The Early Birds_

Review of Tribeca, Ranelagh

2012-10-10T14:43:00.001-07:00

TRIBECA, Ranelagh – Like Honestly?

Fetch the Mont Blanc, I feel a letter to the Times coming on!

Readers of Ross O’Carroll Kelly will hopefully appreciate the reference and hence the urgent need to inform the public of the sham that is Tribeca.

Tribeca is an institution in SoCoDu, nestled in lovely Ranelagh, easily accessible via the nice LUAS and has 24hr pay & display on street parking available.

We walked in (without a reservation- as it’s Wednesday night) to a fully-booked ground floor dining room. The waitress/Maitre'd with clipboard in hand escorted us upstairs to the bar/dining area B where there were several tables neatly arranged with nice lighting and comfortable seats.

The problem with Tribeca is simple, the food is bad and cheap. Cheap in terms of quality-where the ingredients are sub-prime. This is the type of place that will give you re-constituted chicken and pasta and charge you €16 for the privilege.

The WINGS

The wings are good, firstly because you get a large portion and secondly because they’re wings and everyone loves wings. At €12.95 you are entitled to a good sized portion and we split it between 2! The hot sauce was nice and the blue cheese dip was good- neither were overpowering. The wings were on the small side, there was lots of them but they are not very meaty and you spend most of your time nibbling the bits of the end of the bones.

After we finished the wings we bathed our fingers in the lemon-water cleanser and then dried our hands in the napkins provided. Point of note, the napkins came apart when you dry your hands which compounds the belief that the place is cheap. You can get a large 650g box of wings in Tesco for €2.50, so don’t tell me they’re not.

Matt ordered the Rigatoni with Slow Braised Lamb, Tomato and Wild Mushroom Ragu & Parmesan Cheese. On the face of it I was excited. Not too often have I had lamb with pasta and combined with the ragu and pine nuts spelled winner in my book.

Thoughts: Lamb looked like Tuna Flakes (that is the cheap tuna, below tuna chunks). It was really bitty and stringy and could have come from anything. I expected pieces of Lamb not a minced-paste of the dregs.

Ev ordered from the “Specials Menu” which detailed her dish as “smoked chicken with cherry tomatoes, chilli, extra virgin olive-and-garlic-oil, baby spinach and mushrooms with a Parmesan crust.

Thoughts: Not enough Pasta, Chicken came from a packet (as in the sambo-ready M&S pack) tomatoes were not ripe, Parmesan crust was only breadcrumbs and the balance of ingredients/quantity did not justify the €16 price tag.

We finished quickly, got the bill (below) and left, slightly shell-shocked at what was Tribeca. As we walked back to the car we past a host of other eateries such as the Butchers Grill, Cinnamon and Eatery 120. The latter having a 2-courses for €22 menu- which in hindsight would have been a better choice.

Other Recommendations

Main courses at MAO in Dundrum are of a similar price and better quality.

Mario’s in Ranelagh does good grub too!

JD’s Steakhouse in Terenure- A true Dublin gem.

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Review of Busaba Eathai Thai Restaurant (London)

2012-10-04T14:22:00.002-07:00

Busaba Eathai

Continuing on with the London theme as I'm sure some of our readers have now emigrated! Apparently Busaba is a chain of Thai restaurants that I suppose us plebs would typically compare to MAO or Wagamama

Myself and Ev were walking down Oxford Street doing a bit of shopping when the expected pangs of hunger started.. Having experience of Wardour street where we had eaten previously at Wahaca, we thought it would be a good place to start! A few mins walking and eyeing up the competition, we settled on an unknown symbol which was busy and had cool communal seating.

We were greeted by some uber cool guy with slick back long hair who signalled for one of the lesser waiters to bring us to our table. We were sat around a corner of one of the tables so Ev was to my right.

As we were famished (as normal) we ordered quickly. I went for Chicken Satay in peanut sauce £4.95 to start followed by the Pad Kweito (sen yai noodle, smoked chicken, prawn and holy basil) for £8.30. Ev ordered the Spring rolls, because it’s Ev and she always orders spring rolls… (unless there is only veg ones) and the Fried Chicken (classy bird) with Lemongrass, chilli sauce, shallot and daikon- now you know!for £7.70 accompanied with Jasmine Rice (£2.20).

We also took the initiative to order 4 glasses of fresh Thames tap water as we were informed the food was very spicy. Bring it on I say! After about 15 minutes we were delivered all of our food at the same time which was good because we didn't scoff down the starters straight away.

The Chicken Satay was very good, the chicken was real and plentiful. Low point I thought that the peanut sauce wasn't very runny or viscous (if you prefer) so you had to mash the chicken into the bowl to get it out #firstworldproblems

The pad Kweito was very good, the noodles were sweet. Areas for improvement would be around number of large prawns and chicken. There was a lot of veg.

The spring rolls were nice, crisp batter to which was also dunked in my peanut sauce! And the fried chicken was really flavorsome When you really bit into the batter you tasted the chili and lemongrass and they gave you LOADS of rice (Ev is happy)

All in all a very good experience and would recommend the place to people. The service around water top-ups could have been better and I don’t like when places charge separately for rice. A few more prawns and we would have been smitten!

Not too bad value either, we tipped in cash! :)

As always- we welcome any comments- what you like, don't like and you can follow us on Twitter

Review of Wahaca (London)

2012-10-03T14:57:00.003-07:00

Wahaca

Wahaca is a very hip and trendy spot in Canary Wharf and Wardour Street (Just off Oxford St) that serves good Mexican food. There is also a cool tequila bar downstairs that serves your ‘ Mexican’ beers like Corona with the mandatory wedge of lime (that doesn't quite fit in the bottle or falls in...for me anyway)

Myself, Ev, Michael and Sarah went to Wahaca on 80 Wardour Street in mid September. We had no booking so were told it would be 35-45 min wait, but that we could wait at the bar. As we had no other plans, a drink in the bar seemed like a great idea! After 4 bottles of Corona and 2 glasses of wine are little electric buzzer started flashing- meaning they were ready for us!

We were seated in the back of the restaurant near the chefs and presented with the menu.

Myself and Ev who were both rather ravenous at this point ordered the Wahaca Selection which is for 2 people to share for £19.95 and contains the following:

· 3 pork pibil tacos
· 1 large broad bean quesadilla
· 3 chicken tinga tacos
· 2 black bean tostadas
· 2 new potato taquitos
· Wahaca slaw

The food was served as it was made which was great although you kind of get caught up in the plates after plates that sometimes you lose track of what you’re eating.. maybe we newbies are just too not with-it?!

Regardless the food was delicious, good and spicy and fresh! Sarah (V) ordered the Sonora Salad which is served is a crisp tortilla bowl and just looks deadly!... sorry we don’t have a pic.. too hungry!

Mike ordered some stuff which I think included the black bean tostadas and a few other bits.

All in all a great night, place was hopping! Service was good and it’s not overly expensive- Myself and Ev (good feeders) were very satisfied for £20! Think we had a bottle of wine and a few more beers too, definitely recommend it.

P.S. throughout the bar there are huge glass bowls, filled with what I thought to be match boxes- instead they are chilli seeds! I thought that this was cool...

As always- follow our MAD Twitter for twitpics and stuff :)

Review of MAO, Dundrum

2012-08-10T03:34:00.000-07:00

Review of Mao (Dundrum)

Matt and Ev using those new socially acceptable deal vouchers for food/cocktails!

One of my favourite things about being with the network O2 is Priority Moments, their offers and deals for customers. On seeing there was a Mao 2 for 1 voucher available from O2 Matt and I wasted no time in heading for the branch in Dundrum to redeem it and bag ourselves some cheap and cheerful grub.

Our outing took place on one of the few sunny evenings Dublin experienced in July, so we decided to take a table outdoors to enjoy the fine weather. The sun also influenced us to order two €5 cocktails (Cosmo for me, Long Island Iced Tea for Matt) which hit the spot nicely!

As it was a budget evening, we just ordered main courses. It should be noted that these were delivered remarkably quickly, within five minutes I would say, but still managed to look well-presented and freshly cooked upon arrival at our table. Matt ordered Nasi Goreng, a fried rice dish served with skewers of marinated chicken and super spicy chilli jam. Oh, and a fried egg on top! Matt devoured it all except the chilli jam, which he used very sparingly to add to his meal. He said it didn’t need the extra flavour though. It was a tasty, wholesome meal, but could have done with a bit more chicken, perhaps.

