Lucinda O'Sullivan's Ireland

About The Restaurant

There’s something of the old days about SOLE Seafood & Grill, on Dublin’s South William Street. When I say the old days, I mean way back, perhaps in the 50s, the days of Brendan Behan and Patrick Kavanagh, when iconic restaurants such as Jammet’s on Nassau Street and the Red Bank on D’Olier Street were the height of sophistication and the places to be.

There was something nice too, and very Dublin, about the smartly attired young waiters repeatedly saying ‘not a bother’, which made us smile. Glass fronted fridges and counters, as you arrive in, display vast cuts of beef, a myriad of oysters, mighty big denizens of the deep, including a giant Norwegian crab with claws that would delight and scare the bejaysus out of any child gazing through the glass counter.

It definitely appeals to the corporate world and to tourists from nearby 5-Star hotels looking for some high-end poisson, good wines, and a cocktail or ten.

Head Chef Richie Wilson has put together a wonderful classic high-end seafood menu, which includes a whole page devoted to Oysters – the prized Irish Native, plus Carlingford, Achill, Connemara and Kelly’s rock varieties. How you have them is up to you – with a raspberry and shallot vinaigrette, lemon, Tabasco, or Rockefeller style, rock oysters grilled with wilted spinach and hollandaise glaze. They have great French-style seafood towers too, which can be had as an entree for two, or as an appetiser for four.

Starters included charcoal grilled Tiger prawns; prawn cocktail; rope mussels; beef carpaccio, dressed Dingle Bay crab and squid tempura. We were immediately brought some very nice breads, seaweed bread and a treacle bread with a smoked butter, all of which I like to see on a table. Mary had a very pretty presentation of Norwegian King crab, very fresh and light with pink grapefruit, a zingy honey mustard dressing and micro leaves. Lobster cakes for me were two delicious, finely textured, ‘golf’ balls on either side of a bisque foam, the plate scattered with pomegranate seeds.

Mains covered fish ‘n’ chips; fish pie; John Dory; sea bass fillet; lobster (market price); Norwegian king crab legs; and sirloin and fillet steaks as well. Our two classic dishes were ace. Coquilles St. Jacques, with samphire and asparagus, a plumptuous brace of scallop shells, filled to their pretty frilled edges, which would have James Joyce lusting as he did over Nora Barnacle’s “big full proud bosom”, while my perfectly grilled whole Dover sole, served with lemon butter and wilted spinach, had a fine sweetness about its meat, which retained its necessary firmness.

Puds include the likes of vanilla panna cotta; dark chocolate brownie with Baileys ice cream; a selection of Wexford ice-creams; a deconstructed Pavlova; and a passionfruit mousse encased in a chocolate ball, which they call the ‘passion ball’.

Oh, and there’s any amount of Champagne, before and after dinner cocktails, mocktails, gins et al, the connoisseur might desire – perfect for toasting their European Seafood Restaurant of the Year award.

Map

Enquire

Send to a friend

Member Comments

Please log in to add a comment. Click here to log in or sign up