to piss off one of Ireland's best know chefs, I had a rather nice, but really bloody expensive meal. But only because I had the brass neck to roll up on their doorstep at 7.30 on a Thursday night asking for a table when less than 90 minutes earlier they had told me on the phone they were fully booked. Maybe they had a cancellation.

Dinner started with a very under seasoned but quite nice mini terrine of duck served with half a baby courgette and some raspberry coulis. The bread was a sensation and I tried some pistachio, tomato and plain white baguette during the meal. As good as Hibiscus, and that's saying something. My starter was haute cuisine as designed by Armani. or something. Roast Quail with Brioche, White Onion Puree and Morel sauce was a thing of beauty in shades of beige and brown. I didn't know whether to eat it or attempt to wear it home.

The boned bird was encased in brioche with just a tiny leg bone sticking out the top of it's dough coffin, and sat on a little puddle of the rich puree, which in turn was surrounded by the powerful mushroom sauce. Whole morels and trompette de morte were strewn artfully around the plate. Fantastic. And it bloody well should have been at 28 feckin Euros.

Next came another plate of entirely brown food, this time braised Suckling Pig and Trotter, Maxim Potato Glazed Turnip, Light Poitin Sauce. No green stuff, which it could desperately have done with, apart from 3 deep fried sage leaves sitting on the slightly undercooked turnip. The braised pork was in fact the loin which I though a wholly inappropriate cut to be slowed cooked, but what do I know.

The plate looked a picture. A brown one, but a picture never the less. So what does the maitre'd do before I realise what is going on? Only plonks some boiled potatoes in the middle of it from one of those silly little copper pans that everyone seems to love these days. And blow me if every other main course served that night doesn't get the same treatment. What the fuck is that all about? The trotter however was dreamy. As it should have been for 48 feckin Euros.

A pre dessert of strawberry sable provided more proof that the pastry section at Thorntons are the absolute dogs. Then came another plate of brown food. Now, I knew when I ordered that it was going to be brown, but I just couldn't resist the thought of a whacking great tart tatin to finish off the evening. I was therefore deeply disappointed to see that it was barely 3 inches in diameter and appeared to have been assembled on the plate i.e. some caramelised apples placed a pre cooked pastry case.

I'm not totally sure of this, but the homogenisation of pastry and fruit that happens with the real thing wasn't present in this example. And it cost 20 feckin Euros. Yes, I did say 20.

Service was what you'd expect a this level, with all the bowing and scraping that entails, and was faultless for what it was. A bottle of Pinot Gris from Alsace brought the final bill including coffee, service and fantastic petit four to.......wait for it.........162 feckin Euros. ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY TWO! For one person.

Thornton is without question a highly skilled chef, has an eye for presentation, and runs a tight ship. But the meal was not outstanding for me in any particular way. I enjoyed The Tea Room far more, even though the cooking here was of obviously a higher level.

[paulbrussel]

Well, I was there for lunch in March 2003 - there is a not too expensive lunch menu. it was my favourite restaurant of Dublin since I came there for the first time in 1998. I took almost all the dishes of the lunch menu - that is to say: you can make a choice out of three for each of the three courses (starter, main course, dessert - 40 €).

After the champagne I had the amuses, then the three starters, two main courses and 1 dessert. I had, after the glass of champagne, a bottle of white wine, one glass of red wine, and I paid only 134 €...

Edited August 8, 2003 by paulbrussel (log)

[Andy Lynes]

Just to clarify, how many of you were dining?

Totally agree that the lunch menu is a relative bargin, as is often the case with 2 and 3 star restaurants. Unfortunately, I never really have the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed lunch when I am away working so have to stomach the cost of dinner if I am to try these sort of places.

[paulbrussel]

Sorry: I was there alone, just on a day trip to have lunch at Thornton's.

In fact I had 3 starters, 2 main courses and 1 desert - alle taken from the lunch menu.

[Andy Lynes]

How did they deal with that request, quite unusual I would have thought. Were they taken aback at all?

[paulbrussel]

No, they weren't surpised, I think - well, they saw me enjoying the food that much... And, I must admit: talking French can help a lot, as it did at Gordon Ramsay's where the maître and half of the staff is French speaking... (At Thornton's lots of them are French too.)