I ordered Thai Chicken with Cashews. The dish came laden with chicken and a whole medly of stir fry veg including chilli, spring onion, red and green peppers. The sauce was Thai and sweet soya (according to the menu) and was the perfect mix of sweet, spicy and salty. The accompanying rice was cooked to perfection, and the meal was really filling. Delish!

Our trip to Mao was great; the service was prompt and friendly, the food was tasty and the price was right. Even without our vouchers both dishes would have been under €15 so this place doesn’t break the bank. With the vouchers it was a steal and the total came to less than €30, including a generous tip!

Apologies for the lack of food photos- we were starving!

As always, comments, recommendations are always welcome!

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Review of Kinara Kitchen

2012-08-03T06:22:00.001-07:00

Review of Kinara Kitchen

Kinara Kitchen was a restaurant we had heard about and were eager to try, so when we were offered a Complimentary Lunch Voucher for their Ranelagh eatery, we jumped at the chance to try out some of their Eastern and Pakistani cuisine.

When we arrived around 3pm on a sunny Saturday afternoon we were greeted warmly by the team of staff and offered both the lunch menu and the a la carte to choose from. We stuck to the lunch menu, which, although not extensive, had some interesting dishes such as nan wraps and traditional Thali lunch.

The décor was fresh and modern; one particular touch we liked were the belts and buckles on the seat backs – it’s original touches like that which make one restaurant stand out and be remembered by customers.

After ordering, we were served delicious poppadums and a selection of garnishes – mango chutney, tamarind sauce, and diced onions – which perfectly complimented the poppadums and left us wanting more! Also noteworthy is the mint-infused water, which was highly refreshing; again, it’s the little things which make a meal POP.

Mains

Wanting to be authentic, I ordered the traditional Thali lunch, which consisted of a main dish, side dish, pilau rice and mini nan. The main dish I chose was Makanwala Murghi: A breast of barbecued chicken, mellowed in a creamy sundried tomato sauce. This was delicious: I could really taste the smokiness of the barbecued chicken, while the sauce reminded me of an old favourite, tikka masala! There was lots of meat, and it was very good quality.

The side dish was potato cubes in a chunky sauce, which was almost sweet at times. This was very tasty, the perfect complement to the smooth creamy tomato based sauce on the chicken. Rice and nan were both delish; my only complaint is that there could have been slightly more of both, but that’s just me being greedy because they were sooooooooo good! What really surprised and interested me about the meal was its presentation: the main dish, side dish, and carbs were all laid out separately to each other in little compartments on the same plate – really cool!-photo above :)

Matt ordered the Keema Mathi (signature dish) Nan wrap which are "freshly made nan wraps from our tandoor over) he had it served with skinny fries and they were really skinny! like little knives, little tasty knives... the wrap itself was amazing, imagine a really Herby/tasty kebab from Zaytoon but with much more taste sensations and wrapped with love as opposed to fired onto the plate. He was tasting; "coriander, lamb, parsley, spice, and about 5 other unknowns all of which were yum".

Dessert

We thought, ah sure, why not!? I ordered the Mississippi Mud Pie, a divine chocolate pudding served with cream, ice-cream and crème anglais (because one cream based accompaniment just isn’t enough.). Oh Sweet Jesus, it was sublime. Just the right size, the chocolate was perfectly gooey and melty and spongy…I could go on and on. Nothing short of sweet heaven.

All in all the place is lovely, the staff are great and the food is fantastic. Go.

Review of Taste of Everest, Baggot St.

2012-04-26T15:42:00.001-07:00

Review of Taste of Everest, Baggot Street

My performance in the last review must have been up to Matt’s high standards, because I was rewarded with another ‘man-date’ even though his partner in crime, Ev, was home from London! Given an inch take a mile and all that jazz, so I’ll take what I can get!

Met up with Matt after work and went for a quick pint before heading to the Taste of Everest, a Nepalese/Indian Restaurant for a bit of grub. Once again this meal was purchased via a deals website and I would really start to recommend them; you get a good meal (usually min. 2 courses) and a few extras for two people for €30- €40. This meal voucher entitled us to any two starters and two mains for €30, which was very reasonable!

When we arrived we were met by a friendly host who quickly sat us at what seemed like the VIP table, tucked away nicely by itself by the front window. In fairness it may have been an advertising stunt to make it appear the restaurant was busy, but we were happy all the same. We were promptly brought a generous portion of Poppadum’s with three sides of Mango Chutney, Chilli Peppers and a creamy refreshing raita.

Getting something for free is always a nice touch but this really was delicious with the three flavours blending very well. Just want to highlight a the different eating habits; I preferred to try the sides one or maybe two at a time (neat freak maybe?) whereas Matt went with the gung-ho approach of mashed poppadums’ with everything on top. But hey, it gets down the same way.

The menu had plenty of choices and we kind of struggled to decide on our starters so we went with a sharing platter, which proved to be an excellent choice. The sharing platter consisted of Lamb Sheesh Kebab, Indian Style Chicken Wings and Vegetable Baji. There was plenty to go around between the two of us and they all tasted in great, my fave being the vegetable baji surprisingly, considered I love my meat! At this point we decided to go for the now customary bottle of vino (sure why not!) with Matt using his connoisseur skills to pick a 2010 Pinot Grigio. I was pleasantly surprised by the wine and really enjoyed it, evidenced by the quickly draining glasses!

The main courses duely arrived, with Matt ordering the Butter Chicken and myself the Himalayan Chicken both with Pilau Rice and a Peshwari Naan bread. I ordered my Himalayan chicken on the recommendation of the waiter, as I was looking for a tikka masala with a bit of kick in it (oooh yeah) and I really was not disappointed. Lovely taste with a bit of kick to it, just what the doctor ordered. Matt went for the oul reliable Butter Chicken which was very creamy and tasty just how it is meant to be. The only thing I might say about the food is that the portions were not huge, they were not small but I would have liked a bit more chicken or substance.

As always a quick work on the host/waiter! He was a lovely chap, awwh, but I’d definitely say a bit over eager. He was a big fan of the 5 minute check in, which is not a bad thing at times, but we there were times when we could have been left alone, taking 15 mins or so chatting after the meal while finishing our wine for example!

Overall, I had another good night out with one of my good mates which is always great and had a nice meal in the process. I thought the food was good and the variety and choice was excellent. Once again you get what you pay for I think, and the €30 price tag on the deal voucher was about right, I am not sure if I would have paid more for it. Being fair though the food was good, the service was good and the price was good, so if the option of purchasing a voucher for the Taste of Everest came up again, I would recommend it.

As a last thought though, could the same night have been achieved with a good Indian takeaway and a trip to the off licence…. I am not sure, that’s for you to decide….

As always guys, love to see your comments on the blog!

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Review of Cafe Carlo, O'Connell Street

2012-03-21T09:26:00.001-07:00

Cafe Carlo

The following review has be composed entirely by Brian who was good enough to accompany me for a first adventure into the world of City Deals FOOD. I have to say, one of the best sites for all that jazz is Dealpage.ie- it aggregates all the deals into one email.

Back to Brian....

In the absence of his better half, Matt allowed me the pleasure of a man-date with his excellency (still think I was invited to provide the lift) which I was more than happy to accept. Café Carlo is somewhere I had come across on a few occasions before, mostly offering a similar deal to ours on other deals websites. Yes, I do occasionally read one of those hundred emails we all receive a day!

I wasn’t quite sure on what to expect, €30 for 2 fillet steaks, fries dips and a bottle of wine seems like a steal.. but all in all I was quite pleasantly surprised. We found parking on the quays very handily and set off in search of Café Carlo armed with an iPhone. The signage in fairness could be better but we found it pretty easily and were greeted by a very friendly waiter. A quick look around confirmed that the restaurants online deals strategy was indeed working as the place was full of couples (no doubt manned with their Pigsback voucher stuffed into the wallet!). There was a bit of a delay as Matt had cleverly printed the wrong voucher, but all was solved with a quick visit to the reception of the adjoining ‘hotel’. I call it a ‘hotel’…. Well you can see for yourselves!!

We decided that although the voucher was for mains and a bit of vino, we would indulge and give the place a good once over… We looked at the menu and as typical MEN we both ordered the spicy wings and bleu cheese dip. The wings came fairly snappy and they looked tasty, although to be fair, for €6.95 I would have preferred a few more (6 pieces). You normally get what you expect with wings and these were no different; tasty, spicy and messy on the fingers. All around, a good start to the meal.

