Lucinda O'Sullivan's Ireland

About The Restaurant

What was for many years best known as ‘bedsitland’, Ranelagh was a village of two halves – the haves and the have nots. Today, the demographic has changed somewhat with more houses being owner occupied in what is a very desirable and expensive D6 area of Dublin. It is still a village of two halves but in a different sense. The main drag from town through Ranelagh hosts the hip honkey tonk nightlife scene, awash with bars, cafes, restaurants and takeaways, some indeed very good. However, a few hundred yards from the main street, cross the Luas tracks, and there is another world, the more discreet and less brash world of Dunville Avenue. 

Within this niche few hundred yards, on either side of the road, there are upmarket boutiques, cafes, interior design shops, a designer outlet, a renowned deli, a dry cleaners and a pharmacy, plus a great vegetable shop with all their lovely wares laid out front for you to survey – not a sign of the abominable cellophane or plastic in sight. This is where the posh big redbrick house affluent set slip down in their 4x4s, to ‘pick up a few bits and pieces’!

A superb addition to Dunville Avenue is Excuse My French, a café, restaurant and wine bar, which, despite a couple of locals attempting to show off their Francophile abilities, is an absolutely delightful spot.

Colin Dapot, a civil engineer, and his wife Sidjy Batista, are a young couple from Toulouse and La Rochelle respectively. Since coming to Ireland, Colin had been Manager of Fallon & Byrne’s excellent basement Wine Cellar restaurant for four years, while Sidjy had been sous chef in a city restaurant. Living in Rathmines, they were in Ranelagh one day and saw that the premises formerly occupied by Peperina Bistro was to rent. The dye was cast.

With a retail area to the front and a to-go counter selling baguettes, quiche Lorraine, cakes and pastries, they’re open 6 days a week (closed Tuesday) offering, at various times, coffee, casual bistro style food with specials such as hachis Parmentier, daube Provencale, soup salads, lunch and in the evenings a menu that includes snacks like pork rillettes, red spiced hummus and olives, and sharing dishes including cheese croquettes (raclette) with tomato jam; tun in ratatouille cassolette and onion soup, plus charcuterie, cheese and mixed boards, small and large. They do hot dishes too, like a 48 hours slow-cooked daube of beef with mushrooms, carrots and cloves, cooked in wine and topped with Irish potatoes. Baked fish pie comes in a creamy sauce with a golden crispy topping, while a classic vol au vent is brimming with a creamy chicken and mushroom filling. There’s also roasted Camembert with bread, which I love, drizzled with honey and walnut, or for the veggie, a cauliflower nest of roasted cauliflower on spiced red hummus, drizzled with gochujang honey and topped with crispy chickpeas. 

On my brunch visit, besides from sandwiches, soup, snacks – croque monsieur and madame, ham and cheese croissants, there was an excellent selection of eggy, avo, hummus, bacon dishes in various guises. I had the Oh My Goat Tartine, a luscious arrangement of toasted bread, topped with a delicious sweet slightly-spicy tomato jam, goat’s cheese, honey, crushed walnuts, seeds and lamb’s lettuce, and a side of French fries. I followed this up with delicious homemade lemon curd with a shortbread biscuit and a little meringue hat. I did see Sidjy’s Mommy recipe for apple cake and a number involving marmalade Chantilly with orange zest…

All in all, a delightful spot. Sidjy is a natural cook, while Colin commands the floor with ease and friendliness.

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