Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [96]
Saba (Map; 679 2000; www.sabadublin.com; 26-28 Clarendon St; mains €12-28; noon-11pm) Southeast Asian cuisine hits Dublin with a stylish bang at this supercool eatery that seeks to impress with its extensive menu and contemporary decor. Both are good without being exceptional, but it’s packed every night, so what the hell do we know?
Monty’s of Kathmandu (Map; 670 4911; 28 Eustace St; mains €13-21; 12.30-2.30pm & 6-11.30pm Mon-Sat, 6-11pm Sun) The trade of award-winning Monty’s is built on people who keep returning for typical Nepalese dishes such as gorkhali (chicken cooked in chilli, yoghurt and ginger) or kachila (raw marinated meat). The Shiva beer complements these hearty, spicy dishes. Ethnic food doesn’t get much better than this.
Odessa (Map; 670 7634; 13 Dame Ct; mains €13-25) Odessa’s lounge atmosphere, with comfy sofas and retro standard lamps, has long attracted the city’s hipsters, who flock here for homemade burgers, steaks or daily fish specials. You may not escape the sofa after you’ve quaffed a few of Odessa’s renowned cocktails while playing a game of backgammon. Weekend brunch is extremely popular: you have been warned.
Leon (Map; 670 7238; 33 Exchequer St; mains €15-22; 8am-11pm Mon-Sat, 9am-10pm Sun) French elegance comes to Dublin in the shape of this gorgeous cafe-restaurant. From bouillabaisse to filet of lamb with a gratin Dauphinois, the food is classically Gallic, but the real treat here is to linger over a cappuccino with a newspaper by the open fire at the front.
Seagrass (Map; 478 9595; 30 South Richmond St; mains €15-22; 6-11pm) Utterly unassuming from the outside, this is one of Dublin’s best new openings of the last couple of years: the locally sourced, roughly Mediterranean menu (baked seafood penne, pan-fried lambs’ livers and a bacon-and-cabbage risotto are typical) is uniformly excellent, the dining room is quietly elegant and the service absolutely perfect.
Jaipur (Map; 677 0999; www.jaipur.ie; 41 South Great George’s St; mains €17-20; noon-10pm) Critics rave about the subtle and varied flavours produced by Jaipur’s kitchen, which is down to its refusal to skimp on even the smallest dash of spice. What you get here is as close to the real deal as you’d get anywhere outside Delhi.
TOP END
Eden (Map; 670 5372; Meeting House Sq; mains €15-28; noon-2.30pm & 6-10.30pm Mon-Fri, noon-3pm & 6-11pm Sat & Sun) Eden is the epitome of Temple Bar chic with its trendy waitstaff, minimalist surroundings, high ceiling, hanging plants and terrace opening onto Meeting House Sq. But the food is the real star: Eleanor Walsh’s unfussy modern Irish cuisine uses organic seasonal produce, complemented by a carefully chosen wine list. Seating on the gas-heated terrace is at a premium on summer evenings, when classic films are projected onto the nearby Gallery of Photography.
Bang (Map; 676 0898; www.bangrestaurant.com; 11 Merrion Row; mains €16-36; 12.30-3pm & 6.30-10.30pm Mon-Sat) The hip and handsome Stoke twins have brought a touch of Denmark to Dublin in appropriately stylish surrounds – and have created a favourite with the 30-somethings who have a little cash to burn. The modern European grub – carefully created by chef Lorcan Cribbin (ex-Ivy in London, don’t you know) – is sharp, tasty and very much in demand. Thai baked sea bass, medallions of beef and melt-in-your-mouth roast scallops are just a random selection. Reservations are a must, even for lunch.
Marco Pierre White Steakhouse & Grill (Map; 677 1155; www.fitzers.ie; 51 Dawson St; mains €17-28; noon-11pm) The long-established Fitzer’s restaurant group scored quite a coup when they enlisted bad boy chef Marco Pierre White (he who once made Gordon Ramsay cry) to lend his