Quick word about the waiter. Very helpful and friendly and immediately swapped our bottle of red (as per the voucher) for a bottle of white upon a somewhat cheeky request. The wine was pretty sharp but honestly, wine all leads the same way so we were happy enough!

I was really looking forward to the ‘lava stone’ steak experience as it was something I had never tried before. Seems a bit odd that you pay somebody for steak and then cook it yourself, but it was definitely an enjoyable experience. The steak was very generous but in my opinion was more sirloin than fillet, and lacked that fluffy fillet texture that you expect. Maybe I am being harsh but as a first review I wanna do it right ;) Was very tasty and enjoyable however and I thought the sides of pepper sauce and garlic butter complimented it very well. The home cut fries were also delicious and I’m a big fan of fries with pepper sauce so I really was happy out!

No meal really is complete without taking a ‘look’ at the desert menu and myself and Matty were most definitely going to oblige! Matty straight away decided he was going to have a Toblerone cheesecake and I went for the ould reliable of chocolate fudge cake and vanilla ice cream. The deserts were definitely pre bought but they were good, sweet and hit the spot as one may say.

I think Café Carlo served us well, we left satisfied, full and more importantly with a few coffers in the pocket. I think the meal was good, but slightly lacking a bit of atmosphere but I had a good time over good food with a good friend. Cant really ask for much more than that.

I do think however that the €55 we paid for the meal (€30 voucher and €25 extras) was enough and about the right price, I wouldn’t be paying the total menu price for what we got of nearly €95. Lesson of the day; check those deals emails the odd time.. you can definitely pick up a good meal for a reasonable price!

Big thanks to Brian for his editorial debut on madforthegrub as always, Twitter and Facebook are there for updates and comments.

Have a good one!

Review of SkinFlint, Temple Bar, Dublin

2011-11-20T14:43:00.001-08:00

Review of ‘SkinFlint’, Temple Bar, Dublin

For some reason I am always getting the name of this place wrong and calling it SkintFlint…(I even tagged the chair SkintFlint… Epic FAIL I hear you say!)

Having been an avid Twitter follower of Crackbird and their ingenious #tweetseats campaign, I really wanted to be a part of the SkinFlint Twitterverse and experience it first-hand. I was fortunate enough to enter the lottery to win a Free Dinner For 2 for last Tuesday by tweeting #ShutUpThatsAwesome @SkinFlint

I took along my friend Jack for the meal which turned out to be a selection of grilled pizzas all named after the mothers of the staff inside. Neat-o.

This might sound a bit dodge- but I ordered Suzie and Jack ordered Angela… and they were very good.. we were left satisfied. Go on the Moms!

Vital statistics:

Susie’s: “tomato, house chorizo, mozz, pecorino”

Angela: , “grana mozz, pecorino, thyme, sauté onion”

Regular Price: €12.50

IMHO the service was a bit slow, BUT they had been open less than 24 hours and some of the staff were new so I’ll cut them some slack.

The Grilled Pizzas- Think the bottom half of a George Foreman grill and you’re not too far off!

They were HOT and well seasoned. It is very easy to get good pizza in most places, but this was handmade, very tasty and rectangular- which is always a bonus!

What I like about this place- it’s hip and fun with a communal/hostel feel about it. It is like Wagama’s in that there are large benches where you sit at your spot, eat, chat and move on. (Probably an ingenious device that saves fitting out the place while decreasing meal time.. WIN WIN ). Also the staff are very friendly, enthusiastic and welcoming.

One staff member encouraged us to try the FIRE Honey, which was basically a bottle of honey infused with what seemed like chilli; hot and sweet. Drizzled it on a slice (as seen below!) and got that great hot, melted cheese, sweet, chorizo-y taste that makes you go…mmmmm, like you’re just happy out.

We had a tumbler of wine and a can of Heineken- how very student-y of us!

Overall: If you go there, you will enjoy it.

The Good: Fun concept, v.good pizza, friendly staff and a genuine buzz about the place- also the Fire Honey was deadly. Great social media campaign that creates instant chatter more so than any other restaurant I can think of.

The “areas for improvement”: To quote my mom “Cool is effortless, it just is.” I thought that this place was trying a little too hard to be cool. It was like urban outfitters with food. All it lacked was the waitress to have roller skates. Probably what typified this the most was the large roll of bounty covered in a brown paper bag on the table..

As always please feel free to drop us a comment, follow the blog for updates on new posts and stuff or if you would like us to pop in and review somewhere.

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Also took a pic of the SkinFlint Menu!

Review of Trocadero Restaurant, Dublin 2

2011-11-17T13:45:00.001-08:00

Review of Trocadero Restaurant, Dublin 2

I (Ev) graduated from Trinity College Dublin in early November, so to celebrate the occasion my parents, sister, Matt and myself headed to Trocadero on St Andrew Street for a lovely relaxed evening of food, wine and chat.

The Trocadero has a long established reputation as the ‘theatre restaurant’ of Dublin: famous faces from stage and screen - many of them Irish - gaze down from the walls, and there are many production posters around the eatery. Made up of five dining areas in what were originally two Georgian houses, the layout is unusual and endearing. The décor could not exactly be called modern, but it is comfortable and classy, and adds character to the Troc.

Starter(s):

Matt, Cora and I ordered the Chicken Liver Pate to start, which was served with redcurrant jelly and thin slices of toast. The portions were generous and there was plenty of toast accompanying the pate, which made me happy! The sweet redcurrant jelly was a nice contrast to the rich pate, though Matt found the sauce slightly runny and added... it could altogether more viscous!... (well said Matt...)

Willie had the Sweet Leaf Salad with Mango and Roasted Chilli Hazelnuts, served with red onion, Parmesan shavings and a honey balsamic dressing. He really enjoyed it, and found it a ‘zesty’ refreshing start to the meal.

Mains:

Matt went for the Baked Sea Bass Fillets. There was loads of fish on the plate – two fillets of sea bass! It was dressed with a red pepper and rocket salsa, which was fresh, light and complemented the fish beautifully.

Willie ordered the Chargrilled Sirloin Steak, which was tender and delivered with an extremely flavorsome and rich peppercorn sauce. It was also perfectly cooked at medium.

Cora and I both had the Breast of Chicken with Tarragon Sauce. It was very well prepared and there was plenty of sauce to accompany the chicken. We all shared lots of champ potato (Posh Mash Peeps!) and carrot and parsnip puree, which was delicious, rich, creamy and full of flavour.

Sarah ordered chicken goujons and chips and was very happy with them. The portion was massive – as big as an adult’s!

Dessert:

We were super stuffed by this stage of the meal, so a whole dessert was out of the question! Still, Matt and I ploughed on and shared the Pistachio Ice Cream, served in a tuile basket with cream and chocolate sauce. It was delicious, and the pistachio flavour ice cream was a revelation to me!

Willie and Sarah shared an apple and blackberry crumble which was very good and traditional.. a safe option some might say.

Overall Impression:

Trocadero presents itself as one of the most intimate and cosy venues in Dublin. The red velvet look and feel about the place, so steeped in history adds to the anticipation of any dining experience and we at MADFORTHEGRUB would encourage any and all of you to try it out! They do a great early bird and they’re not too pushy on what time you leave!

Restaurant in a word: Timeless

P.S. For anyone who might be interested we have a Facebook and a Twitter account for all the news!

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Review of Swapna Indian Restaurant, Naas, Co. Kildare

2011-10-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

Review of Swapna Indian Cuisine, Naas, Co. Kildare

I have had the pleasure of eating in Swapna 3 times in the last 6 weeks- taking full advantage of their 3 Courses for €12.50!! This includes; Starters, Mains with rice or Naan and then tea or coffee.

Another great benefit of this deal is that it is across the entire menu!

One thing that has to be said about this restaurant is that the staff are fantastic. They are so attentive and make sure you feel looked after for the duration of your meal. One thing myself an Ev are big fans of is Poppadums and Swapna does not disappoint! You get a lovely large bowl of them with 3 dips and a plate of diced red onion.

Starters:

I have ordered the Tandoori Chicken on two occasions and also shared the meat platter (Tandoori Chicken, Minced Lamb, Chicken Tikka and some lovely onions) The food is delivered promptly and is piping hot or sizzling-depending on the dish.

