Drogheda Restaurant Reviews

bottomdog

I'm glad I don't own it:D otherwise I'd be tempted to write about it here every day

R.O.R

Went to Chanco's with the in-laws on Saturday night, and have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

Been to their other place in Bettystown a couple of times and really enjoyed it, but didn't expect the interior decor of Chanco's to be as nice as it was.

The starter I had (salt & pepper chicken) was fantastic, but my Main course of Roast Duck in Peking sauce was only average.

The best bit was that they are currently doing 4 courses (well 3 with Tea / Coffee - Starter, Soup and Main Course) with a Glass of wine or a soft drink, for €17.50, which is great value for a meal out.

Service was very good and all the staff were very pleasant and attentive.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone - especially at those prices.

positron

Since Punjabi House was rated highly by fellow foodies FuriousFox, WindmillWarrior, drogsnookerclub etc, we were going to book a table, but then we found out that our government is hard at work on inventing new and brutally efficient ways to...well, shaft us, and that I would need to save even more to buy plenty of vaseline to ease the pain!! So we decided to settle for a take away!

First observation - they are expensive enough - considering your €10 could get you a pizza big enough to hold a G8 summit around it, or €8 could get you enough MSG in some other take-aways' that would make you see the world in high definition and will fill you up with love and compassion towards your enemies. (Well, how can you hate someone when they look and taste so good?)

Pujabi house's food was good in general. Chicken korma was thick and creamy, and was topped with a generous sprinkle of almond flakes. Naan was soft, tender and flavorful. Would recommend both.

The chicken biriyani on the other hand was, err.. bit of a disaster. I know there are many many types of biriyanis out there in South East Asia region, and my favorite and what I think are the 'creme de la creme' of biriyanis, are the versions from Calicut and Hydrabad regions of India. I know it would be unfair to compare Punjabi House's biriyani to the real deal, but Punjabi House's curious mix of rice and red-ish colour was not as good as biriyanis I have had around in other places in Drogheda or Dublin.

Another minor gripe - but this is just me - is pieces of chicken, both in Korma and in the biriyani - were absolutely ginormous!! Trust me, if they were chunks of ice, couple of polar bear could easily rest on them! How big the hen/cock would have been to produce such massive pieces?! To me Indian food is all about flavours and spices. And the meat should absorb some of those flavours from the sauce. So chicken in Korma should taste different to chicken in biriyani. With the pre-cooked chicken thrown into a pan with the right sauce for a few minutes thing that the do here, you will never infuse the meat with the flavours. There just isn't enough time! However, if they were to use smaller pieces of meat - say 1 cm cubes, rather than 1 inch cubes - the meat would be much more enjoyable with the sauce, imho! Again, this is just me, so I wouldn't hold that against Punjabi House.

Despite the biriyani disappointment, I will definitely try them again.

furiousox

Anyone tried the new D'vine yet?
Hoping to try it sometime in the next week or two.

carrie b

Have not tried it yet, you can give us your review when you go. Anyone been to sizzles lately on the M1 retail park, has it improved, my daughter wants to go with her friends for her 16th birthday

moonshadow

Got a take out from chancos in Drogheda yesterday evening,
normally we dine in there but a very late night previous left us unfit to be seen in public:eek:
Anyways the food was top notch with a really tasty good ol chicken curry,the duck cantonese was very good bit light on the sauce though and the special fried rice was also top notch..........BUT,
it would have been much better value had we known of the new meal deals,
Meal A
24e
starter choice of 2 (1-18)..(i say it as i read it)
ANY 2 mains
mixed vegetable
yung chow fried rice
prawn crackers
Meal B
26e as above but with desert....

good value i thought and asi i said the food was great,mind you at 7 pm only one table occupied,but the take away was v.busy.

whelan1

carrie b wrote: »

Have not tried it yet, you can give us your review when you go. Anyone been to sizzles lately on the M1 retail park, has it improved, my daughter wants to go with her friends for her 16th birthday

was there a month ago ..... hasnt improved at all:mad:

bottomdog

moonshadow wrote: »

Chanco

24e
starter choice of 2 (1-18)..(i say it as i read it)
ANY 2 mains
mixed vegetable
yung chow fried rice
prawn crackers

good value i thought y.

