Drogheda Restaurant Reviews

hawkwind23

i agree 100% with the above comments on quality dining.
i sadly refuse to eat out in drogheda and surrounds.
i will not eat in a restaurant that has burgers and chips or fish and chips or lasagna and chips etc on a menu.
this is all that is on offer and they expect me to pay 13 euros plus for food like that.
any chef would not have crap like this on a menu , this is pub grub and any cook can prepare and cook it.
the entire experience of having servers show me menus like this and attempt to make coujons sound exotic is plainly embarrassing for all involved except whoever is making money from this scam.
so i dont eat out , simple and i wont eat out until proper chefs are installed in the restaurants and allowed to design exciting and innovative menus which will allow for competitive pricing.

this may sound severe but it is something that really bugs me and i think people need to really cop on to what dining is all about.
this will raise the standard and make eating out a much better experience.
its time to demand a raise in the menus offered and quality chefs employed and allowed majority input into the food.

if dublin and belfast can offer endless quality dining i fail to see why drogheda cant have several decent menus

borderlinemeath

hawkwind23 wrote: »

i agree 100% with the above comments on quality dining.
i sadly refuse to eat out in drogheda and surrounds.
i will not eat in a restaurant that has burgers and chips or fish and chips or lasagna and chips etc on a menu.
this is all that is on offer and they expect me to pay 13 euros plus for food like that.
any chef would not have crap like this on a menu , this is pub grub and any cook can prepare and cook it.
the entire experience of having servers show me menus like this and attempt to make coujons sound exotic is plainly embarrassing for all involved except whoever is making money from this scam.
so i dont eat out , simple and i wont eat out until proper chefs are installed in the restaurants and allowed to design exciting and innovative menus which will allow for competitive pricing.

this may sound severe but it is something that really bugs me and i think people need to really cop on to what dining is all about.
this will raise the standard and make eating out a much better experience.
its time to demand a raise in the menus offered and quality chefs employed and allowed majority input into the food.

if dublin and belfast can offer endless quality dining i fail to see why drogheda cant have several decent menus

It does sound like a very snobbish attitude to be honest.

The reality is that people don't dine alone, many dine with family and friends, not restaurant critics. While I wouldn't be one to order a burger while out for dinner with friends I certainly wouldn't throw my toys out of the pram and refuse to eat somewhere because of something that's 'below my taste' on the menu. That's just ridiculous.

CMpunked

hawkwind23 wrote: »

so i dont eat out , simple and i wont eat out until proper chefs are installed in the restaurants and allowed to design exciting and innovative menus which will allow for competitive pricing.

this may sound severe but it is something that really bugs me and i think people need to really cop on to what dining is all about.
this will raise the standard and make eating out a much better experience.
its time to demand a raise in the menus offered and quality chefs employed and allowed majority input into the food.

So your approach is to sabotage the local restaurants and this strategy will somehow bring in more fine dining?
How would this happen when good places to eat have been closing down in their droves over the last little while? For example Rendevous up in mell had a fantastic authentic French menu which was excellently priced and that closed.
But, I suppose you didn't know that because you refuse to eat out.

Lollymcd

hawkwind23 wrote: »

burgers and chips or fish and chips or lasagna and chips etc on a menu.
this is all that is on offer and they expect me to pay 13 euros plus for food like that.

What exactly is wrong with burger and chips or fish and chips? Some restaurants do their own take on things like this and sometimes I find the variations interesting.

Recently I had fish and chips in The Pigs Ear on Nassau Street in Dublin, they received a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2011, what does that say about your theory?

hawkwind23

I am being harsh but i think a radical rethink on what constitutes value for money whilst eating out needs to be addressed.

I've nothing at all against burgers and chips :-) its a given that we all enjoy that but I don't think a dry bun, mince and some salad and chips justifies the price tag nor does it sit in with what defines why i choose a restaurant over a cafe.
I expect that for my money I am getting a chef cooking a dish to order but that hasn't been the case.
What I am trying to say is that there are a multitude of family type diners that offer that experience and it shouldn't be a standard business model that every establishment who serves food strives to copy.