The Tandoori chicken was a large leg of chicken which was perfectly marinated/spiced and served on a bed of sizzling onions. Throw on a bit of the sweet mango chutney-esque dip and you’re laughing!

Result: great size starter!- leaves room for the mains but means you can enjoy the wait!

Main Courses:

I have for my sins ordered the same main course on all 3 occasions; Butter Chicken with Pilau rice and a side of Peshawari Naan bread. YUM.

The manager will check on you during your meal and makes sure that you are welcomed and satisfied with the food. I have now been informed that I must try something different for my Mains for the next visit!!- Tough Justice!

The butter chicken is very mild and creamy with lots of what seems to be “ripped chicken” and topped off with ground almonds. It is served in a large circular dish steaming hot from the kitchen.

Dipping hot sweet Naan bread into sauce (Korma, Tikka Masala, Biryani.. it’s all good! ) is definitely a highlight of the meal and in all honesty.. we ordered A SECOND NAAN!

Ev ordered (predictably) the Chicken Tikka Masala- Both Ev and I apologise for our routines.. We are trying to get away from the “we know what we like and we like what we know” mentality and broaden the taste buds.

The Masala is lovely and sweet with large diced chunks of chicken breast. Ev never manages to eat all of the chicken and gives it to me..which may be a contributing factor in us going back!

Overall

For €12.50 you cannot go wrong.

Where else will you have a comfy warm restaurant (free parking outside too), friendly staff and the entire menu to choose from on the early bird? One good thing about the recession is that eating out is not as expensive as it used to be. #winning

2011-08-22T05:49:00.000-07:00

Review of Country Kitchen, Killarney, Co. Kerry

We dined here on the 21^st August 2011

Ev and myself took a romantic trip to the Kingdom of Ireland (County Kerry for all our American viewers - never thought I would have the pleasure of writing that!! Thanks for visiting guys!)

We were staying in the superb Dunloe Castle hotel just outside Killarney on a SuperValue Getaway break - amazing deals which I would really recommend!

Anyway… we had settled into the hotel, seen the Gap of Dunloe and decided to drive into Killarney for some grub.

After consulting with Tripadvisor we found Chapter Forty was ranked no.1 in Killarney, which unfortunately turned out to be closed… L On our walk back to the Main Street we stumbled upon what appeared to be a bakery/deli. There was a mountain of fresh sausage rolls and scones on the counter and a notice advertising 3 courses for €20 from the FULL Menu as opposed to the traditionally limited early bird menu.

Upon entering the premises we (unlike other patrons!) adhered to the “Please wait to be seated” sign and were greeted by the young and enthusiastic Shane, who we later discovered was the proprietor of this relatively new establishment. He asked had we brought wine, and suggested that we take advantage of the BYOB perk of the restaurant. Sheahans Off Licence 2 doors down was recommended and we availed of a 10% discount card- #WINNING!

We got ourselves a “good-value” Australian Chardonnay for €10 (€9 with the discount J) and brought it back to the restaurant to be refrigerated. BYOB is a great idea and with only €2 corkage makes eating and boozing out more affordable. Also on a “Go Team Ireland” note, it was great to see local businesses working together.

The Grub:

Starters:

Having seen another table’s starters be delivered, we both instantly agreed upon the Chicken and Bacon Caesar Salad to start.

We thought the portion was generous, the dressing was anchovy-ee and there was plenty of chicken. There could have been more Parmesan but on the whole it was a delicious starter.

Mains:

Matt ordered the Cockle..lol and Muscle Tagliatelle with Tiger Prawns which was served in a creamy, garlicy, lemony sauce. It also came with fresh parsley and a slice of lemon for the citrus whores among us.

It was fresh and tasty and came loaded with 6 Large Tiger Prawns. The garlic and muscles worked really well together and the pasta was on the nicer side of al dente.

Ev ordered the Roast Chicken which was described on the menu as being “Lemon and lime glazed… and served with thyme stuffing baked potatoes and seasonal vegetables”

What actually arrived was something akin to something your granny would make you. In the words of Roy Keane, all credit to granny’s dinners, but it wasn’t really what Ev was expecting. There was a teaspoon of stuffing on the plate and the seasonal veg consisted of 5 carrot discs and a bit of broccoli and cauliflower.

The baked potatoes were replaced with bland mash which needed a good bit of butter and the chicken which was juicy lacked the citrus zesting it claimed. Oh, and there was gravy as well.. obv! Ev enjoyed her dinner as she always does in her granny’s but was a little let down when compared to Matt’s dinner and what was described on the menu.

Dessert:

Unlike many of our previous posts and restaurant experiences, the dessert was a genuine high point which isn’t surprising given the fact that Country Kitchen is a bakery by day.

We ordered a homemade Apple Crumble, heated with Ice Cream and a Chocolate Cake also served with ice cream. (we asked Shane to heat this as well and he obliged, even though he had never been asked to do this before) They were both delicious, the apple crumble was crunchy and lightly coated with sugar which was almost caramelised. It was sweet and warm and homely.

The chocolate cake wasn't too heavy as many chocolate desserts can be. Instead it was fresh and spongy complimented perfectly by vanilla ice cream.

Overall Impression:

There were 2 main courses and one starter that were unavailable on the Sunday night we visited. Ev thought that it would have been a nice touch to have one or two alternatives on offer, but having said this there were still plenty of choice on the menu so it didn’t bother us.

It is clearly a popular place, 10 tables were occupied in the 90 minutes we were there, a great feat to achieve as there were only 12 tables total in the restaurant.

The service was excellent during our meal, but it would have been interesting to see how they coped with a full house given how few staff were present.

Shane is an excellent host, full of wit and character who made us feel at home and among friends with our fellow diners, many of whom engaged in conversation with neighbouring tables throughout the meal.

To conclude, this was a great value dinner served in a cosy venue with a friendly atmosphere and a great host. The bill totalled €48.50 which included 2 tea’s and a portion of bread and the aforementioned corkage.

A couple of minor improvements and this place is winning awards.

**Guys if you have any suggestions of places to go or ways we can improve our blog please leave a comment below!! Thanks J**

We are also on Facebook and you can like us here.. if you want :)

Review of Las Rada Tapas Bar, Naas, Co. Kildare

2011-08-15T06:18:00.000-07:00

Review of Las Rada Tapas Bar, Naas, Co. Kildare

Having consulted with Tripadvisor, to which I believe we are all indebted, we noticed that the number one restaurant in Naas was Las Rada the Tapas Bar on the Newbridge road. Matt, having recently returned from Puerto Banus and also from a Tapas Course at Dublin Cookery School, was eager to celebrate his birthday Spanish style. Matt and Ev were kindly treated to a birthday dinner courtesy of Matt’s parents (cheers folks!!):

First Impressions:

When you walk through the doors, you are met with a heavy velvet curtain, which when drawn leads to an intimate and atmospheric dining experience with Spanish music and décor. We listened to Rodrigo Y Gabriella while we contemplated the Tapas Menu which was tiered in 3 price levels of €5, €6 and €6.50. A cocktail menu and wine list was also supplied.

Drinks:

We ordered 3 Cosmopolitans and 1 Mojito. They were a bit heavy on the ice and light on booze, but were tasty all the same for €6.

The Meal:

We started off by ordering 2 Tapas each… so 10 plates!! After that we ordered another 8 which filled us up nicely!

The food was served as it was cooked and was promptly delivered by friendly staff. The portions were pretty decent (3 Samosas, 2 Fishcakes etc) and most were accompanied with an individual dipping sauce. Apologies about the lack of photos on this post guys, the iPhone was on the fritz and we were starving!!

We ordered:

· Bruschetta
· Chicken Satay
· Fish Cakes
· Samosa
· Figs and Goats Cheese
· Monkfish
· Patatas Bravas
· Calamari
· King Prawn Tempura
· Nachos with Beef & Cheese
· Cod Gratin

The food was simple and hearty, cooked with fresh ingredients and delivered faster than a take away!

Our Favourites:

Matt thought the Fishcakes were excellent, with their crunchy exterior and a spicy coriander fish filling. This combined with its dipping sauce made this generously apportioned dish a winner.

Ev’s favourites were the Bruschetta and Samosas. The Bruschetta was filling. The tomatoes were ripe, and not at all bitter, with a simple basil and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Yum. It also came cut in half already to make sharing easier (this can be good and bad). J The spiced chicken Samosas were each a generous size, served with a Moroccan dip. The pastry was crisp and light, and the filling flavoursome. A winner all round!

