Dinner Tonight! Where to go? - Restaurant & Eating Out Recommendations for NCD

Redpunto

Would anyone know of a chinese that opens for lunchtime, my little one wants chinese after her communion which is on a saturday - thanks

The Hill Billy

Ended up going to Pasta Pizza. A couple of the dishes were a tad overdone unfortunately. But, great value, great atmosphere, & super service as always.

The Redbank should check out the Pasta Pizza house wine - waaaaay better than theirs (sorry Terry).

wazzer1

Hi all, can anyone recommend somewhere in Skerries for grub this Sunday..thinking around lunchtime..not familar with the places out there, cheers.

The Hill Billy

What sort of food are you thinking of? Also price range? Otherwise all you'll get is a list of places possibly already reviewed in this thread.

tHB

wazzer1

Right shes come in and decided we are going to Blue Bar, so that ends that!!:o...Do you know if id have to book it for Sunday afternoon Hill Billy, seeing as its a bank holiday and that.

Thanks.

The Hill Billy

There's no harm in giving them a ring on +353 1 849 0900.

CinammonGirl

Blue Bar don't take bookings unfortunately (or they usen't to anyway)

martinn123

I posted here a few weeks ago, looking for a review of ''Courtyard Restaurant'' in the Carnegie Court Swords.

So last evening we hosted a party of 60 as part our Twinning visit group from France.

I had requested the Roast Beef be cooked Rare, as that's how French like their meat, and we went with the house Red/White

Got a great deal on their early bird menu, starter, mains, desert tea/coffee etc

Good selection 3 starters, 4 mains, 3 deserts, and a veggie alternative

Staff were great, service efficient, crisp, and helpful to those with no English.

Food was excellent, the Rare Steak, was a huge success, and the House wines were very well received, so all in all to the French palate, a complete success

I would highly recommend this restaurant to any group seeking a good deal on price, good food, and great service

ryaner1979

Went to Raffs in Skerries tonight. Couldn't fault it. Fantastic and great value. Will be back soon

wazzer1

Hi folks, anyone ever have a bit of grub in Scotch Bonnet in Malahide??

robbe

Can be quite nice, service better of late (a particularly good English waitress) compared to a while back when the guys would regularly forget cutlery/drinks etc. Only issue is it's on the pricey side, hth

wazzer1 wrote: »

Hi folks, anyone ever have a bit of grub in Scotch Bonnet in Malahide??

Stheno

I've a "significant"! birthday this year and a really good dinner is my one big wish gift wise.

I like really fine food, but the OH is a steak and chips man. So far I've identified Bon Appetit in Malahide as a runner, any other suggestions?

jibberjive

Ate in the Scotch Bonnet recently and was pretty underwhelmed, to me it was an expensive burger/ steak joint with slow service. To be fair to them, they had just opened for the evening but would not rush back to it. Its kind of like Captain America's / Eddie Rockets and pricey.

Jimdagym

Stheno wrote: »

I've a "significant"! birthday this year and a really good dinner is my one big wish gift wise.

I like really fine food, but the OH is a steak and chips man. So far I've identified Bon Appetit in Malahide as a runner, any other suggestions?

The best meal I've ever had in my life was in Bon appetit. Went for a wedding anniversary. If you want something memorable, you will never forget it.

Kumsheen

I don't know if take-away's are to be discussed here but i had both pasta dishes and pizza from Fabio's in Swords recently and it was great. Huge portions too.
The place is a bit out of the way being tucked up in Swords Manor but they do online orders and deliveries so not really an issue.

Neil_Sedaka

Mr.Wemmick wrote: »

Went to Gourmet Burger in Swords Pavillions, after running very late with a couple of starving kids on my hands, and I must say found it very good. I wasn't aware it was there as it is tucked away from the main thoroughfare of the shopping centre, but after we spotted a sign, we decided to try it - glad we did.