The thing is the meal cannot be shared, so EACH person has to eat 2 starters and then 2 main courses, with a side of mixed veg, and then a bowl of rice, plus crackers.......great value if you are a WWF wrestler......or a very hungry person.....also mixing main courses cannot be good for you.

any room for the €2 dessert.....???

bottomdog

furiousox wrote: »

Anyone tried the new D'vine yet?
Hoping to try it sometime in the next week or two.

no but it looks great from outside.....never liked their food but they do great athmpsphere

furiousox

bottomdog wrote: »

no but it looks great from outside.....never liked their food but they do great athmpsphere

Yeah you wouldn't want to be starving going in, but would you like a second bottle of wine?
.....oh go on then!

whelan1

parents went to d'vine last night said it was nothing to write home about

washiskin

Has anyone tried that little place beside the Abbey centre off Narrow West Street? Always looks like a nice place but never heard from anyone eating there.

fernando9

washiskin wrote: »

Has anyone tried that little place beside the Abbey centre off Narrow West Street? Always looks like a nice place but never heard from anyone eating there.

Closed now. Moved to Dyer Street.

whelan1 wrote: »

parents went to d'vine last night said it was nothing to write home about

dubdee

We tried out D'vine's new location. Not sure if it was because a lot of people are trying out the new location, but we found it completely chaoitic. Our table was booked for 8.30, as were a lot of other peoples, so a steady stream arriving together. None of the tables were ready so we were all ushered to the bar area which was way too small to hold the amount of people waiting for their tables and all trying to order drinks in the meantime. I was already stressed out by the time we got to sit down. Having said that, maybe it was just the novelty factor and it will settle down. The food and wine as always was great in general. I was a bit disappointed in my confit of duck , which very small and very dry. (I've had this dish in ESB a couple of times and it's been much nicer - though I hate to admit it)! We've always been huge fans of D'vine in it's previous place so I think we'll wait it settles into its new location a bit before going back.

We've also been to Tangos a couple of times recently - loving the All You Can Eat Menu. It's a great opportunity to try small portions of new things to see if you like them. The quality of the food is really excellent - especially the salt & chilie chicken & the torpedo prawns for starters. At €28 on Fridays, it's not cheap-cheap, but you can get a lot for your money if you're hungry enough

I was looking at the new place Quay 4 and the menu looks good so might give that a try over the weekend. Has anyone tried it yet? They had a sign outside for their special "steak on a stone" which sounds yummy, and a lot of creole-type dishes at a glance.

blingrhino

anybody notice the pork belly roast in the esb is now half the size it used to be. When i commented the waitress said it was always like that:eek:
still was top notch though !

bottomdog

blingrhino wrote: »

anybody notice the pork belly roast in the esb is now half the size it used to be. When i commented the waitress said it was always like that:eek:
still was top notch though !

That's odd, my gripe is the seats are uncomfortable, hard as rocks, other than that its a nice choice

Quality

where is quay 4?

dubdee

Quay 4 is on Wellington Quay, a couple of doors up from Apache Pizza. Tried it out last week. There's a cafe downstairs & the restaurant is upstairs. We both had garlic prawns to start and they were lovely. They do a special which is "steak on a stone" so couldn't resist trying this. A big fillet steak (22€) served almost raw on a volcanic stone - you slice it up & cook it to taste. I have to say it was delicious. Would definitely go back again for that.

I don't think it's been open that long, was fairly quiet (early Friday evening) so the owner/manager asked us the spread the word if we liked it - so I would suggest giving it a try. It's a nice location too, overlooking the river.

Harry Tasker

I saw in an earlier thread that Redz was moving to Donore as Dalys. I am wondering if anyone has been to the restaurant and if it is any good! Whats the food like etc

We've a family occasion coming up, pretty important and we're looking for a nice good quality restaurant to go to, so if anyone has any suggestions, they'd be greatly appreciated.

We've been to Scholars and don't like there! We were charged twelve euro for a childs portion of sausage and chips and haven't been back since!

music.babe75

Harry Tasker wrote: »

I saw in an earlier thread that Redz was moving to Donore as Dalys. I am wondering if anyone has been to the restaurant and if it is any good! Whats the food like etc

We've a family occasion coming up, pretty important and we're looking for a nice good quality restaurant to go to, so if anyone has any suggestions, they'd be greatly appreciated.