The Satay was another noteworthy plate, enjoyed by all... perhaps why we bought 3 of them!

Overall:

This is a great find for Naas. The Tapas was very good and reasonably priced. We had a great time and enjoyed the music and atmosphere. The only issue we had was the watery cocktails.

Review of Roly's Bistro, Ballsbridge,

2011-08-15T05:50:00.000-07:00

Review of Roly’s Bistro, Ballsbridge

Having been to Roly’s for the first time last September to celebrate Matt’s graduation with his family, we finally returned for a second visit last weekend. We had been meaning to eat there for ages, and when Matt found out he had gotten a job (#winning), I thought I should treat him to a lovely luncheon in the intimate surroundings of Roly’s Bistro in Ballsbridge.

They offer a set lunch menu at a price of €23 for 3 courses – bargain – so we booked in on Saturday afternoon for this. I was very impressed that they ran this special offer on Saturdays. The restaurant was very busy when we arrived, as it always seems to be, which we took as a good sign! We wanted to test the adage that ‘you’ll never get a bad meal in Roly’s.’

Starters

To start, Matt ordered the Thai Fishcakes. The portion was generous, including two large fishcakes, a side salad and a dressing of smooth sweet chilli sauce. The fishcakes were, in the words of Matthew, “fantastic:” the breadcrumb coating was light and crisp, the fish was “hearty” and the sauce complemented it very well.

I had the Chicken Spring Roll to start, which was served with noodles. The portion was fine, but looking at Matt’s two fishcakes, I would have liked if there was another spring roll! It was very tasty, however, and the chicken and veg filling was crunchy. The noodle accompaniment was simple but it worked!

Main Courses

Matt, for the first time EVER, ordered…wait for it…THE VEGETARIAN OPTION. This committed meat-lover (lol) ordered the pappardelle pasta with shitake mushrooms, rocket and parmesan in a cream sauce. At first he found it rich and flavoursome, with the mushrooms adding a subtle crunch; however, this was later overpowered by the rocket, and perhaps, in his humble opinion, the pasta was too al dente. …I liked it though! J

I ordered the chicken wrapped in parma ham, served on a bed of creamy mash with peas and gravy, but not gravy as we know it. I’m not a pea-lover but this dish was delicious.

Side dishes of pureed carrot, boiled potatoes with bacon and chives, and cabbage with white onion sauce were served with our main courses. All the veg was tasty, but personally, I found the potatoes too hard.

Desserts

Matt ordered the strawberry ice-cream on a homemade shortbread cookie. Again, the portion was generous; The ice-cream was light and refreshing, almost like a sorbet, and the cookie rich and crumbly…if that makes sense!

I ordered the crème brulee, served with Vanilla ice-cream and garnished with mint. I really enjoyed this dessert and the ice cream was very good. Matt did wonder though whether it should have been served hot as in when the sugar was browned under the torch? I thought that it being served cool was perfect for me but who knows?

Overall:

As you can see we have taken a crazy amount of pictures for this review. We do think that it is important for people to be able to see the food they eat especially if they are paying good money for it!

We had a fantastic lunch in Roly's and it was very good value. 3 Superb courses for €23 each. We both look forward to the day when Matt can take Ev to Roly's for her celebratory lunch. Roly's is 5***** and possibly the best lunch in Dublin.

Review of Summer Tapas Course, Dublin Cookery School

2011-06-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

Review of Dublin Cookery School

Summer Tapas Course June 20^th 2011

Well, this was my first cookery course and I have to say I didn’t know what to expect before I went in. I wondered was it going to be a gang of Tom Doorley’s all commenting on the food and ways to improve it.

Thankfully they were all normal people who love food- FOODIES!

I chose to do the Summer Tapas course partly because its summer time, partly because I love Spanish food. When I arrived at the purpose built cookery school in Blackrock, I was presented with a glass of homemade lemonade (Mint, Mi Wadi Lime Cordial, Sparkling Water, Lemon and Limes= WOW) and a folder detailing what we would be learning on the night.

John our demonstration chef outlined what we were going to be cooking on the night.

The Menu:

Black Pudding Cigars
Tiger Prawns Piri Piri
Croquetas De Bacalao (Salted Cod Fishcakes)
Champignones Con Jerez Y Perejil (Mushrooms & Sherry and Parsley)
Patatas Bravas
Mini Potato Tortillas with Chorizo
Aoili (Homemade Garlic Mayo)
Escabece De Pimiento Y Caballa (Red & Yellow Pepper Escabeche with Mackerel)
Calamares Con Aoili De Chorizo (Calamari with Chorizo Mayo)

Where do I start…..

Okay first up was Salted Cod Fish Cakes, which were really good and exceptionally well seasoned.

Tips I learned-

Salt the cod for 24 hours in advance- makes it firmer and improves taste.
Use more fish that potatoes- it’s called a fish cake for a reason!
When heating cod in pot with milk, only bring to the boil then turn off heat
How to wrap the mixture in Clingfilm, then let it set then chop to length

Aioli (Garlic Mayo)

Very good when served with the fishcakes above

Tips I learned-

Add in flavorless oil (veg, sunflower) slowly to the food mixer
Keep garlic crushed in oil, lets flavour out, can be stored in fridge
You can make lots of different mayo’s using different flavour oils
Roast the garlic first if you want a sweeter, nuttier mayo

Tortillas with Chorizo

These were exceptional, with a delicious Smokey chorizo. Quite a substantial dish that stays with you. YUM.

Tips I learned-

Use cooked new potatoes- saves time
Quick meal that tastes fantastic
Let it set!

Deep Fried Calamari

Cooked perfectly, breadcrumbs were light and crispy, squid had just right amount of crunch!

Tips I learned-

Ask fish monger for baby squid- tastes better
Slice thinly
Minimise excess egg, flour and breadcrumbs
Use Japanese flaky breadcrumbs if possible.
Squid should either be cooked on high heat for a short time or lower hear for a long time.- tough to break it down.

Patatas Bravas

Tips I learned-

The passata sauce is basically the tomato sauce used for pizzas
Use smoked paprika, adds depth to the sauce

Mackerel with sweet and sour peppers

This was an incredible dish with sharp fresh flavours that really cut through the richness of the fried mackerel.

Tips I learned-

Cook Mackerel skin down for about 90% of total cook time c.3 mins
Score the skin side of the mackerel, helps cook faster
Ask fish monger for butterfly filleted mackerel
Cut a V in the fillet (think lumberjack) to remove the bones- save time!
Peel the peppers first with potato peeler
Don’t cook the peppers all that much, need the crunch
Garnish with extra virgin olive oil- now can be preserved in fridge

Black Pudding Cigars

Hadn’t seen this before, imagine- Clonakilty black pudding a few herbs wrapped in spring roll pastry and deep fried.

Tips I learned-

Use other regional pudding- Clonakilty has changed a lot
Heat pudding in oven first to make it more supple/workable.
Don’t allow any air pockets in the pastry-tight packet= good packet
Deep fry for 1 min

The great thing about the courses are that you get to taste all of the Tapas as they cook it! This and a regularly refreshed wine glass made it an incredibly enjoyable night!

I would also note that we were given folders (to keep) of all the receipes/ingredients of all the Tapas to cook!- Great Touch

Review of Gourmet Burger Kitchen, South William Street

2011-04-28T01:54:00.000-07:00

Price: **

Service: ***

Ev’s Take:

I’m a creature of habit in GBK and always order the same thing - the Chilli Burger with chicken instead of beef. I really like the way you can substitute any of the beef burgers for chicken. It makes the choice so much wider! I had asked for my burger to be served with no tomato but when it came it had tomato on it. Matt’s however, did not, so they had obviously just gotten a bit mixed up – not a very big deal as Matt now had lots of tomato J. The portion was generous, the bread crumbed chicken was delicious and the bun was fresh and tasty. The chilli sauce on the burger was plentiful and prevented the burger from being too dry. These burgers really fill you: great on their own for lunch (2 for 1 Trinity student deal makes one €4.50 – bargain lunch!) or with a few chippies or a salad at dinner time. This place is good value even without the Trinity Discount Card, as they do deals such as the €9.99 meal which includes chips and a drink, and the Monday Madness deal where all burgers are €4.99.