It is my limited experience in eating out in the area that the majority of places offer the same type of menu and when I count starter main dessert and wine coming close to 80 euro then i return feeling I haven't got value for money and I haven't had a culinary experience. I've had cafe grub and paid through the nose for it.

I would love to eat out more and support local business but my experiences to date have led me to feel how i do.
I am sorry I missed the French restaurant as this is what I would like to support.

I do not wish to be rude or snobbish, i like drogheda but would like to see several quality restaurants offering value for money as it would only enrich the town.
And while I enjoy the American style diner menu I don't think this reflects the talent and creativity of the irish chef and this is my compliant over the menus.

borderlinemeath

hawkwind23 wrote: »

I am being harsh but i think a radical rethink on what constitutes value for money whilst eating out needs to be addressed.

I've nothing at all against burgers and chips :-) its a given that we all enjoy that but I don't think a dry bun, mince and some salad and chips justifies the price tag nor does it sit in with what defines why i choose a restaurant over a cafe.
I expect that for my money I am getting a chef cooking a dish to order but that hasn't been the case.
What I am trying to say is that there are a multitude of family type diners that offer that experience and it shouldn't be a standard business model that every establishment who serves food strives to copy.

Restaurants cater to many tastes, not just yours. When looking to open a retail establishment in a town like Drogheda a restauranteur will look at the demographics of the town, unemployment, developments etc. Unfortunately Drogheda is a commuter town, lots of young couples & families, and when they eat out, they mostly look for the usual fare, not the fine dining experience that you appear to be looking for.

It is my limited experience in eating out in the area that the majority of places offer the same type of menu and when I count starter main dessert and wine coming close to 80 euro then i return feeling I haven't got value for money and I haven't had a culinary experience. I've had cafe grub and paid through the nose for it.

Funny, I thought restaurants had menus so people could have a choice of food. There's a lot of choice on the menus of, for example The Eastern Seaboard, The Salthouse or D'Vine. I don't recall being forced to eat the likes of pub grub when I've gone there.

I would love to eat out more and support local business but my experiences to date have led me to feel how i do.
I am sorry I missed the French restaurant as this is what I would like to support.

I do not wish to be rude or snobbish, i like drogheda but would like to see several quality restaurants offering value for money as it would only enrich the town.
And while I enjoy the American style diner menu I don't think this reflects the talent and creativity of the irish chef and this is my compliant over the menus.

Again, rather insulting to the chefs that do work in the town. Maybe Dublin or Belfast can support the likes of what you are looking for but there is no demand at the moment in Drogheda. Go into any restaurant (maybe ESB as an exception) on a weekday evening and they are barely ticking over. Not because the food isn't good, but because most of the inhabitants of Drogheda cannot afford to eat out like we did in the boom, myself included.

hawkwind23

i dont mean in any way to offend the chefs of drogheda.
i am stating my opinions of what i have experienced eating out here.

i take on board that perhaps the business demographic will dictate the type of service offered but thats in no way to be negative toward the chefs in the town.
i am saying that they must be frustrated having to design menus dictated by demographics and business models as opposed to taking a chance and firing out a menu without the prior concerns
in no way am i trying to be insulting to any chefs and apologise if it has come across that way.

kormak

Was in the Valley Inn at the weekend... which is your standard run of the mill carvery, even though it's not actually carvery!
Adult dinners came out roasting like they'd been heated up after going cold. Roast beef was just chewy and bland.
Ordered a pizza slice for the kids and it was soggy and repulsive! you wouldn't give it to a dog...
little man took one bite of it and said "I ain't eatin that!" Again this was just pizza cooked earlier and flung into a microwave when ordered later.
It's a shame that places like this cut corners with food... it wouldn't take much to be more imaginative and have a certain bit of pride about what you're about to serve to a customer!! It doesn't have to be Masterchef or anything, just Sunday roast that actually takes nice. It's a lovely little venue for dinner but the food and some of the staff are quite simply not up to the task!

sporina

how much would you pay for dinner for two? average price?

