EARLY BIRDS ARE CHIC
Tuesday 02 February 2010
I have always believed that in life you get what you pay for across the board so, when it comes to the old Early Bird and Value menus, is it pay peanuts get monkeys? Pre-recession there was the sneaking feeling that Early Birds attracted those who were a bit scroogy, or empty nesters not bothered with cooking, nay indeed even corporate and Banking people who did not like spending their own money! Now many of the ‘supersmart’ who wouldn’t have been caught dead dining before 8 p.m are like elderly Americans dashing to dinner at 6 pm! The Early Bird is tres chic! With the rise and rise of the Early Bird comes also the demand for an increased variety and standard of offerings. Watery basil and tomato soup, egg mayonnaise, and bruschetta, will not cut the mustard, people want their pound of flesh! However, we have to be fair to the restaurant too, we cannot expect fillet steak at EB prices.
The hip Dylan Restaurant in Eastmoreland Place has a new Chef, Nathan Diamond ex Gordon Ramsey @ Powerscourt, and with him a new Value Menu available every night, all evening, at €38.50. Previously it was €30 Sunday to Thursday only which was what we availed of. To start, organic chicken terrine, topped with fig chutney, portrayed the finer details of elegant cooking. Likewise St. Maure Goat’s Cheese in Ash was prettily presented nestled under a clump of frisee, with a smudge of Kalamata olive puree. Pan fried sea bream fillet was topped with shrimps on truffled potato puree with julienned black trompettes whilst a superb pheasant breast was on potato gratin with braised spring onions – cracking stuff. To finish we shared a superb white chocolate dessert in three elements and a great value cheese board with fresh fig. With a bottle of House Wine €26.50 our bill with service was €96.50 - excellent value for top level food.
The Chameleon Restaurant at the Liffey end of Fownes Street in Temple Bar is a warm colourful restaurant doing Indonesian food for some fifteen years. In a three storey building the rooms are exotic and ethnic with some low seating areas where you dine from opium tables. I have been a fan of the Indonesian Rijstaffel since I visited Amsterdam many years ago where, as a result of Dutch colonisation, there is a proliferation of Indonesian restaurants. Rijstaffel means “Rice Table” where you get a number of smaller portions of different dishes. They had two EB options – 4 dishes at €18 or 8 dishes at €25 both with ‘condiments’ – spicy sauces and rice - available 5pm – 7.30pm Tuesday – Thursday and 5pm – 6.30pm Friday and Saturday. We opted for the €25 Rijstaffel which was great. Amongst the dishes we received were Sate Ayam – chicken with a peanut sauce, Babi Confit – two delicious chunks of Tipperary slow cooked belly of pork in a ketjap manis star anise sauce, Cumi Cumi Goreng - hot crispy squid rings served with sweet chilli dip, Kari Java – succulent balls of Irish lamb in a spicy Javanese curry sauce, Asinan – salad with cucumber, mano, Chinese leaves, and a peanut and black sesame dressing, Sesame fried vegetables with sauteed onion and toasted sesame seeds, and Bami Goreng – noodles. All were absolutely delicious. We finished with Psiang Goreng (€7) - banana fritter with pineapple compote, chocolate, and a scoop of icecream. With a bottle of Italian Alpha Zeta Garganega 2008 (€20) our bill with optional service came to €85. Really good.
Seapoint Restaurant in Monkstown has an EB 2/3 course at €25/€29 available Monday – Thursday 6pm till 7.30 p.m. with a choice of three dishes on each course. Toulouse sausage was actually the full Monty cut in half on top of a delicious wild mushroom risotto with wilted spinach and rosemary jus, whilst sweet potato and chilli soup was a large amount in a big flat soup plate, drizzled with chive cream and chilli oil. Very filling and lovely breads too. A chunky grilled fillet of salmon was on bed of roasted peppers and aubergine with a beautifully dressed basil and grapefruit sauce, whilst a marinated oyster steak, lay sliced and lying on micro rocket, topped with flaked Parmesan. Both came with crisp salted fries in a “cone”. I had the orange and vanilla crème brulee with chocolate ice-cream, which was delicious. Wines by the bottle start at €22 and we had a Chilean Merlot 2008 Las Condes. They also do 500 ml carafes from €16 – lots of variety. Our bill with a bottle of Evian water (€4.50), coffee (€3.25) and optional service came to €92.75.
Solas Bar and Restaurant on Wexford Street does casual food at very reasonable prices. Some of their chefs are Thai and Chinese and producing lovely spicy grub with plenty of kick. They do a two courses EB at €12.50 which can’t be bad. It starts at 3 pm and runs through until 9 pm. We had Chicken Satay and Hot and Spicy Buffalo Wings followed by a cracking Green Thai Curry and a special of the day which was Prawns with rice noodles. With two glasses of Elvaro Sauvignon at €5 each and optional service our bill was a modest €40.
Finally at Rasam Indian Restaurant in Glasthule their 2 course plus coffee EB menu at €19.95 which runs from 5.30pm –7 pm every day except Saturday with tables to be vacated by 8 pm. To start we had two big crispy samosas filled with peas and crushed potato spiced with cumin, coriander and pomegranate powder, and Pork Ke Sooley which is tasty strips of pan-fried pork marinated in chilli, garlic, ginger and cinnamon. We followed with lovely tandoori butter chicken in a creamy sauce with fenugreek leaves, ginger, tomatoes and green chillies, and 8 hour slow cooked lamb in a rich spicy sauce. These came with Malabari Aloo – spiced potatoes, Pulao rice and Naan bread. With a bottle of Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc (€19.95) our bill with optional service was €65.95.
It used to be said that lunch was the best way to try a top restaurant, now it is the Early Bird! Do let me know of your experiences.
THIS ARTICLE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 31ST JANUARY 2010.