Matt’s view of the world:

I ordered the Garlic Mayo burger, again with Chicken. Don’t know why I chose chicken, it just seemed more suited to the burger. Anyway the burger was delicious, the chicken was moist and the bread crumbs were crispy! We also got a portion of chips to share and a side of chilli mayonnaise- which is just deadly! It had a real nice kick to it!

As you can see the chips are "real" and earthy. Love when there is a bit of skin on them!

Overall:

Thought that this place was very good, quality of the food and the ingredients was excellent. Service was attentive and casual, the waiters were very approachable and happy to help. As mentioned earlier, the place is also very good value. we would advise people to get their hands on a Trinity Discount Card and use it for GBK and Mongolian BBQ. Eating out in recession, doom and gloom Ireland does not have to be expensive. We will probably do a post soon on the best meals for under €20 in the city. Thanks for reading! Matt & Ev

Review of Mongolian BBQ, Temple Bar

2011-04-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

Mongolian BBQ

Price: **

Service ****

Mongolian Barbeque is an innovative little eatery that I was introduced to by my friend Helen a couple of months ago. Since then I have spread the joy of their €5 buffet lunch deal to other friends and enjoy a cheap and satisfying lunch there once every couple of weeks. A group of us enjoyed their culinary delights once evening and discovered the All You Can Eat 2 for 1 Dinner Deal, which comprises, as the name suggests, as much food as you want, for €8!! Yes, you read right: €8. It’s usually €15.99 but for all us poor students it’s half price as long as you have a friend to bring and eat with you.

I decided Matt had to experience Mongolian Barbeque for himself instead of just hearing about it from me. So on a sunny Sunday evening in April we ventured into town for our dinner. Here’s what we discovered…

First Impressions:

The outside of the restaurant is nothing to write home about, but once we went inside we were greeted by a friendly waitress who showed us to a window seat. There are other dinner options which include starters and/or desserts which cost more but we just went for the standard all you can eat buffet deal.

How It Works:

So, here’s how this place operates: there’s a buffet (shown below!) of vegetables (such as peppers, mushrooms, chinese lettuce, water chestnuts, carrots, onions etc) and meats (chicken, beef, pork, prawns) to choose from, as well as a slection of sauces (black bean, thai seet chilli, sweet and sour, honey and soy, tikka masla etc) and herbs and spices.

There are recipes you can follow if you wish, or you can be a rebel and go with the flow. Fill your bowl as much as you can and pass it to the chef who will cook it for you in record time in front of your eyes! (Check Out the Slick Video!- First one of the blog!) It’s amazing. Seriously. It’s hard to describe but if you’ve seen it you will understand what I mean. Everyone’s first reactions to this place are the same – “it’s amazing! It’s fantastic” etc – you get the picture. When it’s cooked, head back to your table and find a lovely bowl of freshly steamed rice waiting for you to accompany your food. Nice one. We found this video online, which describes it all!

The Food:

On my first visit to the buffet I piled my dish high with veggies, chicken, a bit of cajun seasoning and black bean sauce. This combo was delicious. Some people could find it a bit dry once it’s cooked but you can just throw in some more sauce afterwards to counteract this. Problem solved! This dish was delicious with steamed rice and lashings of soy sauce. Nom nom nom.

On my second visit (yes, I’m a pig, ok?) I had chicken, veggies, garlic, parsley and sweet and sour sauce. I followed a recipe this time. Again this was delicious

Now over to Matt for his thoughts on the food…

Having been fortunate enough to have a few nibbles during the day I wasn’t overly hungry when we arrived at Mongolian BBQ. Having said that, I was intrigued by the business model and whenever you hear the phrase “all you can eat”, men generally step up to the plate (lol…) With this in mind I got my first bowl and put in some; red onion, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, peppers, chicken, garlic, chilli powder and then added some black bean sauce with a dash of honey-soy. This may have been a tad too much in terms of flavours, but I think it worked well.

Overall:
We were both very happy with the food and service! It is a fun and alternative dining experience that you have to try :)

Review of The Orchard, Stillorgan

2011-04-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

After getting fed up of the chicken fillet roll existence, a group of us decided to go to The Orchard in Stillorgan for a nice tasty lunch. Had heard a bit about this place from a few of the guys in work, but would usually have drank in Boland's, which I think is now McGowan's and the Mill House if I was around Stillorgan.

First Impressions:

Arriving at around ten past one, the car park was jammed, very lucky to get a space- typically a good sign for food!

We were presented with what could easily be the largest selection of lunch options I have ever seen. There was easily 20 different options ranging from soup, open sandwiches, to steak and cottage pies.

The Food:

Eimear decided to order the Goats Cheese Salad:

"The goats cheese salad is an old favourite of mine at the Orchard. I have had it countless times and have enjoyed it each and every time. The combination of the crispy filo pastry and the soft cheese on a bed of mixed salad is always a winner. Perfect size and always served promptly. Sometimes I wonder if the chef is psychic as everything is served at lightning speed!"

Meghan got the Chicken Tenders with Fries:

"happy enough with the food, can't generally go too wrong with Tenders and chips though! good atmosphere inside and the service was grand"

Rosie ordered the Cottage Pie (which differs from Shepherds Pie as it is made with Beef- who knew eh?):

"In one word- Meh!! Sloppy, a tad tasteless and unsatisfied would be my cottage pie in a nutshell!! Having to use a lot of salt is a poor sign in my opinion, and I used a heck of a lot!!!

Matt (Me) Ordered the Rio Chicken Baguette

I ordered the Rio Chicken Baguette which was basically, marinated chicken pieces in a baguette with Marie rose sauce, lettuce and onion (..I think there was onion) it was also served with a few chippy-wippy's!" it tasted nice if a bit dry.. I later found out from observing another gentleman that it was usually served with a small ramekin of sauce.... woe is me...

Overall:

It is a nice place for lunch when you fancy a treat for yourself that's not as bad as Eddie Rockets, it is not too expensive, I think the average price was around €10 for the lunch which is not too bad. The service was quite prompt and attentive and we were served our meal with enough time to enjoy it and return to the office.

Review of Tenors, Naas

2011-04-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

Type: European/ Modern

Price: **

Service: ****

First Impressions:

For those of you, who are unfamiliar with the Tenors Model: all starters and desserts are €5, all mains are €10 and they have a variety of sides and extras (where they make their money). They have two restaurants, one in Naas and the other in Donnybrook. (Left at the lights as you pass Donnybrook Fair, near Madigans)

Myself and Ev have been to Tenors a couple of times before, and were keen to take advantage of their mega super deal of €14 for 3 Courses. Unfortunately we were booked in after 6pm and couldn't avail of the deal.

Starters:

We both ordered the Caesar Salad for our starters below, apologies for not ordering different things, there were lots of good stuff on the menu like spring rolls, chicken wings, pate and deep fried mushrooms.

Mains:

I ordered the Cajun Chicken Burger with Bacon, which was served with Chunky Chips. I also got garlic mayo (the worlds greatest sauce)

I thought the burger was really good, juicy and was served with nice red onion and fresh crisp lettuce. It was delivered within 10 minutes of the starters being cleared which I think is always a good sign.

Ev ordered the Bolognese ala Creme, which was served with herbs and fresh Parmesan.. I love when they say fresh Parmesan.. what does that even mean? the stuff takes like 2 years to mature!

Ev of course has her own thoughts: "For my starter I ordered a Classic Caesar Salad. The portion was generous and it was delicious. Perhaps there could have been a bit more bacon in mine? I seemed to have a lot of lettuce left over at the end!

I should explain something: I've been Tenors between 10 and 15 times, I'd say, and every time - EVERY TIME - I have ordered the Chicken Curry. I know it's tasty. I know it'll satisfy me. And I know I'll get a poppadum with it. It was a big deal for me, therefore, to order...SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Cue fanfare. This time, I ordered the Penne Pasta Bolognese A La Creme, and, because I was feeling like a carb fiend, a portion of garlic bread. Again, it was a large portion (so large that Matt had to help me eat it) and I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying something other than my usual Chicken Curry! The bolognese sauce was creamy, a refreshing change from standard bolognese sauce, and had a slight tangy spicy flavour to it. Very tasty altogether! The garlic bread was good too, although it was a rip off at €3 for 2 pieces...