We've been to Scholars and don't like there! We were charged twelve euro for a childs portion of sausage and chips and haven't been back since!

Used to love the restaurant in Redz but went out to Dalys in Donore a few months ago and have to say was very dissapointed.

The atmosphere was not great and I felt the restaurant was very grubby! Food was OK....

Dingatron

We've been to Scholars and don't like there! We were charged twelve euro for a childs portion of sausage and chips and haven't been back since!

That's where I'd have recommended although something similar to your experience rings a bell with me. How about Harry's in Mell its had a few recommendations on here and I've heard good things about it. Outside the town may be Carlitos in Dunleer or the Black Bull. I found Redz pricey and just ok the last time I was there and I wasn't paying the bill.

borderlinemeath

I would suggest the Black Bull as well. Or maybe even the Bellewstown Inn? Lovely little restaurant - great food - super service.

moonshadow

Harry try the Triple house in Termonfeckin,very good,ideal for a small party(had mums 60th there family only 17 people) very reasonable.
Try it out its not expensive at all (house wine 12€ if i remember correctly)but nearly always has to be booked even midweek.

whelan1

we have booked the bettystown court hotel for a family occasion , 65 euro per adult b and b and 4 course table d'hote menu - kids free b and b

Lantus

dubdee wrote: »

We tried out D'vine's new location. Not sure if it was because a lot of people are trying out the new location, but we found it completely chaoitic. Our table was booked for 8.30, as were a lot of other peoples, so a steady stream arriving together. None of the tables were ready so we were all ushered to the bar area which was way too small to hold the amount of people waiting for their tables and all trying to order drinks in the meantime. I was already stressed out by the time we got to sit down. Having said that, maybe it was just the novelty factor and it will settle down. The food and wine as always was great in general. I was a bit disappointed in my confit of duck , which very small and very dry. (I've had this dish in ESB a couple of times and it's been much nicer - though I hate to admit it)! We've always been huge fans of D'vine in it's previous place so I think we'll wait it settles into its new location a bit before going back.

We've also been to Tangos a couple of times recently - loving the All You Can Eat Menu. It's a great opportunity to try small portions of new things to see if you like them. The quality of the food is really excellent - especially the salt & chilie chicken & the torpedo prawns for starters. At €28 on Fridays, it's not cheap-cheap, but you can get a lot for your money if you're hungry enough

I was looking at the new place Quay 4 and the menu looks good so might give that a try over the weekend. Has anyone tried it yet? They had a sign outside for their special "steak on a stone" which sounds yummy, and a lot of creole-type dishes at a glance.

What I'm not sure about is the feel of the new place. It's a 100% improvement on the snobby italian that was there before. But the real charm of the old place (D Vine) was it's quirky compact feel.

Overall I thought we payed a lot for the food for what we got. There are several other restaurants that offer better quality and value. I think that there needs to be some attention to the menu as there were grumblings on other tables as well, namely due to a lack of sides coming on the plate. i.e. a bit of meat and some salad leafs don't cut it.

You can't fault Sonia's drive and enthusiasm though and I hope that she makes a success of it in the new locale. Probably just needs time but I'm going to need to hear some really good reviews before I go back there again or consider taking anyone else.

D rog

Devine
I never really rated devine. It always seemed very plain, basic food in small portions. And it always seemed expensive to me for what it was. It sounds like it's still the same so I don't think I'd bother trying it in the new location.
Drogheda really is missing a few top notch eateries, these days I seem to invariably be disappointed when I go out.
Ok, with the exception of the Pizzeria which is cheap cheerful and always tasty

hitman79

Went to Bru on Friday night and thought it was great. 3 courses for €22 is pretty good value. Supplements apply for steak but was well worth it. Will definately go back.

Darksaga87

Went to Dvine during the week. Wasnt impressed with food or atmosphere.

Wolfe Tone

Whats the best Chinese restaurant in Drogheda thee days? Heard the one beside the ESB is good?

Harry Tasker

I love Tango up in Rathmullen though I know from this thread that its not everyone's favourite.

Food is generally quite good, and the staff are very friendly. We go there quite regularly and the staff are very good to our children.