Star Anise or Annies gastropub ???

sporina

So, I want to go out for a nice nice dinner - nice food and nice wine. Nice ambiance, good service (this is very important).
I love Star Anise - been there a few times. I just love it - love the wine and the service is so good.
But I have never been to Annies - but I have heard great reports about it. But I do not go out for nice dinner (talking mains between €25-30) too often nowadays (as oppose to when I did pre recession) and not sure if I wanna take the risk on my Annies for this long awaited treated. But I feel I should try it once.
I loveee seafood and really nice white wine, oh and I enjoy good service!
Help me decide..

evilivor

sporina wrote: »

So, I want to go out for a nice nice dinner - nice food and nice wine. Nice ambiance, good service (this is very important).
I love Star Anise - been there a few times. I just love it - love the wine and the service is so good.
But I have never been to Annies - but I have heard great reports about it. But I do not go out for nice dinner (talking mains between €25-30) too often nowadays (as oppose to when I did pre recession) and not sure if I wanna take the risk on my Annies for this long awaited treated. But I feel I should try it once.
I loveee seafood and really nice white wine, oh and I enjoy good service!
Help me decide..

I had dinner in Annie's a few weeks ago and it was one of the nicest meals I ever had in this city. Ate there again a few weeks later and it was average, at best. That said, never had a bad lunch there.

The staff are nice and, if it's not too full, the service is good and the menu is wide and varied. But it is fine dining in a pub as opposed to a restaurant setting. If you want that, then go to Star Anise which I love too.

gimmick

I think Annies is desperately over rated. Its nice, but for the price it would want to be,

On a side note, is it too much to ask that we could have a restaurant thread on this forum. Seems there at least 2 new restaurant threads every week. The one in the Waterford forum seems to work grand and easy.

FTGFOP

I thought Faith made one?

FTGFOP

Huh. Not there. I guess it was either unstickied or never stickied in the first place.

deRanged

there used to be a restaurant one, but it turned into a bit of a bitchfest after a promising start. I'm going to reorganise all the stickies soon, so I'll try a new one then.

the beer revolu

Star Anise got a fantastic review in De Paper at the weekend.

Been to Annie's for lunch a couple of years ago and thought it was good.
I do like Star Anise, though.:D

Also you might think of Augustin's in The Clarion. They're closing before the end of the month so last chance!

sporina

evilivor wrote: »

I had dinner in Annie's a few weeks ago and it was one of the nicest meals I ever had in this city. Ate there again a few weeks later and it was average, at best. That said, never had a bad lunch there.

The staff are nice and, if it's not too full, the service is good and the menu is wide and varied. But it is fine dining in a pub as opposed to a restaurant setting. If you want that, then go to Star Anise which I love too.

I would like to give Annies a go sometime, but it seems a bit over priced really. I know the food is probably more than your average pub grub but its still a pub, no?

evilivor

sporina wrote: »

I would like to give Annies a go sometime, but it seems a bit over priced really. I know the food is probably more than your average pub grub but its still a pub, no?

It's a pub in name but I don't think it's the kind of place that would tolerate a premises full of patrons pinting and not eating.

bleary

It's a couple of years since I tried Annies, ate there once and it was ok nothing wrong just not amazing, last time I went I found the 'attitude' offputting and never went back. I hadn't a reservation and they were kind of snotty about it. Might have changed since then tho.

-Toppy-

*disclaimer My brother is a chef in Annies*

So yeah obviously I cant say too much a bad thing about it

I would say things have changed a lot even in the last 12months - the bro definitely has tried to changed things up.

Evening can be busy so I would reserve a table as it isnt exactly a massive place

Lunch can be quieter but it depends - but I definitely seen some of the older folk just coming in for drinks - but it isnt really a place to go pinting

Its more a resturant that serves pints, rather than pub that does food so no not really a pub (hence the gastropub name)

If anyone wants any feedback to pass on I can do no worries


Toppy

Faith

I LOVE Annie's, but I ate there last night and it was only okay . My starter was delicious, but my OH had squid that was a bit overcooked and rubbery. My main was rib-eye steak which was delicious, but the portion size was way too big. The biggest let down was the dessert - I ordered banoffee pie, while my OH ordered tiramisu. Waiting for it to come out, we discussed how I hate tiramisu because I don't like marscapone. His tiramisu arrived unset - it was really runny - and imagine my disappointment when my banoffee pie was a non-existent layer of biscuit, a thin layer of caramel with some bananas, and topped off with an inch-thick layer of left-over tiramisu mix! It wasn't a banoffee pie at all. If desserts are going to vary from what you expect, they should describe that on the menu.

HOWEVER, every other time I've eaten there, I've adored it. I do know their head chef left some time ago, and I fear that's affected the quality of the place . I'd still strongly recommend trying it though.

charlemont

I used to live by Annie's but Star Anise all the way for me..

charlemont

Faith wrote: »

I LOVE Annie's, but I ate there last night and it was only okay . My starter was delicious, but my OH had squid that was a bit overcooked and rubbery. My main was rib-eye steak which was delicious, but the portion size was way too big. The biggest let down was the dessert - I ordered banoffee pie, while my OH ordered tiramisu. Waiting for it to come out, we discussed how I hate tiramisu because I don't like marscapone. His tiramisu arrived unset - it was really runny - and imagine my disappointment when my banoffee pie was a non-existent layer of biscuit, a thin layer of caramel with some bananas, and topped off with an inch-thick layer of left-over tiramisu mix! It wasn't a banoffee pie at all. If desserts are going to vary from what you expect, they should describe that on the menu.

HOWEVER, every other time I've eaten there, I've adored it. I do know their head chef left some time ago, and I fear that's affected the quality of the place . I'd still strongly recommend trying it though.

Is the Doc still running the place ??

sporina

Faith wrote: »

I LOVE Annie's, but I ate there last night and it was only okay . My starter was delicious, but my OH had squid that was a bit overcooked and rubbery. My main was rib-eye steak which was delicious, but the portion size was way too big. The biggest let down was the dessert - I ordered banoffee pie, while my OH ordered tiramisu. Waiting for it to come out, we discussed how I hate tiramisu because I don't like marscapone. His tiramisu arrived unset - it was really runny - and imagine my disappointment when my banoffee pie was a non-existent layer of biscuit, a thin layer of caramel with some bananas, and topped off with an inch-thick layer of left-over tiramisu mix! It wasn't a banoffee pie at all. If desserts are going to vary from what you expect, they should describe that on the menu.

HOWEVER, every other time I've eaten there, I've adored it. I do know their head chef left some time ago, and I fear that's affected the quality of the place . I'd still strongly recommend trying it though.

wow - thats a big no no. I mean, how much did they cost?
How was the service?

-Toppy-

Ill be passing these comments back to bro - any more feedback welcome