Service was efficient and friendly, and the ambiance was pleasant"

Review of Juniors, Bath Avenue

2011-04-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

The following blog post has been written by friend Sarah after we went to visit one of the greatest little lunch spots in Dublin. "I think the creation of the Juniors sandwich was an eventful day in the history of Irish food. Here is the steak sambo that I had the pleasure of halving with Matthew - or rather he had the pleasure of sharing with me as he got the bigger half! For my taste buds the mustard over powers each bite - but for mustard eaters this would be an exceptionally tasty sambo.

My favourite has to be the BBQ chicken sambo. Again I shared half with Matt. Its packed with about two breasts of succulent marinated chicken, fresh tomato, some rocket and a special sauce mounted on fresh ciabatta. This messy affair fulfills ones lunch time appetite perfectly.

If your lucky enough to get a seat in Juniors at lunch time you can enjoy the buzz created by those in suits and those in Leinster Rugby gear. Everyone tries (excuse the pun) to squeeze past each other and dodge those sitting on the outside aisles elbows as they lift this ultimate sambo to their mouth. It's a race to get your BBQ chicken order in by 13.30 most days as it gets sold out quite often - especially with this good weather around!

Juniors has a small menu with soup available to accompany any sandwich. The pizzetta bread is one of my favourites also. My advice is to go with a friend order two sambos and share half and half to taste all of their options."

Review of Weeping Thaiger, Naas

2011-03-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

Background to the meal:

Well what must first be said is that Matt and Ev were under serious time pressure with this one. We had heard about the super deal on main courses (€10 inc. rice/chips) and starters €5, following the Tenors model, for those of you who have not been there yet.

20:10 We told our waitress that were in a hurry and she was most accommodating sitting us down, getting our menus and coming back promptly to take our order. We ordered a portion of Spring Rolls as a starter but had it come with our mains, because we were supposed to go see Hall Pass at 21:15! (Contemplating setting up a movie review blog…Then this would make more sense, but the movie was very good and funny!)

Mains:

We ordered two dishes that we would both like and then shared them. We ordered a mild chicken Pad Thai and a spicy beef (no.19) with garlic and chilli basil. (Note: both these dishes can be ordered with a selection of meats including chicken, beef, prawns and mixed as well as to a varying degree of spiciness)

All three dishes were promptly delivered within 15 minutes. I personally thought that both dishes were very tasty and contrasted brilliantly with each other. The chicken was sweet and ‘zingy’ and when mixed with the noodles it reminded me of Tagliatelle the next day (in a good way!). The beef was served with fried rice: it was very spicy and had really fresh and crisp vegetables accompanying it. Ev very delicately scraped the seeds off the chilli peppers before she ate them! The rice was light and fragrant, a welcome change from the usual starchy compacted block one would associate with a Chinese takeaway.

After a rather excellent meal with plenty of iced water we asked for the bill. €25- What a super deal?! Fast and friendly service and tasty food for only €25. Definitely recommend them for anyone who’s on a budget or looking to treat themselves a little without going overboard!

Review of JD's Steakhouse, Terenure

2011-03-05T08:31:00.000-08:00

Review of JD’s Steakhouse, Terenure

Type: Steakhouse/ European

Price: **

Service: *****

Having eaten at this restaurant last May, we decided to return again to see if the standard was still as high nine months later. The set dinner menu was offered all night Monday to Thursday and consisted of two courses for €17.95 – brilliant!

The restaurant was busy but not too full when we arrived at 8pm on a Monday night – obviously we weren’t the only ones impressed by JD’s good value menu! We sat by the window, something we regretted later in the meal as it was a bit chilly. The warm ambience in the restaurant was lovely and they had excellent music. After giving our orders to the waiter we asked him for some bread, fiends for the carb delights as we are…he promptly delivered some to our table at no extra cost…nice one.

Starters:

The selection of starters on the menu was vast – from soup to bruschetta, pate to breaded mushrooms. Matt ordered the spicy Buffalo wings: the portion was large, the sauce was spicy and the wings were delicious. Perhaps there was too much sauce on the wings, thought Matt? Great start to the meal anyway, especially mopped up with some nice bread.

I got the Chicken and Bacon Caesar Salad. It was very tasty – everything was just right, from the Parmesan shavings to the croutons. No complaints from me!!

Main Course:

For a €3.50 supplement, Matt ordered the 16oz T-Bone Steak, served with chunky chips. He found it to be cooked exactly to his taste (medium rare – the only way steak should be cooked according to Matt!), char grilled on the outside. The pepper sauce complemented it perfectly.

Ev ordered JD’s Chicken, which was wrapped in Parma ham and served with an apricot stuffing and garlic and cheese potatoes. The entire dish was, to use a word I learned during my three year English degree… yummy!! The honey and mustard based sauce which accompanied the chicken was delicious – flavoursome and sweet. Once again I can’t fault this dish!

We declined dessert once again due to very stuffed tummies. The bill came to €39.40 – what a BARGAIN for such quality food!

Hope you all enjoy the review and the photos!! It's always a bit of a sneaky job with the iPhone!- and also if you are hungry it can be a real test of endurance!

Review of Fallons

2011-02-07T03:48:00.000-08:00

Review of Fallons, Main Street, Kilcullen

Type: Irish/ European

Price: ****

Service: *****

Mmm Rating: 4.0

Bucket List: You'd survive without this place,

This was somewhere we had wanted to go for a while, Ev’s folks had kindly given me a voucher for Christmas and we had cancelled our previous reservation due to unforeseen circumstances.

First Impressions:

Having eaten there several times before, I was surprised to be seated in a different area, a little snug hidden away from the main dining area- very nice though- a feel of Man Friday in Kinsale, Cork without the conservatory-esque touch. We were seated and brought lovely homemade brown bread, real (soft) butter and a large bottle of chilled water- I like this J

We were presented with both the standard menu and also the set menu, unlike some restaurants who would probably do well under torture for not giving away information!

We decided to go for the set menu which was two courses for €25 or three for €30. The waitress was gone for no more than two minutes, by which time we had decided what to eat and were therefore pleased with the efficiency of it all. Service throughout the meal was prompt, despite the restaurant being very busy.

Starters: *****

We both ordered the Caesar Salad, which I have to say was fab. I have included a photo below, which should also appear on FoodSpotting, something I am getting into in a big way- imagine seeing the photos of what the food really looks like before you go in. Great FREE App!!

The dressing was very flavoursome with a strong anchovy taste, essential in my view! The lardons/pancetta/ bacon - whatever you want to call it - tasted like Fried Christmas Ham and was consequently delicious. Last thing to say was that the Baby Gem lettuce was crisp and the Parmesan was fresh and plentiful.

Mains: ****

Ev ordered the Chicken Breast with Orzo Pasta (the one that looks like rice) served in a creamy pesto-like sauce, garnished with some rocket/ spinach mix. She had a tough time getting through it all but thoroughly enjoyed it: the chicken was tender, and the tomatoes in the dish had a sharp taste which livened up the creamy sauce.

I ordered the Sirloin steak (€2 Supplement) and had it cooked medium-rare (as I believe all steaks should be cooked!). It was served with Chunky Chips, A mushroom/ onion mix and some rich pepper sauce. I have to say that the Steak was cooked very well, it was tender and juicy and the sauce was just the right viscosity- always wanted to use that word.

Issues: the only issues that I had were that I wasn’t given a steak knife, which made the meal somewhat difficult and I think they could have made a better effort at crisping up the fat/gristle on the side.

Desserts:

Ev and I decided that we had reached our sufficiency and would not order dessert, even though they were very tempting with their Mini-Pud offerings. It was in short a mini version of any dessert for €1.95 – Great Idea for those of us with a sweet tooth but a small appetite!

Overall:

The bill came to €59.50, for two starters, two mains, one house white wine (€6.50 a glass L) and a dash of blackcurrant (€1L) which I have to say is a bit expensive: it did win Kildare’s best restaurant 2010, but for the same money you could eat at the Brown Bear, which just has that extra edge, in my view!

Review of Punjab Balti

2011-01-27T02:46:00.000-08:00

Review of Punjab Balti, Ranelagh, Dublin

Type: Indian

Price: ***

Service: ****

Mmm Rating: 3.5

Bucket List: You'd survive without this place,

Thinking we need some formal set of criteria for evaluating the dining experience. Something similar to 10 points for Food, Service and Atmosphere perhaps?.... For another day :)

Well we have already established that Matt and I are big fans of Indian cuisine. Therefore it will come as no surprise to hear that we sampled the delights of Indian restaurant Punjab Balti in Ranelagh at the weekend.