I do it more often, I must agree. Last Tuesday I was in a ***-restaurant and they had a 'simple' 3-course menu for 50 € - I asked to add one course as well - no problem at all!

Edited August 8, 2003 by paulbrussel (log)

[Corinna Dunne]

I had a very good lunch in Thornton’s on Friday. It offers 2 courses for €30 and 3 for €40 which is exceptional value. OK, the ALC is very expensive, but in fairness, not out of line with other top end restaurants in Dublin. It wasn’t particularly full. Apart from the two of us, there were two tables for three (both business lunches), one family table of four and one very happy diner working his way through the surprise menu at the table for one.

Being on a budget, we skipped the aperitif and went straight for tap water (and no, they didn’t pull the still or sparkling trick, so top marks on that one). The amuse was so good… a little red mullet terrine (?) which tasted wonderfully fresh and gutsy. This was served with a shot glass of pear juice which went very nicely with it. The bread, as mentioned by Andy upthread, was fantastic although personally, I would have liked a tiny bit more salt. There was a choice of three starters: scallops with truffle sabayon, pigs head, and wild mushroom terrine with a truffle ball. The pigs head was out of this world, worth the whole of the €40. The wild mushroom terrine was good, and the simple execution showed a confident restraint which let the mushrooms take centre stage; and the truffle ball was a piece of wonderful tasting foie gras pate rolled in black truffle pieces. The only complaint was that it was fridge cold. We had a €25 half bottle of Sancerre to go with the starters.

As far as I remember, there were three choices for mains: cod, mallard duck breast, and poached baby chicken. Sorry, I’m a bit sketchy on the detail here. We had the cod and mallard duck. The cod had a complicated potato crust on top which looked like fish scales, and was served on a bed of Savoy cabbage with a light sabayon type sauce. I didn’t taste it, but apparently it was good. I had the duck which was beautifully cooked, tasted wonderfully gamey and was served with fondant potato, some turned vegetables and an excellent jus. The dishes were resolved, the plating and presentation was sharp without being too fussy, the servings were more than adequate and there were no incongruous, additional potatoes or vegetables served up (although I’m sure they’d be available for any meat and two veg types). I had a very nice glass of Languedoc (€9) to go with the duck, which was the end of a better bottle than the sommelier originally suggested, but was generously charged at the same price. Perhaps this was because I had cleaned my pigs head plate off with my bread, or because I knew the sweet little Italian waiter from one of his previous jobs, but it was very decent considering the little they were making on us.

There were three dessert options: warm chocolate tartlet with raspberries, clafoutis with Griotte ice-cream and poached pear (with ice-cream I think). These were good, if a little simple. The mini clafoutis was served warm and upside down, with a lovely crisp brule top; and the Griotte ice-cream had just the right level of sweetness but I thought could have been a bit creamier. A nice touch was the kirsch filled cherries served in a little row of four. At the sommelier’s suggestion, I had a Pineau (€9, a very large pour) to go with my dessert. The chocolate tartlet was in effect a pastry shell filled with a very chocolaty sauce, so, nice but not particularly noteworthy.

We followed with a double espresso and petit fours (€7). Our total bill came to €146 without service charge.

The big problem here is FOH. Although the service was impeccable, the sommelier very helpful (although her suit could do with being pressed), and our glasses of tap water were kept filled up graciously; there is no real Maitre d’ presence and no one owns the room. Personally, I am more concerned with the quality of food, but for most customers, and particularly business people seeking to impress, I think it’s imperative that a restaurant has a certain charge or energy and less of a “Lost in Translation” sterility, A full room would of course help a lot, but it just feels like “the word is out” on Thornton’s and it’s not fair when there is someone in the kitchen doing such good food. In my opinion, Kevin Thornton’s food is much better than what I recently had at L’Ecrivain and the lunch menu is wonderful value. As it is so long since I was there before, I cannot say whether it has deteriorated over the last year to the point where it deserved to lose its second star, and I just barely skimmed what was available on the menu. But based on my few bites, I would say that it wasn’t because of the food. It’s just that the passion in the kitchen doesn’t seem to resonate out the door and there’s no sense of excitement or anticipation. It’s like drinking great wine out of an ordinary glass. The same wine would taste extraordinary out of a Riedel glass, and without stronger FOH, he’s missing that all important Riedel sparkle factor... and I think it’s zapping the energy out of everyone who works there. I would love to see Thornton’s in the new Shelbourne when it opens or back in Portobello where it belongs, but Nobu’s going to the former, and Dunne & Crescenzi’s new venture seems to be bedding down nicely in his old spot on the canal.