GreenLady

sporina wrote: »

how much would you pay for dinner for two? average price?

Huge variation - in last six weeks two courses with wine and coffee Pearl Brasserie €140, ESB €80 three courses and wine, Isabel's €120 two courses and wine, Conyngham Arms lunch two courses and coffee €40. In first three cases dividing a bigger party up so bill would have been higher if wine between 2. We didn't stint on price of wine. Cooking was most interesting (and most time consuming) in Isabel's, simplest in ESB, Isabel's and ESB tied on best ingredient quality (though squabs were fantastic in Pearl and sausages great in Conyngham Arms).
Service was equally good in all four. All four have their market accurately identified and manage to be busy at the beginning of the week. If we eat out we want provenance and cooking skills to be higher than home and don't mind paying. And we love good burgers and good fish and chips and are happy to eat both in upmarket restaurants - the fish and chips at The Fat Duck is amazing! So is the sausage and mash at the Conyngham Arms.

GreenLady

Ashamed to say we still haven't got round to eating in Scholars - ESB is just handier. But we'll get there soon, I promise

GreenLady

hawkwind23 wrote: »

i am saying that they must be frustrated having to design menus dictated by demographics and business models as opposed to taking a chance and firing out a menu without the prior concerns

That is what chef's do - otherwise they go bankrupt. The good ones think of interesting and creative ways to keep the menu looking reasonably safe while putting a couple of more "scary" items in for the adventurous. Safe items on the menu mean that they intend to stay in business for longer - no point in going broke, no one eats your food then. It'll be interesting to see if Dylan McGrath has now learned that lesson - Conrad Gallagher doesn't seem able to learn it. But if a restaurant goes broke the chef takes the people who trusted him down with him

sporina

sporina wrote: »

how much would you pay for dinner for two? average price?

GreenLady wrote: »

Huge variation - in last six weeks two courses with wine and coffee Pearl Brasserie €140, ESB €80 three courses and wine, Isabel's €120 two courses and wine, Conyngham Arms lunch two courses and coffee €40. In first three cases dividing a bigger party up so bill would have been higher if wine between 2. We didn't stint on price of wine. Cooking was most interesting (and most time consuming) in Isabel's, simplest in ESB, Isabel's and ESB tied on best ingredient quality (though squabs were fantastic in Pearl and sausages great in Conyngham Arms).
Service was equally good in all four. All four have their market accurately identified and manage to be busy at the beginning of the week. If we eat out we want provenance and cooking skills to be higher than home and don't mind paying. And we love good burgers and good fish and chips and are happy to eat both in upmarket restaurants - the fish and chips at The Fat Duck is amazing! So is the sausage and mash at the Conyngham Arms.

sorry i meant, how much would you pay on average for two in Scholar's???

GreenLady

Mylow wrote: »

Its not only refinement, it's pricing, compare Locks Brasserie which was recently was awarded a Michelin Star, they offer 2 course for €22.

Portion size is also important - have you eaten the Locke's €22 menu? Very cheap ingredients well stretched with fillers and most people in Drogheda would say they were still hungry afterwards. And dessert to fill you up is same price as Drogheda. And how many people in Drogheda would pay €22 for sweetcorn soup followed by pig's cheek? Even in Michelin restaurant's you need loss leaders. People around here are more interested in quantity than quality in my experiences - if that wasn't the case I wouldn't see large numbers of people going for really bad food they could do better at home for half the price. Though come to think of it I had a huge and delicious bowl of chunky chicken and sweetcorn soup in George's the other day for lunch which left me so full I didn't bother to cook dinner in the evening :-)

GreenLady

sporina wrote: »

sorry i meant, how much would you pay on average for two in Scholar's???

Apologies - still haven't eaten with you. Mean to but don't get around to it. With a menu like yours we would run to €80 - €100 plus wine (but we do tend to splurge when eating out). Midweek offer looks great - would probably be cheaper to stay than to go to dinner then get taxi home

GreenLady

Any thoughts on the hammering Eastern Seaboard took from the Sunday Times today? - I think the reviewer must have been somewhere different. Not the restaurant I know

Gaw_

GreenLady wrote: »

Any thoughts on the hammering Eastern Seaboard took from the Sunday Times today? - I think the reviewer must have been somewhere different. Not the restaurant I know

Got a link to the article?

