Restaurant Suggestion

WeeBushy

Hey guys,

I was hoping someone could recommend a restaurant...

I'm taking my girlfriend out for her birthday, well actually our birthday - we we're born on the same day. We're going for an early dinner, about 5ish. Can anyone suggest a nice restaurant around the grafton street area, or within walking distance from there, that has nice early bird menus?

I've heard nice things about Sava... but any suggestions welcome

Jev/N

Saba I think you mean? Very good by all accounts.

I have eaten here a few times recently and would definitely recommend it: http://www.bleu.ie/

WeeBushy

Jev/N wrote: »

Saba I think you mean? Very good by all accounts.

I have eaten here a few times recently and would definitely recommend it: http://www.bleu.ie/

Sorry Saba, you're right.

I've walked by that place many times and thought it looked nice... Thanks.

Cathmandooo

http://www.ilpostorestaurant.com/ - Il Posto - A lovely italian in a basement near the Stephen's Green end of Grafton Street. Been there many times, nice spot.

http://www.odessa.ie/ Odessa on Dame Court, been here for a few special occasions, it can be a little pricey but well worth it for a birthday.

http://www.marcopierrewhite.ie/Default.aspx Marco Pierre White I'd recommend if you both like your steak. I have always gotten a super meal in there.

http://www.mansionhouse.ie/fire.aspx Fire Restaurant in the Mansion House, Dawson Street. Lovely for a special occasion

All four I've eaten in and loved each of them.

Ah cr*p that was my 10,000th post! At least it was being helpful

xebec

+1 for Fire on Dawson Street, great food and a lovely setting (old church building?)

Also agree with Odessa, reasonably priced early bird menu and great food.

convert

Ely Wine Bar on Ely place is somewhere myself and the OH always like to go.

Their Early Bird menu can be found here. Wine list is fantastic. It'll take ages to choose one.

Lothaar v2

One Pico, just off Molesworth Street, is one of the best restaurants in the city IMO. It has an early bird for 39 quid pp, which is extremely good. It's the sister restaurant to Bleu, which was previously mentioned... but it's definitely nicer.

If you want good value, stay away from Fire, Odessa and Marco Pierre White (sorry Cathooo). These are nice restaurants, but are overpriced.

Pichet , beside Andrew's Lane Theatre is also very good value. I don't know if they do an early bird.

If you want a REAL treat, try Thorntons or Shanahans. Both are on Stephens Green and do early birds. Both are around 50 quid pp. Thorntons also has a 'canape tasting menu' for 39 bills, which is kinda tapas-based.

In Shanahans the steak takes centre-stage. Best steak in Ireland. The surroundings are opulent and you will be treated like royalty.

Thorntons has decent service, but the invention shown in the dishes you'll be served is second to none in Dublin IMO. If you want a true culinary experience, go to Thorntons and experience tastes/combinations you never thought existed!

Personally, my current favourite restaurant is Chapter One on Parnell Square. It's a bit of a trek from Grafton St but it is the most complete dining experience available in Dublin at the moment. Everything is top notch. They do an early bird for 37.50 pp. Get a bottle of M Chapoutier red (25ish quid) and it comes to 100 euro in total for two! That's Michelin-starred food and a bottle of wine for just a ton! Quality.

lightening

Lothaar v2 wrote: »

Shanahans

Sorry, this place is below average in my humble opinion. It's an American steak house that serves large rib-eye steaks with deep fried onions on them. Your surroundings are faux American presidential decor, a "mock oval" room affair. The prices are astronomical!! But... each to their own.

Try Darwins if you want a steak.

You couldn't be more right about Chapter one though. I have never gone for the full thing, always stuck to the early bird, but really really good advice on the wine, thanks.

Red_Marauder

I would second the recommendations on Fire (Dawson St.) and Chapter One (Parnell Square). I would veer towards Chapter One though.

I have to say, I'm less than sold on Shanahans of the Green. I was there recently and it was full of Americans (I'm not saying that's a bad sign in itself, it just made it a bit touristy).

Also, I'd be wary it on the grounds that whenever someone enquires about Shanahans, the invariable answer is "Oh yes, it's very expensive".

I have a real aversion to any restaurant where the first thought is of the price, and the quality is an afterthought.

Cathmandooo

Lothaar v2 wrote: »

One Pico, just off Molesworth Street, is one of the best restaurants in the city IMO. It has an early bird for 39 quid pp, which is extremely good. It's the sister restaurant to Bleu, which was previously mentioned... but it's definitely nicer.

If you want good value, stay away from Fire, Odessa and Marco Pierre White (sorry Cathooo). These are nice restaurants, but are overpriced.

Well I didn't say they were great value, they're lovely restaurants for a birthday treat. However, they all trump your One Pico early bird if they want the value menu. €39 pp for a three course early bird isn't good value at all imo.