But forget about the room and go… for the pig’s head, if for nothing else!

Thornton's

PS I overheard snippets of what appeared to be a very interesting conversation from the table behind us. Two very trendy, young Italians were being asked about their interest in working in a new restaurant, kitchens on both floors, in what used to be a club (presumably in Dublin).

Edited February 13, 2006 by Corinna Dunne (log)

[Simon_S]

Hello all.

I'm a recent joinee to the eGullet community and I feel a little bad that my first post in this forum should be a rant, but nonetheless, here goes.

I ate at Thornton's at the end of last summer and it was really a rather poor experience. The food was good, and to be honest the room doesn't bother me at all (even though we were in the graveyard section) but the service wavered between merely adequate and abysmal. The first time I ate there the service was perfect: friendly, attentive, helpful and efficient without being overbaring at all. It was one of the best meals I ever had in terms of the marriage of food and experience. Since then it's been downhill (not that I have been all that often, but the fact remains).

On our most recent visit, having been seated we were left for a significant amount of time without menus, an offer of an aperitif, or indeed any acknowledgement of our presence whatsoever. It was extremely difficult even to get the attention of a passing waiter, which stunned me at a restaurant of this calibre. When we eventually managed to order some drinks and were handed some menus, I started to relax and thought things would probably look up from there. That proved false.

While the food service from then on was mediocre (3 of the 4 of us served and forced to wait for the last guests dish to appear, for example) the sommelier in particular I thought very poor. She was totally without recommendation at the beginning of the meal, despite my prompting of the sort of thing we might be looking for. In fact, I got the distinct impression that she felt superior to everyone in the room and couldn't be bothered serving such hoi polloi as ourselves. During the meal, it was virtually impossible to get any attention, and at one point all 4 of us at the table were left with empty glasses for a long period. Our wine had been left on the other side of the room, and I didn't feel it appropriate to walk over to collect it, but towards the end of the meal I was virtually forced to do exactly that.

The final straw came when we ordered off the cheese trolley and I told the sommelier we would like to accompany it with some port. She said "okay" and started walking away, and when I called after her to ask what ports were available, she said she didn't know, because she was new. I'm sorry, but if I'm spending 800 Euro on a meal for 4 people I expect better than this.

The meal was made extra disappointing by my memory of past glories there. Prior to the night in question, I had spent a long time raving about the restaurant to our guests, and it was quite embarrassing to find myself apologising to them repeatedly. I may return to Thornton's for lunch sometime to see if things have improved, but from what we experienced, serious changes in attitude and/or personnel are required to restore this restaurant to it's former lofty position.

Rant over, I'll try to be more positive in future posts!

Si

[Corinna Dunne]

... the sommelier in particular I thought very poor. She was totally without recommendation at the beginning of the meal, despite my prompting of the sort of thing we might be looking for. In fact, I got the distinct impression that she felt superior to everyone in the room and couldn't be bothered serving such hoi polloi as ourselves.

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Simon - Welcome to the Forum. I actually found the sommelier very sweet, and if anything, I felt she lacked presence. Possibly they were all feeling a bit deflated about the Michelin thing the day I was there. You mention that your food was good, and you obviously went ALC. Can you recall what you and your party had to eat?

[Simon_S]

Hi Corinna, don't I know you from somewhere?! (I'm Diapason elsewhere...)

It is possible, and perhaps likely, that the sommelier was nervous, and this nervousness came across to me in a manner not intended. I suppose for me, the interaction with the sommelier is a crucial part of the meal. They're probably the member of staff I will converse with the most during a meal, and I think it's safe to say that I'm depending on them to plug the many many gaps in my own wine knowledge. When that didn't happen, and when glasses remained empty, I found it disappointing.

In general, my problem with the evening was summed up by your comment above: "the passion in the kitchen doesn’t seem to resonate out the door and there’s no sense of excitement or anticipation". Coupled with lax service and a couple of FOH issues, it spoiled the event a little.