The restaurant offers an excellent value Early Bird from Sunday to Thursday until 7.30pm: for €16.95, one can enjoy a starter, main course, tea or coffee and a glass of Pinot Grigio or Merlot – not bad at all! However, we found this particular menu slightly limited (3-4 choices for each course in contrast to around 30 in the regular menu!) so we decided to splash out and go the whole hog.

First Impressions:

Though it was empty (dinner at 530pm), there was still a nice atmosphere in the restaurant, and the waiter was courteous and friendly. We were seated next to the window and their fake hedge – a bit odd to see indoors in a restaurant, I have to say! We were presented with a HUGE plate of poppadums to munch our way through- which we successfully managed to do. You would think that all poppadums are the same but you are wrong! We, having completed extensive poppadum research, both agreed that the ones at Punjab Balti were some of the best we’ve ever had. They came served with lovely dips – mint, ‘chunky onion spicy’ and ‘spicy spicy hot hot’ as I like to call them. Good start to the meal.

Starter:

Matt ordered Punjabi Boti, a spiced lamb chop with some side salad garnish. He thought it was tasty, chewy and fairly spicy. Quote: “you had to work for the meat.” I ordered the Tandoori Chicken which was again served with a garnish of salad. Nice flavours, quite spicy, but possibly a little dry- but lots of it.

Main Course:

Matt decided to be original (lol) and went for the Butter Chicken with Pilau Rice. When it first arrived he thought it smelt like Sour Cream and Onion Pringles. The portion was a bit small, but it was tasty all the same. I ordered Chicken Tikka Masala and Pilau Rice. I enjoyed it but I was just left feeling a little underwhelmed. I think the Masala sauce could have been creamier and slightly less rich and tangy. Again, the portion was smaller than I expected it to be for what we paid for it. The fact that I could barely finish it anyway is beside the point!! We ordered peshwari naan to share. Though Matt liked it, I wasn’t a fan: personally, it was too sweet for me – you could have eaten it as a dessert!!

Overall:

I have one more thing to moan about: I was a little cold. Maybe I just wasn’t wearing enough clothes. I feel like we’ve been a bit harsh on this restaurant. We had a lovely evening here and overall really enjoyed the food. However, I think because of our petulance for Indian cuisine we’ve just become very hard to impress in this regard: something needs to be amazing to wow us.

I feel like I’ve been a bit harsh on this restaurant. We had a lovely evening there, service was excellent and very friendly and the food was tasty and well presented. Would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for good Indian food in the area!

Just lacked that spark?-Ya know?

Review of Milano

2010-12-14T15:03:00.000-08:00

Review of Milano- Baggot Street Bridge

Location: Baggot Street Bridge

Type: Italian

Price: ***

Service: **

Mmm Rating: 3.0

Bucket List: Nope

I was fortunate to be taken out to lunch today (Sunday the 12^th December) to Milano’s on Baggot Street Bridge by the Maher Family (Cheers Mando and Briany). There were six of us and we arrived with no reservation - no problem. The restaurant was busy per se with 4-5 tables on the ground floor. We were seated and presented with the menus. After about five minutes our waitress came back and took our food and drink orders. We waited until just before the starters arrived before we were given our drinks (15 minutes).

Starters:

I ordered the Bruschetta Originale “Milano” which has simply delicious. The tomatoes were juicy and finely chopped topped with red onion and garlic-drizzled with olive oil and pesto. A simple combination that worked very well. Jack got the Dough Balls “Milano”, and described them as deceiving in their appearance with a lack luster presentation....however the taste MORE than makes up for this. The garlic butter is rich and flavorsome.

Mains:

I ordered the IL Padrino Pizza (Classic Base)- “torn chicken breast, rustica tomatoes and char grilled Italian vegetables, on a rich sauce of tomato and pesto”- which I have to say was very good. The vegetables were sweet and textured and the chicken was tough (in a good way-imagine roast chicken sandwiches the next day)

Jack got “The American”- and as he describes it-Ronsealed It. Pepperoni Pizza on a thin base. Criticisms- Base too thin ant Pepperoni to sparse, a pizza hit very much by the recession- less dough for the base and less toppings....for the top. Could have been better.

Skipped Desserts- We got an Americano and a Cappuccino to top off our lunch.

Overall the food was fresh, cooked well and reasonably priced. Service was very sluggish though. Our lunch lasted over two hours with no dessert.

Review of KOH Restaurant

2010-12-07T05:58:00.000-08:00

Review of KOH

Location: Italian Quarter, Dublin City

Type: Modern Thai/ Asian Cuisine

Price: ***

Service: ****

Mmm Rating: 4.0

Bucket List: Nope

Another family occasion brought us out for dinner tonight (6^th December) to the acclaimed KOH restaurant recommended by the mammy and a few mates. Having heard that they do some pretty cool deals around rugby matches (curry and a pint for €10!) we decided to treat ourselves to a private booth for a family of early birds or pre-theatre folk as some might say. The private room, which was separate from the main eating area in the restaurant, gave rise to an exclusive dining experience.

First Impressions:

It was a cold and gloomy evening outside but warm and welcoming inside KOH. The rich red hue of the decor was dark and slightly overpowering. It was quiet, probably down to the fact that we arrived just before 5pm, but we were warmly welcomed by a gentleman in ordinary clothes (presumably the owner). Before we ordered food we got some cosmopolitans, a Jameson and some Samuel Adams (nice to see this available!) and we were also presented with TWO bowls of prawn crackers with sweet chilli dip.

Yum.

Starters:

Matt, Ev and Sophie ordered the mixed Satay which consisted of three meat skewers, chicken, pork and beef with a very nice Satay sauce. The meat on all three was tender and soft. They were really nice - almost 5/5 - except that sometimes it’s hard to eat the middle of a skewer and you have to kind of momentarily sword-swallow the skewer!

Dave the Rave got the Peking Duck Pancakes, which came with loads of pancakes, unlike most places where only the bare minimum of pancakes would be supplied. His only complaint was that the cucumber that accompanied the dish was sliced too thickly for a delicate little morsel of a pancake.

Mary got the Betel Leaves with sticky pork and ginger- they were yummy, very spicy but again plentiful. We also got an extra starter to share between the table: Baby Back Ribs, which were falling off the bone- very sweet and succulent, with a tasty sauce.

Main Courses:

Ev got the Pad Thai with Chicken which was “delicious.” It was served with the bean sprouts, ground peanuts and lime segments on the side so you could add them as necessary. Very tasty, she could not fault the dish. The portion was so big she couldn’t finish it!

Matt got the Yellow Prawn Curry- excellent dish, containing lots of LARGE prawns, perfectly spiced and portioned. No complaints!

Sophie got the Massaman Lamb Curry which was smooth and rich. We all dipped in at some point and sampled this one!

Dave got the Beef Ginger, which again was zesty and tender- Dave would have preferred it to be a little more gingery though.

Mary got the Jungle Curry Roast Duck, which was the poorest of all the mains. There was a lot of skin from the duck and not enough good meat in the dish. She stated that she had to fish around to find the edible bits and viewed it as unappetising. The lucky table also got an extra main course, a thai green curry with chicken, which was beautifully creamy and spicy.

Desserts:

Matt and Dave got the Passion Fruit and Mango Soufflé: portions were generous, and the fruity dessert was light and refreshing. Sophie commented on how it reminded her of a Solero which was a worthy comparison!

Ev and Mary got the Sticky Toffee Pudding, which both agreed was a little dry. There could also have been more toffee sauce, but the accompanying vanilla ice cream was lovely.

Sophie got the White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake which again we all sampled (sorry Soph) - a great dessert with subtle flavours. I (Matt) thought that it was possibly a little too cheesy in comparison to other cheesecakes I’ve eaten – Ev and I are big cheesecake fans!

Overall:

All agreed that we had enjoyed an excellent dining experience. The bill wasn’t exceptionally cheap, but this due to the alcohol and the extra table portion ordered rather than the price of the food itself. All in all, KOH offers good value, quality food in the heart of the city. Definitely one worthy of a return trip!!

________The Early Birds_________

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Review of JD's Steakhouse, Terenure

Review of Fallons

Review of Punjab Balti

Review of Milano

Review of KOH Restaurant

The Early Birds_