THE ODESSA EARLY BIRD MENU
Any Two Courses for €16
any 3 courses for €19
Tuesday to Friday and Sunday all night
Saturday 5.30 pm till 7.30 pm


MARCO PIERRE WHITE
This special menu is available Mon - Fri from 12pm to 6.45pm. We offer any 2 courses for €17.95 plus €5.00 for an additional course


FIRE
Two Courses: € 23.95 Three Courses: € 28.95

Lollymcd

+1 for Chapter One but as others have pointed out it is a bit of a walk from Grafton St!

I like Bar Pintxo in Temple Bar, it's a sister restaurant of The Port House www.porthouse.ie on South William St, same menu. I think the Temple Bar premises is nicer, a bit more romantic! It's tapas.

Venu Brasserie www.venu.ie on Anne's Lane off Anne's Street is nice and they do mega cocktails if you can afford them!!!!

Hugo's www.hugos.ie on Merrion Row also have a nice menu and it's quite good for couples.

For something different there's La Peniche www.lapeniche.ie it's a barge on the Grand Canal at Baggot St. Food is nice too and not very expensive.

Lothaar v2

There's a great quote by Warren Buffet: "Price is what you pay, value is what you get."

That's always my maxim when I evaluate restaurants, particularly when it comes to early birds.

While One Pico's early bird menu is quite expensive for an early bird, the quality of the food and service provides extremely good value IMO. I mean, it's more than twice as good as you'd find in restaurants that charge half the price. That's where I was coming from! Same goes for Chapter One. Both charge more than average for their early birds but it is SO worth it. You couldn't go every week, but as a double birthday treat... deffo.

I'm not a fan of Fire or MPW's and I have not found good value there on any visit.

Re: Shanahans... I guess I should have qualified my comments. I DO think the steak there is fantastic, and the opulent surroundings are seductive (not my bag, personally, but my wife loves that stuff). However, I don't think Shanahans is good value at all!

Thorntons is ok value, IMO. 50 quid is a bit steep no matter how you look at it, but it is a Michelin-starred restaurant and the food is top notch. But then, Chapter One is just better value all-round.

WeeBushy

Thank you all so much for your suggestions.

We have to eat quite early, sitting down at 5 at the latest, as she's leaving for a hockey tour after. That rules out a lot of places as many don't open till 6/7.

I'm thinking of bringing her to bleu for a very late lunch/very early dinner and then going for a nice proper dinner when she gets back from her tour (not that bleu doesn't look nice). Chapter One methinks...

I'll give you all my review when I get back

Thanks again for your suggestions, I now have a whole list of restaurants for us to get through!

Oh and thank you Cathooo for using your 1000th post on me

Lothaar v2

Well... if you're going for lunch - the two best lunch deals in town are IMO One Pico and Thorntons, who both do 3-course lunches for 25 euro. The food is as splendiferous as ever.

Actually, here's an idea. Since you're both celebrating your birthdays on the same day, why not go to Thorntons for lunch (50 euro in total) and Chapter One for the early bird (100 quid, including vino)? Then you'll get TWO Michelin-star meals in one day - one for each birthday - for 150 quid.

WeeBushy

Lothaar v2 wrote: »

Well... if you're going for lunch - the two best lunch deals in town are IMO One Pico and Thorntons, who both do 3-course lunches for 25 euro. The food is as splendiferous as ever.

Actually, here's an idea. Since you're both celebrating your birthdays on the same day, why not go to Thorntons for lunch (50 euro in total) and Chapter One for the early bird (100 quid, including vino)? Then you'll get TWO Michelin-star meals in one day - one for each birthday - for 150 quid.

That's a great suggestion, but unfortunately we're in lectures all day today so there's only time for one meal at 4.30/5. Too late for many lunches and too early for early birds in many places (emailed chapter one and their pre theatre menu starts at 6, its the same in many places).

If we're finished in time to catch a late lunch menu somewhere fancy we'll do that, but I doubt we'll be ready that early.

Lovely idea though

Lothaar v2

Ah well, there's always next year.

My wife's birthday is two weeks before mine, so I might do it myself!

WeeBushy

Well dinner was amazing
Thank you all for you suggestions, particularly Jev/N for recommending bleu.

I'll give you a quick review of the place. I'm no critic so bear with me!

So I decided on Bleu in the end, I rang them up to make a booking for 5pm. They were very busy but gave us a table as long as we were finished by 6.30 which suited us perfectly as that was when my girlfriend had to go.

The restaurant has a lovely interior and great atmosphere. We had a fantastic french waiter who was very nice, and quite funny.

For starters I had chicken pate which was probably the nicest I have had in Ireland. She had a fish brulee which was very nice as well.

I had the old reliable for mains - steak. And it was delicious. She had a game stew pie which I was quite jealous of as it tasted amazing, the meat was lovely and tender, and the mashed potato that came with it was something else.

For desert I had creme brulee which was lovely. Came with white chocolate ice cream which I'm a sucker for. She had a rice pudding dessert which looked very nice but I'm not the biggest fan of rice pudding so didn't try any.

All in all a brilliant restaurant, the early bird was €17.95 for two courses, so the bill came to about €65 with wine and desserts which I thought was very good for the service and food we got.

I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone.

Thank all!

lightening

Nice one for getting back, good review, will try.