Great service. We were offered and brought extra mayo, sauces, dips.. everything was fresh and the kids loved their burgers. The chips and garlic mayo were fresh and delicious - the nicest I have had in a while.

My only complaint is there was too much food and I was stuffed to the gills :P

Just spotted this post, +1 for Gourmet Burger.
Not cheap, but excellent food and worth the extra few €
Indulge yourself the next time you plan on hitting McDonalds and try GB.

Kintarō Hattori

Headed to the Bracken Court on Friday. The missus had something from the a La Carte menu which she thoroughly enjoyed. The future sister in law had a burger which looked amazing and was reported to be excellent. They are experimenting with a pizza menu so I tried the smoked chicken and bacon. Unfortunately it was for the most part pretty flavourless but it's a new thing for them so can let it slide.

What I can't let slide is Raff's on the Corner in Skerries. We headed to Skerries looking to go to Ollies but just missed food being served. We headed down the street to Raff's where the future sister in law ordered a chicken pizza and liked it. However the missus and myself ordered two different burgers and were left hugely underwhelmed. The meat was absolutely tasteless as was the rest of the burger. I'm not fussy nor am I demanding but this was utterly the most tasteless burger I've ever had. How do you get a burger wrong? Topping it all off the chunky chips were far too oily.

It was my first time there and as we were both hugely disappointed (c'mon, a burger is impossible to get wrong!) we won't be back.

shooter69

Agree, Raffs is muck ! Also had a bad experience with the burger, thought it was gone off!! Myself and the two guys I was with sent them back , staff were snotty and won't be going back . Have never seen the place with more than 20 people in it and with food and service like that it won't be around for long . Been to windmill three or four times now and food is A1 ...

ryaner1979

Was only in Raffs once and enjoyed it. Was a few months ago though

Stheno

Kumsheen wrote: »

I don't know if take-away's are to be discussed here but i had both pasta dishes and pizza from Fabio's in Swords recently and it was great. Huge portions too.
The place is a bit out of the way being tucked up in Swords Manor but they do online orders and deliveries so not really an issue.

I tried Fabios out a few weeks ago on the basis of your post, and am delighted with it.

Lovely pizza, the pasta dishes are also great, and they do suppli, which I have loved ever since I spent a holiday in Rome, but find hard to get here

You're right about the portions too, I'd never finish a portion of any pasta dish that they do

Drove past Gourmet Food Parlour in Swords last night and it appeared to be open late, so checked out their site, and they now do Tapas on Thurs/Fri/Sat (used to be just Fri/Sat). They have also doubled the size of the restaurant seven months ago. The decor/layout is lovely, it's a very relaxing environment.

We decided we'd head down there tonight on the spur of the moment, and it was absolutely gorgeous.

We only had an hour, so couldn't do the round 1/round 2 approach they take where you get two tapas at a time, so we had four at once, potatas bravas with chorizo, meatballs, lamb with a gorgeous beetroot puree, and tortilla.

They've a jazz singer on Fridays, the atmosphere was fantastic, and we absolutely enjoyed it, it reminded us of Ronnie Scotts which we visited in London last year.

Only quibble was that the service was about 90% I think tbh they were shortstaffed as the place was full (I'd say about 100 people) they had several very large tables, and it was hard to get the attention of the waiting staff, and they made a couple of mistakes with our order, which in fairness they were very quick to remedy.

Looks like this is going to become our Friday night "place to go" four plates of tapas, a couple of glasses of wine, two Cokes (@ 1.75 each, and none of your mini bottles, these were full cans) coffee and dessert for one came to €50

We are both stuffed, and both of us can could easily imagine a more relaxed evening, having a couple of rounds of tapas at a more leisurely pace, enjoying the ambience, the music, and everything going on around us.

dfbemt

Lovely meal last night at Pasta Castello in Donabate. Modelled as Italian but a bit of everything really.

Had Chicken Caesar starter with lovely crispy bacon bits. Dressing was superb.

Main was Spaghetti with meatballs. Large portion, maybe 7 or 8 good sized meatballs. Stuffed afterwards so no desert.