GreenLady

Gaw_ wrote: »

Got a link to the article?

Irish edition of Sunday Times isn't on line - apart from anything else the reviewer objected to fat in belly pork. I think he found leaving Dublin traumatic - certainly didn't like the traffic up Grace Park Road - who does. He spent most of the review complaining about the journey

flyswatter

Well, I remember reading some of the reviews AA Gill does for the English version of the paper, awful snobby tone in his writing, seemed to give way more bad than positive reviews.

If that's anything to go by with the style of the Irish reviewer, maybe it's best to make up your own mind on the food.

borderlinemeath

I was in the Eastern Seaboard during the week. I wasn't overly impressed with my crab cakes starter, it was just ok. Fillet steak was fine, should have been more adventurous with my main course but I was too busy chatting and made a safe decision:D

I dunno, it's sort of lost its gloss a bit. Don't get me wrong, it's one of the best restaurants around but sometimes I feel more satisfied after eating in D'Vine, particularly as they do change the menu from time to time.

catchup

It was a fair review. I like Pork Belly but have given up eating it in ESB as it always disappoints.

CMpunked

Anyone who searches over the thread will see my acclaim for the ESB burger (essential to have bacon and cheese on top) but I was there with a few friends in the last week or so and ordered it without hesitation.

Alas, I must say it was woeful. It was as if someone had popped down the road to mullens and picked up a burger there and slapped it on the plate.

Let me go into detail: Usually the ESB burger has some lovely ingredients, big crunchy lettuce with lovely ripe tomato slices, a fluffy fresh bun that i assume comes out of the bakery with just enough melted cheese, a dab of sweet relish and lashings of breaded onion strings. Bacon is a nice slice thats fried just enough so the edges are starting to turn up. The meat is also lovely and moist yet firm on the outside.

But this was something else. The meat was essentially the same, but what it was packaged in bore no resemblance to what I describe above.
There was no breaded onion rings i noticed straight away when it was placed in front of me. "Maybe they are under the bun" i thought to myself. Which made me notice the bun certainly wasnt as fluffy but instead was more squared off.
Not bad by any standards, but different.
I picked up and went in for the kill expecting to hear that familiar crunch of the lettuce, but got nothing. Instead i got a load of shredded lettuce which looked like something straight out of a bag from a supermarket and tiny strips of tomato with no taste at all.
I was shocked. I lifted up the cheese to make sure there was some bacon at all and there was little to none.
I was pretty disappointed. I didn't bother saying it to staff as I thought it would be a bit much to complain that the quality of the ingredients of the garnish wasnt what i expected as the burger was fine, cooked the exact same and tasted like what i knew it should.

I hope this was just a once off and not a slow showing of ESB's quality decline.
I noticed the little bucket of sweet potato wedges was smaller too, a lot smaller. Before it could carry 7 or 8 but what accompanied my burger was 4 wedges. They were stuffed in there so the bucket was definitely smaller.

Again, I hope its a once off that they just had to make do with what they had at the time because they were short on what they usually put on the burgers.

D rog

CMpunked wrote: »

I noticed the little bucket of sweet potato wedges was smaller too, a lot smaller. Before it could carry 7 or 8 but what accompanied my burger was 4 wedges. They were stuffed in there so the bucket was definitely smaller.
Again, I hope its a once off that they just had to make do with what they had at the time because they were short on what they usually put on the burgers.

I think this is a known way of restaurants reducing costs/ increasing margins. Reduce the size of all the sides or extras and keep the prices the same, people usually barely notice once the main is good.
But there is also the possibility that it was just a one off. I'm not at all a fan of ESB as it's just not my kind of food but I can see what they are going for.

positron

D rog wrote: »

...a known way of restaurants reducing costs/ increasing margins. Reduce the size of all the sides or extras and keep the prices the same..