The food was good, although Hazel (my SO) and I agreed that it was not as good as on previous visits. There was nothing "wrong" with it per se, but for me it was just slightly lacking in that "wow" factor. Alas, I simply can't remember what we ate. I know that our guests (who had never eaten in a restaurant such as this before) were totally blown away, so the kitchen must have been doing something right. You know I'm surprised I can't remember what we had now that you mention it. I'd normally remember at least *something*. Maybe that's indicative of the problem.

You know, in light of this discussion, I think I'll have to cobble some pennies together and try to get back there for lunch. Everyone deserves a second chance after all, and I still think Kevin Thornton is probably the best chef around. Ironically, I don't think Thornton's has ever received so much publicity. I believe he is on the front of tomorrow's Irish Times magazine, with an accompanying article. I wonder is it good for business in that strange roundabout way...?

Si

[Corinna Dunne]

The Irish Times magazine front cover is probably to do with his book of food photography called “Food for Life”, (apparently he’s quite a talented photographer too). And here’s the really nice bit: he did the whole thing (printing, publishing etc) at his own expense and all the proceeds from the sale of the book will be going to meningitis research at The Children’s Medical and Research Foundation in Crumlin Children’s Hospital. His son nearly died from the disease about 10 years ago, and he has never forgotten what the doctors there, led by Professor Owen, did to save him. So, a pretty decent guy, eh? Ernie Whalley mentioned the book on his website, and will be running a feature on his photography in the March issue of “Food & Wine”.

[Simon_S]

The Irish Times magazine front cover is probably to do with his book of food photography called “Food for Life” [snip]

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You're almost certainly correct. The tagline is "Stop asking about Michelin", which I think says it all.

Si

[Corinna Dunne]

Kevin Thornton will be appearing on Irish television tonight (RTE2 at 9.30pm) on "No Experience Required", in which six candidates compete for three temporary jobs at Thornton's restaurant.

A few pre-promotions slots went out last night and it looks interesting.

[Corinna Dunne]

I recorded “No Experience Required”, featuring Kevin Thornton, and only got to look at it last night. In the absence of any other reports, here goes for a top line summary.

First off, given what I’d read about Kevin - being a private person and all that - I was surprised to see that he was doing TV; horribly unforgiving, not to mention the vagaries of editing. And as it turned out, I’d say the main reason was promotion for his book, as the launch night was featured at the end. All very honourable, as the proceeds from the book go to a children’s charity.

In terms of programming, it was good. It felt “real” and didn’t use the formulaic roller coaster approach of Faking It. or Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. And whether you ended up liking him or not, Kevin came across as totally committed, straight up, and sincere. Not a bit camera conscious either.

Out of a pool of applicants, three candidates were offered the opportunity to train for two weeks in the kitchen of Thornton’s restaurant; competing to win a short term contract working there. Very little airtime was given to the vetting process and most of the footage was in the kitchen, which was good. So ten out of ten for focus.

The three finalists were clearly selected based on suitability and not a psychologist’s “good TV” principle, but the fact that they had absolutely no experience in catering at all meant that the two weeks training idea was probably not going to work. They were put through their paces, worked all the stations and after a week and a half, asked to prepare a three course lunch for Kevin and his sous chef. Towards the end, when they took turns on the pass, the candidates felt that they were being put under impossible pressure with not enough direction, and Kevin found it difficult to deal with what he perceived to be a lack of drive and hunger for the job. There were no real villains (although the comments on Kevin’s style of teaching were pretty harsh). Kevin came across as a perfectionist, who could literally do the job in his sleep, and for the main part, the candidates worked hard. They just weren’t the right material. In the end the final two competitors walked out the night of the book launch, one of them for good. In any business, that is unforgivable.

So no surprises when the one who returned was shown the door. And that was it. Overall, it was a pretty good programme, with a well handled abattoir visit, plenty of kitchen action and the expected smattering of swear words. There was no “Not so happy at the pastry station” voiceover of doom, very little superfluous colour, and thankfully, practically no irritating recaps after each break. The general viewing public got to shake their heads and mutter “Are all chefs really like this?” and the handful of niche eG types got a good sense of the heat (even if it was to a Zorba the Greek sound track on the pass sequence). As you can see, I liked it.

