The Chop House Gastropub
Sunday 31 January 2010
Chef Kevin Arundel was originally with L’Ecrivain before doing his own thing in No 10 Restaurant in Longfields Hotel, Lower Fitzwilliam Street, which is currently closed. Arundel then moved to the Schoolhouse Bar and Restaurant on Northumberland Road for a number of years but from which “his Company” has now departed. He has now taken over the former Shelbourne House pub creating The Chop House Gastropub with Conor Dempsey, ex the excellent Dax Restaurant, as chef and business partner. It is located on the busy five branch junction which includes Shelbourne Road and Bath Avenue, a niche area which has become a tad trendy with a couple of other restaurants and a popular pub. It is within a spit of Ballsbridge, Sandymount, and Lansdowne Road, so you will see many of the ‘jocks’ and Kate Midleton lookalikes hanging out in the bars. The interior has been given the fashionable muted “Farrow and Ball” treatment of French Grey, along with stripped floors, leather sofas, and black cast iron high tables. “It’s a touch of France and a Chelsea Gastropub in an Irish pub” Arundel told us, whilst making polite chat as we ordered.
It was lunchtime and I started with Salmon Gravadlax (€7) which was superb. Four vertically cut slices, the edges coated with herbs, were lying graduated, topped with a dollop of fromage blanc, delicious julienned strips of confit lemon rind, capers and a mixed leaf salad. Brendan had a platter of homemade charcuterie (€9) - three terrines - chicken and wild mushroom, ham hock, and rabbit, served with a quenelle of fig compote and cornichons. Very nice, as were accompanying breads.
Lunch mains included cod and chips, chicken, rib-eye of Charolais beef, a vegetarian dish of the day, and open ‘Tartine’ sandwiches of Croque Madame, Steak Sandwich and Tuna Nicoise. A good chunk of cod for Brendan was in a nice light beer batter (€12.50) served on a board with a section of lemon, Tartare sauce, and a little stainless steel pail of chips. Excellent. Roast corn-fed chicken (€13) was from Les Landes, a region in Western France renowned for its poultry. Actually, the ‘yellow’ Landes chicken is part of a ‘Red Label’ program, a movement led by farmers which began in France in the 60’ to promote traditionally raised farm chickens and meat as opposed to the post war industrialisation of food. The chickens are raised in a pine forest using small portable housing called Marensines. The French have a fondness for chicken going back to the 16th Century when King Henri 1V espoused the wish that every labourer be able to have a “poulet au pot” on a Sunday. The Chop House Landes chicken, served “a la vinaigrette”, had crispy skin and was sliced, set in the middle of the plate with a fondant potato, draped with wilted scallions. The ‘bird’ was delicious in that it did taste of old style chicken but you wouldn’t be overstuffed with what else was on the plate! I was glad I had a starter so they might need to up the stodge or veggies a tad.
The dinner menu has starters €6.50/€10 and mains €14.50/€21 and sounds very interesting. Roast Corsican Fish soup is with saffron aioli, Gruyere cheese and garlic croutons, whilst raw sashimi tuna is with soft quail eggs, radish, spicy pickled cucumber and a Teriyaki glaze. Oysters are available with sherry vinegar and shallots, or as a curry and mango gratin. Slow roast belly of Old Spotted pig comes with fondant potato, apple compote and roasted jus. There is a Daube of Beef Pie, fillet of hake with a red cabbage fondue, the Landes ‘chuck’, a 10 oz rib eye or for the real trenchermen a 28 oz Porterhouse for 2 at €50.
We shared a fine French style chocolate tart with a Pistachio ice-cream at a sensible €5. With a pint of J.Arthur (€4.50) for himself, a glass of wine (€5), a coffee (€2.50), and optional service, our bill was €63.50 The wine list is compact with wines available from €20 per bottle.
Good Stuff!
The Chop House,
1-3 Shelbourne Road,
Dublin. 4.
Tel: (01) 660-2678
www.lucindaosullivan.com
THIS ARTICLE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT ON 24TH JANUARY 2010.