Noticed the same at Yamamori in Dublin over the weekend. Over all size has come down, but still yummy (thankfully), and another interesting thing was that staff there were eager to take the dishes away as soon as I had emptied them. I am very used to over-attentive, over-eager waiting staff in other parts of the world, but I am surprised to see that in Dublin; probably hoping for quicker turn overs and more guests per table.

Lantus

CMpunked wrote: »

Anyone who searches over the thread will see my acclaim for the ESB burger (essential to have bacon and cheese on top) but I was there with a few friends in the last week or so and ordered it without hesitation.

Alas, I must say it was woeful. It was as if someone had popped down the road to mullens and picked up a burger there and slapped it on the plate.

Let me go into detail: Usually the ESB burger has some lovely ingredients, big crunchy lettuce with lovely ripe tomato slices, a fluffy fresh bun that i assume comes out of the bakery with just enough melted cheese, a dab of sweet relish and lashings of breaded onion strings. Bacon is a nice slice thats fried just enough so the edges are starting to turn up. The meat is also lovely and moist yet firm on the outside.

But this was something else. The meat was essentially the same, but what it was packaged in bore no resemblance to what I describe above.
There was no breaded onion rings i noticed straight away when it was placed in front of me. "Maybe they are under the bun" i thought to myself. Which made me notice the bun certainly wasnt as fluffy but instead was more squared off.
Not bad by any standards, but different.
I picked up and went in for the kill expecting to hear that familiar crunch of the lettuce, but got nothing. Instead i got a load of shredded lettuce which looked like something straight out of a bag from a supermarket and tiny strips of tomato with no taste at all.
I was shocked. I lifted up the cheese to make sure there was some bacon at all and there was little to none.
I was pretty disappointed. I didn't bother saying it to staff as I thought it would be a bit much to complain that the quality of the ingredients of the garnish wasnt what i expected as the burger was fine, cooked the exact same and tasted like what i knew it should.

I hope this was just a once off and not a slow showing of ESB's quality decline.
I noticed the little bucket of sweet potato wedges was smaller too, a lot smaller. Before it could carry 7 or 8 but what accompanied my burger was 4 wedges. They were stuffed in there so the bucket was definitely smaller.

Again, I hope its a once off that they just had to make do with what they had at the time because they were short on what they usually put on the burgers.

You obviously care about your food and are passionate about it. It can be hard to criticise or raise this an issue but not to do so potentially allows this to continue until more damage is done.

Sometimes the owner may not be aware that slips in quality are taking place. This is not just one but a few issues that are affecting the quality of the dishes being served. Defo contact them and explain your concerns even though it was some time ago.

On a side note I have been to the Black bull twice recently and loved it each time! The fillet steak was superb!!! and the pepper sauce no where near as strong as the one in ESB which I find a bit too peppery. (but love the steak there!)

CMpunked

Lantus wrote: »

Sometimes the owner may not be aware that slips in quality are taking place. This is not just one but a few issues that are affecting the quality of the dishes being served. Defo contact them and explain your concerns even though it was some time ago.

I would have but as i said i didn't want making a mountain out of a molehill. I'll be back up again in a few weeks and will order something else but will certainly be keeping an eye out for any of them being served.

sporina

sporina wrote: »

how much would you pay for dinner for two? average price?

so again, i ask, how much would one pay on average for a two course meal in Scholars???? thanks.

lamoss

A link for scholars http://www.scholarshotel.com/uploads/downloads/July_2012_A_LA_Carte_Menu.pdf

Pipmae

sporina wrote: »

so again, i ask, how much would one pay on average for a two course meal in Scholars???? thanks.

The menus with prices are on the website.

http://www.scholarshotel.com/dining-2/

Slunk

Ate from the bar menu in scholars around two weeks ago. We had the Thai chicken curry, penne arriabiata and mushroom Risotto. All dishes were absolutely delicious. Pasta was very saucey. My only possible complaint was the portions were a little small. I would definitely go back for a proper meal in the restaurant. They also sell a nice Irish craft beer. Cumins I think it was called.