Would recommend and will return.

http://www.pastacastello.ie/

Stheno

I know I've posted about this place in chit chat, but don't think I have here.

Anyway, this place is Blues Doghouse cafe in Howth, right beside the Bloody Stream.

Indoor and outdoor seating, jazzradio.com as a backdrop, very simple menu of things like wings, pizzas, quesadillas, mussels, wedges.
Wine menu but no beer licence.

Anyway the decor is what can be called "eclectic" they have a small library if you fancy a coffee and a read, and outside the tables range from normal tables to a bed, a chess table, and a sofa (very comfortable way to spend a Sunday afternoon )

Went there this evening after a lovely day out great service as always, and with the good weather we enjoyed a sheltered table outside.

For anyone looking for an alternative to pub grub, this is great.

ryaner1979

Finally went to the Windmill last night. Fantastic dinner. Had the Windmill steak and it was perfection. Lovely small intimate restaurant and great staff. Really enjoyed it and will be back to try the early bird menu which looked very good value.

Stheno

It's our anniversary (5th) on Tuesday, so to celebrate, we went to Ollies with the OHs adult kids.

Super meal, kids raved about the food, service was great and we all had a fantastic time

Has to be one of my favourite places to go for a meal these days

Stheno

Now that we have had the family celebration, we are having a "can't believe we are together five years" celebration in the tapas bar in bon appetit this Tuesday

I'm drooling just at the thought of it! Hopefully it will be a good report back

The Hill Billy

We got take out from Bombay Bistro in Rush on Saturday. Previously, the food had allways been of high quality. The Kids were happy with their usual kormas, but Mrs Billy & I were distinctly unimpressed with our dishes.

I'm thinking that the chef has probably changed as my regular dish appeared to be cooked totally differently this time, & certainly not for the better. Has anyone else noticed a change in the food there recently?

I carried a watermelon

The Hill Billy wrote: »

We got take out from Bombay Bistro in Rush on Saturday. Previously, the food had allways been of high quality. The Kids were happy with their usual kormas, but Mrs Billy & I were distinctly unimpressed with our dishes.

I'm thinking that the chef has probably changed as my regular dish appeared to be cooked totally differently this time, & certainly not for the better. Has anyone else noticed a change in the food there recently?

Yes, got a take-out from Bombay Bistro last week. Very poor, the nan bread tasted stale (hard texture) The chicken had a weird texture to it as well. I was very disappointed, delivery took over 1hour 15 minutes. I also got a new Bombay bistro takeaway menu through the letterbox the other day which has new dishes on it. (So it seems that something has changed)

I have to say, the bombay house in Skerries is lovely. The madras is gorgeous, love the Saag and the Baruchi Lamb Curry is lovely too. Haven't had a bad meal out of here yet, fingers crossed the standard stays high,

Haven't been to Chutney since Bombay house opened, I'm going to try Pure Indian in Rush soon, haven't been to them in a while.

Jimdagym

I had a fantastic foodie weekend.
Indie spice on friday night, was out of this world. Absolutely top shelf, and Mastersons on Saturday, which again was a flawless dinner. It was very slow in Mastersons, but we were going nowhere after so it was fine. If you had something planned you might be miffed. Food more than made up for it anyway.

nompere

The OH took me to Geisha in Malahide at the weekend. It's in the marina, where Cruzzo used to be. She thinks it's wonderful, but she thought the same of Cruzzo as well.

I still think the whole place is too much style and not enough substance. The name of the restaurant suggests it's supposed to be Japanese, but it seems to me that the ownership isn't that brave, and the menu is longer on Chinese and Thai food than Japanese. So it's all kinds of Asian, which is never really a way of getting top notch food. There are too many compromises to be made.

I had the sushi/sashimi, which was nice enough, but bizarrely had a squeeze of what looked and tasted like marie rose sauce drizzled over it.