PS The pig’s head dish that I raved about upthread takes a month to make!

[Andy Lynes]

Towards the end, when they took turns on the pass, the candidates felt that they were being put under impossible pressure with not enough direction, and Kevin found it difficult to deal with what he perceived to be a lack of drive and hunger for the job. 

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I don't suppose the show will get an airing in the UK but I'd love to see this programme. I've tried to run the pass at restaurants on several occasions and I imagine being an air traffic controller at Heathrow is an easier task. Its a real skill and you have to understand exactly how a kitchen runs to be able to do it without landing everyone in the weeds.

[Matthew Grant]

There was no “Not so happy at the pastry station” voiceover of doom.....

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That's normally Zam Baring, if you hear him doing the voiceover you know there's trouble ahead

[Corinna Dunne]

Towards the end, when they took turns on the pass, the candidates felt that they were being put under impossible pressure with not enough direction, and Kevin found it difficult to deal with what he perceived to be a lack of drive and hunger for the job. 

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I don't suppose the show will get an airing in the UK but I'd love to see this programme. I've tried to run the pass at restaurants on several occasions and I imagine being an air traffic controller at Heathrow is an easier task. Its a real skill and you have to understand exactly how a kitchen runs to be able to do it without landing everyone in the weeds.

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It's a good series, but probably has too much of an Irish focus to be sold into the UK (the Paddy Power bookmakers programme was another one I caught which was very good). Andy, if you PM me your address, I'll pop the video in the post to you.

[Andy Lynes]

Due to Corinna very thougthfully posting the tape to me, I had the chance to watch this programme last night. Really enjoyable and absorbing.

Thornton pretty much lost the respect of his apprentices when he told them to be at the restaurant at 6.30am for the abattoir visit, which they did, and then didn't turn up until 8.00am. It was all downhill from there. Thornton appeared incapable of making allowances for the contestants complete lack of training. A Michelin starred kitchen is a very difficult place to be and there were times when the chef seemed to be taking some small sadistic pleasure in his charge's uneasiness. His edited self showed an almost complete lack of patience which inevitably led to frustration on the contestants part.

Thornton spoke about showing the contenders "the beauty of what we do" but seemed only to succeed in displaying an ugly reality which they naturally shyed away from. He came across as a serious, intense, talented, dedicated but humourless man lacking in empathy. Perhaps he thought the whole thing was a joke, and maybe it was. But he didn't do himself any favours by not going along for the ride.

[magnolia]

You're almost certainly correct. The tagline is "Stop asking about Michelin", which I think says it all.

Si

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Yes, like a headline such as 'Bird Flu! Don't Panic!'

Ate a birthday meal at Thornton's three years ago, and although pleasant, the presentation was far better than the food itself. However given comments here, I would like to go back to see if/how things have changed.

[Corinna Dunne]

Thornton pretty much lost the respect of his apprentices when he told them to be at the restaurant at 6.30am for the abattoir visit, which they did, and then didn't turn up until 8.00am.

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Yep... I forgot about that bit. And the way he brushed it off was pretty shoddy and unprofessional.

He does come across as lacking in empathy and I know that many people thought that he was way too hard on the apprentices, particularly in view of the fact that the premise of the show was quite literally "No Experience Required". The "forgotten more than you'll ever learn" vibe was always pretty close to the surface. But I also felt that he was honest (he didn't once play to the camera); and is probably so fed up of everyone thinking that they could be a chef, that he was determined to make the point that it's extremely difficult to get through the basics, not alone make it to the top. And as the apprentices talked in awe to each other about the 14 hour days, young chefs who had no time for friendships, not even mentioning the low salaries at this level; I think the reality was steadily dawning on them, and the penny which was slow to descend, finally crashed to the floor. And you could see that in reality, none of them really wanted the job or had thought it through properly.

So Kevin made his point, in a tortured artist sort of way; and I'm just one of those people who thinks that society should support "tortured artists", because we'd be far worse off without them. But from a PR point of view, I am a minority audience, so not a great result in terms of him promoting himself or the restaurant.

