CONRAD GALLAGHER'S SALON DES SAVEURS
Tuesday 09 February 2010
So what was our first real ‘boy wonder’ celebrity chef giving us in 2010 everyone wanted to know - including every chef in Dublin! It seems a helluva long time since the mid 90’s when a fledgling Gallagher first opened Peacock Alley in a basement in Baggot Street. A long time indeed since the dawn of those mad halcyon days from which we are all left looking up at the sky and asking, Captain Boyle like, “what is the stars?”
In a glittering ascendancy Gallagher progressed to South William Street, and thence to the Fitzwilliam Hotel, a venture ending in Court. London followed in conjunction with Vince Power of the Mean Fiddler Group. Mr. Power ended up saying he “didn’t want Gallagher on TV, he wanted him in the kitchen where he belongs.” That was that! South Africa beckoned where, in 2007, he opened a Wok and Noodle Bar in Capetown. However, last August he was declared Bankrupt and is now back in Dublin with his new Salon des Saveurs in Aungier Street, located in the former Darwin’s Restaurant. Darwin’s have moved to a bigger premises nearby. Undoubtedly a talented charismatic guy and, with so many restaurants, nay customers, having run into huge financial problems themselves, Gallagher’s colourful ‘trials’ of yesteryear seem now almost run of the mill!
Salon des Saveurs is all about Tasting Menus. I am not a great fan of Tasting Menus per se, which I feel can become formatted for wheeling out to the coach loads making the annual pilgrimage to a celebrity chef restaurant! Anyway, there are four six-course Tasting Menus at €24, €34, €44 and €54. Pairing with six suitably matched wine tastings on each menu doubles their prices respectively to €48, €68, €88 and €108. My son, Aidan, and his girlfriend Bayveen, didn’t like the concept, particularly the fact that we all had to choose the same priced menu. With differing tastes, that is a real pain. “Salon” is solely focused on this format, so surely it should be possible for people at the same table to choose Menu One, Two, Three or Four? We decided then to test the top of the range Menu 4, sans matching wines, and just ordering by the glass.
The TV show “Hell’s Kitchen” showed the diners waiting like caged animals for food , so it was, and in a confined space. It was well over an hour before we got our little taster of asparagus soup with a separate sprinkling of Serrano ham, pinsized calamari, and coconut shaving, each element sliced, diced or shaved, like confetti. Forty minutes later, a fridge cold rondelle of oxtail terrine, centred with foie gras, arrived with a warm too toasted slice of pain d’epices. Thirty minutes delays continued between courses but, being ‘first night’, their ‘audience’ awaited - ready to pounce on each bite. Meanwhile the barman was manically pouring from 24 bottles of “wine tastings” to match each menu! A single seared scallop ensued, laid on celeriac ‘Remoulade’ deliciously enhanced with Black Truffle, watercress, and parsley oil. We progressed to four little slices of perfectly cooked Muscovy duck breast on a sprinkling of cumin spiced cabbage, Puy lentils, pumpkin puree, Arbafura froth, julienned apple, and a quail’s egg. A Monte Carlo Chocolate Plate was to come but we got a mish mash from other menus including apple crumble, an apple souffle, lemon rice pudding, and a couple more. “Had they run out of chocolate” we asked but ‘Manuel-like’ nobody knew anything!
To drink, Bayveen had a Domaine Chenevieres Macon Village Mont Pele 2008 (€6.50) and a Domaine Bernard Defaix Chablis 1er Cru Cote de Lechet 2007 (€14). I had a delicious Alsace Domaine Dirler Cade Sylvaner Vielles Vignes Organic 2004 (€11.50) and a Domaine Mouton Givry 1er Cru “Grand Berge” 2006 (€14).
Our total bill with 12.5% service came to €230.16. We thought the whole idea convoluted and inflexible, and I am not sure we are not already past “Tasting Menus” – a fact Mr. Gallagher might have missed in his absence.
However, isn't it nice to see a Celtic Cub returning to our shores with so many having to depart them!
Salon des Saveurs,
16 Aungier Street,
Dublin 2.
Tel: (01) 475-8840
THIS ARTICLE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT ON 7TH FEBRUARY 2010