Stheno

Jimdagym wrote: »

I had a fantastic foodie weekend.
Indie spice on friday night, was out of this world. Absolutely top shelf, and Mastersons on Saturday, which again was a flawless dinner. It was very slow in Mastersons, but we were going nowhere after so it was fine. If you had something planned you might be miffed. Food more than made up for it anyway.

Mastersons tends to be slow, especially if they are busy, but it's always good, haven't been there in an age.

Stheno

Stheno wrote: »

Now that we have had the family celebration, we are having a "can't believe we are together five years" celebration in the tapas bar in bon appetit this Tuesday

I'm drooling just at the thought of it! Hopefully it will be a good report back

Heh

This is me right now



Didn't realise using the online booking system in bon appetit that the tapas bar wasn't open Tuesdays, so we ended up in La Brasserie. They have just gotten a bib gourmand as part of the Michelin awards and are doing three courses for €32.50 for the whole of October to celebrate which was a bonus.

Oh my goodness, it was absolutely superb. Lovely welcome and explanation of the a la carte and steak menus

Some bread arrived (which the OH guzzled, and is still raving about)

I'd scallops while he had salmon for starters, he complained the portion was a bit small (he's an awful bogger so "fine dining" is not up his street)

I'd the seabass stew with mussels, squid, spinach and chorizo for mains, while he had chicken.

Desserts were cheesboard for me, and chocolate tart for him, followed by a double espresso for me, and an americano for him.

Every dish was absolutely delicious, it was a fantastic meal, the service was fantastic and even OH said at the end that he really enjoyed it.

For a special occasion, it really fit the bill, staff were extremely friendly too, you know how sometimes in more upscale restaurants/hotels, they can nearly smother you? Not here, they have a lovely balance being friendly but professional.

I'm going back to patting my rather enlarged belly and smiling at the memory of a lovely evening now And perhaps dreaming of the next occasion we will have to visit bon appetit again

sNarah

We were in Mastersons a couple of weeks ago.
Not impressed at all.
Food was okay - but nothing out of the ordinary neither.

Very slow service. Yes, apologetic but no sincerity from the staff I found, and they all seemed ridiculously stressed out.

Going to the toilet a challenge too as they have cramped in that many tables, you have to pass by the area where the waiters pick up the food, which is very narrow and very busy.

General MEH from my side.

cbreeze

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

Headed to the Bracken Court on Friday. The missus had something from the a La Carte menu which she thoroughly enjoyed. The future sister in law had a burger which looked amazing and was reported to be excellent. They are experimenting with a pizza menu so I tried the smoked chicken and bacon. Unfortunately it was for the most part pretty flavourless but it's a new thing for them so can let it slide.

What I can't let slide is Raff's on the Corner in Skerries. We headed to Skerries looking to go to Ollies but just missed food being served. We headed down the street to Raff's where the future sister in law ordered a chicken pizza and liked it. However the missus and myself ordered two different burgers and were left hugely underwhelmed. The meat was absolutely tasteless as was the rest of the burger. I'm not fussy nor am I demanding but this was utterly the most tasteless burger I've ever had. How do you get a burger wrong? Topping it all off the chunky chips were far too oily.

It was my first time there and as we were both hugely disappointed (c'mon, a burger is impossible to get wrong!) we won't be back.

Thanks for the oily warning! I suppose if it was late in the evening the burgers were cooked earlier and kept hot their flavour and nutrition would decline the longer they were kept warm.

october76

Hi all,
Long time lurker here, was just wondering if anyone has tried the new thai restaurant in Rush? Have passed it many times and am very tempted to give it a go!

LeoB

october76 wrote: »

Hi all,
Long time lurker here, was just wondering if anyone has tried the new thai restaurant in Rush? Have passed it many times and am very tempted to give it a go!

Today spoke to a few people about Rush and places to eat and got very good reports on the Cradle Bistro which is over the Michael Collins pub on Lr Main St.