Edited April 9, 2006 by Corinna Dunne (log)

[Salty]

I went for the surprise tasting menu in Thorntons a couple of weeks ago, and it was fantastic. We ate at the restaurant in Portobello about six years ago and had been to the new restaurant in the Fitzwilliam twice since then. Our most recent visit was easily the best of all.

The service was friendly and professional throughout, making for a very relaxed and well paced meal. I had asked while making the reservation if they could match wines toach course and that I would like to spens €50 or €60 per person on this. They accommodated this very easily and the wine choices were superb.

The food itself was absolutely outstanding - descriptions are based on scribbled (and slightly drunken) notes taken that night.

First off, beautiful John Dory with pea puree, garden peas, pickled girolles and a shot of cantaloupe juice. All stunning, especially the pea puree. Served with a small glass each of Pomeroy champagne.

Next a circle of goats cheese, surrounded by a triangle f marinated tomato and an aubergine skin. The accompanying aubergine "caviar" was astonishing as was the tomato confit. The wine was a Hugel Riesling from Alsace

Third course was a tasting of Foie Gras. seared, in a terrine and a third piece in a fantastic truffle encrusted ball. Wine was a sweet red Banyul (I think called Madamoiselle)

Fish course was Red Mullet with a beautifully cooked courgette. The courgette flower was stuffed with a fishy mousse (salmon I think). Served with asparagus, spring onion and carrot and a lovely fresh lemongrass sauce. The wine was a really beautiful Austrian wine, that I wrote down the name of, but can't find!

Then we had a red pepper sorbet with aqua libra poured on top. Before the aqua libra went on it had a beautiful fresh red pepper flavour. After some magic bit of alchemy, the aqua libra made it taste exactly like a really sweet watermelon sorbet. It was delicious

The main course was absolutely beautiful succulent guinea fowl served with savoy cabbage and potato maxim. The wine was a Burgundy Cotes de Nuits something from 2002.

Pre-dessert was a fig, with fromage frais, truffle wafers, walnut and some fancy apple

dessert was a gorgeous wild strawberry mousse with a milk sorbet and a little meringue. Wine was a very fresh Muscat.

Surprise menu was €125 per person and wine was under €60 per person.

While we were finishing our coffees and mignardises, Kevin Thornton came over to talk and ended up chatting with us for almost half an hour. We found him incredibly friendly and so passionate about food. A really great guy to talk to. He brought us into the kitchen to show us around which finished the night off perfectly.

One interesting thing is that the table beside us also ordered a surprise menu, so we had to get completely different courses to them or it would not have been a surprise!

superb!

[Corinna Dunne]

One interesting thing is that the table beside us also ordered a surprise menu, so we had to get completely different courses to them or it would not have been a surprise!

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That is impressive! Thanks for the great post Salty.

[Corinna Dunne]

I had the surprise dinner menu at Thornton’s a few weeks ago. Our table was down to the left in “the widows and orphans section”, which actually isn’t too bad, and we had a good view of the pass. We were greeted by the Maitre d’ who is a chatty, friendly type, but somehow a slight misfit in this restaurant (I think).

The food was very good. We had no amuse bouche, which struck me afterwards as a possible oversight (it was 9pm and service was in full flow), or maybe it doesn’t come with the surprise menu, which without doubt, is generous.

We started with deliciously sweet queen scallops, with pickled vegetables and a white truffle frothy foam. This was followed with seared king scallops (perfectly plump and not halved to make the dish look bigger), an intense squid ink sauce, a few shavings of white truffle and a little caviar (ticking a lot of expensive gastro boxes in one swoop). Next was skate wing, cooked so exquisitely, that it nearly stole the show. It was served with the pan juices and was garnished with tiny wasabi marinated fish eggs tucked into a tomato skin. These were gorgeous, but felt a bit wrong with the buttery fish (slight cultural clash, I thought). When Kevin did his rounds of the tables at the end of the evening he told me that they were catfish eggs (the young little French waiter had said they were salmon eggs which clearly they weren’t and insisted he was right when I diplomatically asked him if he was sure). I asked Kevin if he had used them before and he told me that he serves them with seared tuna in the summer, which strikes me as a perfect pairing for them.

