Restaurant Review - Lena's
Wednesday 19 March 2025
The swans were still swanning, walkers still walking, the chattering classes were chatting, glasses were glistening, the sun was shining, God was in his heaven. In many senses, after 45 years, Locks still felt like Locks, but with a fresh new face, reborn as Lena.
The legendary Locks by the Grand Canal at Portobello was originally opened in 1980 by Richard Douglas and his Danish wife Claire. His father, a consultant in the Meath Hospital, warned them that he’d never be seen lunching in Portobello. However, it was becoming a hip area and the stylish couple soon had the great and the good of Dublin society — bankers, lawyers, theatricals and writers, plus a plethora of pseuds — clamouring for tables. It remained so for over 25 years but life sadly took its toll with the Douglases separating and Locks being sold. Over the next few years, even with some very good chefs in situ, including one gaining a Michelin star, it floundered. The ambience just wasn’t the same. It had lost that certain cachet imbued by the Douglases.
lucindaosullivan.com
First Published In The Sunday Independent