They were raving about it having there 2 weeks ago and were on their way to book a table for 8. From what I hear it has been totally revamped inside and the menu is very good with a good choice of starters, mains and deserts. Hope to go up to it next week and will put up report.

All produce is sourced locally Rush, Lusk and Skerries for all shell fish, veg and meat and if they can get their fish from the pier in Howth. Hopefully this place will do well as Rush needs something other that Indian 9which I believe is good)

Sparky84

Harveys in Balbriggan gone down big time .......... Was one of the better establishments in the area now its less than average. Smaller portions and bad service.

LeoB

Went to Sapphires last night in Rush with a group from work and everyone was hugely impressed with the food.

Starters varied from soup, to a platter of springroll, chicken skewer and ribs, honey or BBQ.
Mains also saw a varied selection from Steak, beef, Chicken in various sauces. The portions were generous and nicely presented.

Desserts were also excellent with a choice of 5. Around me people had profitteroles, selection of Ice creams.

The value was excellent you could have a meal for 2 with bottle of wine for €50 or a christmas special for €20.

I would highly recommend it if you want a night out. 10 out of 10

BalbrigganGirl

Sapphire is amazing in Rush - by far the best Indian Food I've had.

Also can highly recommend Gourmet Food Company in Malahide - on the road out to Portmarnock on the right near Robs Wall - fab Tapa's and wine and desserts and a fab view over the sea too.

charlietheminxx

Just a heads up, Blue in Skerries seem to have changed the sauce on their chicken wings... I'm devastated! I went with friends last week and the wings have always been the main attraction for me. The sauce is a darker colour, more red and it's hotter and more tangy (if that makes sense). I was chatting with my mam about it that evening and she mentioned that the last time she was there, her friend mentioned something similar. Booo

Dizzyblonde

charlietheminxx wrote: »

Just a heads up, Blue in Skerries seem to have changed the sauce on their chicken wings... I'm devastated! I went with friends last week and the wings have always been the main attraction for me. The sauce is a darker colour, more red and it's hotter and more tangy (if that makes sense). I was chatting with my mam about it that evening and she mentioned that the last time she was there, her friend mentioned something similar. Booo

Oh no!! I loved their wings

Pipmae

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Oh no!! I loved their wings

I thought they were a bit overrated myself. I look forward to trying the new sauce.:D

charlietheminxx

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Oh no!! I loved their wings

I did too I know it's not NCD but The Counter on Suffolk St do nice ones.... still not quite as good as the ones in Blue were though.

Has anyone tried the lunch special in Mastersons? Was there recently and got a huge main and a drink for about 8 euro. It was lovely! I'll definitely be back to nab that again.

Kumsheen

Pipmae wrote: »

I thought they were a bit overrated myself. I look forward to trying the new sauce.:D

Never liked the wings in Blue, not a patch on what you get at the Eastern Seaboard, but as that's not located in NCD i suppose it doesn't count.

Uriel.

I am going to be trying Hogs and Heifers on Friday night.

How have people found the food? Particularly the steak? And what kind of craft beers do they have?

Thanks!!!!!

The Hill Billy

Where in DCN is that?

RobFowl

The Hill Billy wrote: »

Where in DCN is that?

Airside in Swords, beside the Wright venue

The Hill Billy

I'm so out of touch.

Stheno

Uriel. wrote: »

I am going to be trying Hogs and Heifers on Friday night.

How have people found the food? Particularly the steak? And what kind of craft beers do they have?

Thanks!!!!!

They have Galway Hooker and two or three types of Bo Bristle on tap then a range of bottles, I've no idea of the bottled beers.

Two posters on here including me were there the first week, and while we both found the food very good (including the steak) were not impressed with the service

See the last two posts here

The Hill Billy wrote: »

I'm so out of touch.

It's only open about three weeks

PaulD77

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Oh no!! I loved their wings

You can still get great wings in Skerries

Mr.Wemmick

The Hill Billy wrote: »

I'm so out of touch.

This is because you are far too busy eating Roesti in Bern, no? :P