Then onto the foie gras: a superb terrine with beautiful layers and velvety foie gras interwoven; there was also a heady little truffled foie gras ball (these sometimes feature on the lunch menu) and some truffle sauce. A second foie gras dish followed (to our surprise and delight), this time seared and served with a Muscat grape sauce. It was delicious, although not perfectly de-veined and perhaps a bit cold in the middle, so could have done with a shade more cooking. I’m being picky I know. I got a sense that he thought, hey, they like their foie gras, lash a bit of the fresh stuff onto a hot pan and trot that out to them too. It did feel like a generous extra course. A grape and lime sorbet, shot with Absolut Citron was a perky little palate cleanser.

A surprisingly large piece of perfectly cooked rare venison was served with a Valrhona sauce, which I know is a classic, but I actually prefer the chocolate to be more in the background and taste some savoury meat notes from good stock coming through. No one else at the table agreed with me, so take this as a very personal comment. It was served with gratin potato, carrot and parsnip cones, and a parsnip purée. A lovely dish.

Cashel Blue cheese was next, in perfect condition, as you’d expect and then a trio of desserts arrived. The (very filling) Valrhona chocolate fondant was cleverly served in an espresso cup, (which I’m sure makes the timing easier since it’s set on top and creamy underneath); there was a hazelnut ball and Blanc Mange. As you can see, I’m getting vaguer with my detail!!! We finished with petit fours.

Without doubt, Kevin Thornton is a very talented chef; it’s in his blood. He sources excellent ingredients, respects their integrity and is confidently creative without getting too carried away with whistles and bells. As I mentioned earlier, he worked the tables at the end of the night. He should do this a bit more as he’s got a nice touch. He comes across as being genuinely interested and very unassuming. He explained that he made a point of serving both the queen and king scallops on our menu so we could compare the two, a point that we “got” at the time of eating, so it didn’t feel repetitive. He generously explained how he cooked the skate “an undervalued fish”: put it onto a hot pan, turn it down immediately, and cook for a few minutes on the stove and finish in the oven. And probably because we’d asked a few questions, he sent over a handwritten copy of the menu to us before we left.

So, no problems with the chef. But I still think that the FOH is a bit lacking. The Maitre d’ just doesn’t make the grade, ze young French waiter doesn’t know it all, despite what he thinks (although he was a great catalyst for impersonations of the Simpsons gutteral French haw haw haw laugh when we left the restaurant… remember the “laugh in French” classroom scene?), and the sommelier our end of the room was just OK. I had asked him to keep the bill down (which he did), but the consultation amounted to “do you drink red and white?” and a very nice Chablis and Minervois arrived without previous discussion (we would probably have said yes, and they were relatively good value for €50), and there was no wine by the glass discussion, although I had suggested it. But the worst offence was not being consulted on a Sauternes to go with the foie gras courses, which we really missed, and was a missed opportunity for him. It was, after all a surprise menu and we were depending on his inside track. We felt it was too late to order a glass when the plate arrived, so we said nothing, only to feel the loss a second time as the seared foie gras arrived. There was a very smart French sommelier working the main room who did our dessert wine service. He was very polished and had presence in spades.

From a value for money perspective, the surprise menu is €125, which is a lot, but I can see exactly how it adds up and I didn’t feel ripped off. However, I strongly object to the unsociable prices on the wine lists in top end restaurants (there really is nothing at entry level) and we made the mistake of going for bottled water, which was constantly replenished (without a quiet “should I open another bottle” interjection), and ended up adding €50 to our bill for four. I suppose it’s not bad in the scheme of things, but I view it as another bottle of wine (which I would have preferred).

The word is that a major refurbishment and a less expensive, more informal change of direction are planned for Thornton’s. This makes sense as the Michelin guys are unlikely to fall on their swords and restore his second star, even if he did get the FOH sorted. And if Derry Clarke in one star L’Ecrivain has any sense, he’ll get a bit more creative than crème brulée and chocolate fondant with his desserts and do something about the dreadfully small bathrooms which beggar Michelin belief.

Edited December 15, 2006 by Corinna Dunne (log)

[HannaBanana]

Sorry for the Slight delay in posting....But here goes....

Kevin Thornton Rides Again!

The last time I went to Thornton’s, it was to thank some friends of ours who’d done some “soliciting” for us when we bought our house. The meal, to be quite frank, ended up embarrassing us, due to the sloppy service, an extremely poor sommelier, and mediocre food.

Having allowed some time (approx. 18 months) to elapse, and for the restaurant to lose one of its Michelin star, we decided the time was ripe to try again. Wary folk that we are, we decided that a pre-Christmas lunch was the best idea. And what a wonderful idea it was. Put it this way, before we left, we had made a booking for dinner in February. Kevin Thornton rides again!!!

Thorntons doesn’t wimp out in the pre-Christmas run up - the full menu is available right up until the 23rd/24th December, when only a special set menu was available. Fair enough. Happily, we went a weekend when the full menu was available…..as was, the waiter assured us, the 8 course surprise menu, which would, without doubt feature truffles……Oh dear. As we both lack most forms of self-control when it comes to food, you can guess which option we followed. We regret nothing.

The sommelier seemed happy to simply provide us with wine pairing to best accompany the courses – it’s difficult to choose for yourself when you have no idea what food to expect. We started with an Amuse of fillet of herring with lime. This succulent, bite sized piece of herring was garnished with frozen lime zest and one of the tastiest anchovies I have ever tried. The Amuse was a portent of great things to come.

We moved on to our first course to feature truffles. King scallops, lightly sautéed in a white truffle sauce with black and white truffle shavings. In my view, the finest course of the meal. The scallops practically melted in the mouth, the sauce had us licking the plates. Succulent, aromatic and faultless.

A trio of foie gras next appeared. Featuring foie gras terrine, a hazelnut-coated ball of foie gras and sautéed foie gras with warm brioche, this course was a worthy successor to the scallops. The quality of the ingredients’ shone through in the sautéed element, the skill of the chef was luminous in the terrine, and the hazelnut-rolled sphere suggested the inventiveness of the cooking.

Our fish course featured sautéed brill with artichoke in a citrus sauce. While I found the citrus sauce perhaps a little over powering, and a little too akin to the taste of the amuse, Simon loved it. The brill was perfectly cooked, with exquisitely crisped skin. It worked very well with the artichoke….there’s not enough artichoke on Dublin menus, if you ask me.

At the beginning of the meal we were asked if there was anything we don’t eat. Feeling vaguely foolish as I have done in the past mentioning my loathing of both capsicums and celery, I usually keep quiet. It was a shame therefore when the sorbet arrived – red pepper sorbet, served with ginger and bitter lemon. I gamely attempted a few spoonfuls, and could see the attraction and inventiveness of the dish. But the over-riding hatred of peppers won through and it was the only plate I sent back to kitchen with food left over. Noticing this, the waiter commiserated, telling me that he too was a hater of those red, yellow and green devils.

Our meat course consisted of Bresse pigeon, mushroom mousse and wild mushroom consommé. This was a surprisingly delicate course, with the game flavour of the pigeon balancing nicely with the piquant wild mushroom consommé and the frothy mousse.

As we expressed our regret that truffles had only raised their head one spectacular time, our dessert arrived – poached burgundy pear, pear parfait and truffle ice cream! This unusual combination seemed to work very well – of course, you could probably fry a tyre with truffle and we’d eat it! The pear was a wonderful wind down to a festive cheese course featuring Gubbeen cheese served with mulled wine. Gubbeen Cheese is a surface ripened, semi-soft cheese. This creamy cheese has a mushroom/nutty after taste, which blended well with the small glass of lightly mulled wine.

A selection of petit fours were served with our coffee, at which point we started chatting with our waiter, who turned out to be closely related to Kevin Thornton. This chat turned into a half hour conversation, where we found out that the restaurant is to be closed for January while it is totally being refurbished. The conversation terminated in our making a booking for a repeat visit in February…to try the 13 course dinner menu….

This lunch experience was one of our most satisfying meals in Ireland in 2006. The service was smooth and attentive; the food was imaginative, of superb quality and perfectly cooked. All earlier memories have been deleted, and replaced by our feeling that Kevin Thornton is a man on top of his game, and Thorntons has in my book, reclaimed it’s place as one of the finest restaurants in Ireland.

[Corinna Dunne]

Nice post HannaBanana. The pigeon sounds great, a dish I would love to try. Did your long chat with the waiter reveal any indication of future direction for the restaurant?