EATING OUT: There's good value at this trendy new venue, writes Tom Doorley
Being the talked-about restaurant isn't always a good thing, nor is it any guarantee of longevity. Pharmacy, the restaurant in Notting Hill "conceived" by Damien Hirst was the most talked-about place in London a few years back - despite the fact that the food was average to poor and the service was dire. It was the physical environment that people talked about, of course. Very physical, indeed. I wouldn't have been surprised if one of the witty cocktails turned out to be a barium enema.
But Pharmacy is no more than an uncomfortable memory now, praise the Lord. Dublin's most talked-about restaurant is currently the Clarendon, the creation of the brothers Stokes of Bang. This small, vertiginous, crisply modernist bar-cum-restaurant is one of the best things to happen in Dublin for quite some time. And I suspect it will last. The food appears to be up there with some of the better restaurants. The wine list is short and chosen with knowledge, care and enthusiasm and - this is the strange bit - it's reasonably priced. Indeed by stratospheric Irish standards, the prices are positively cheap. Starters at around €7, mains at €10 to €14.95. See what I mean?
Now, before you rush off, please bear in mind that the kitchen is open from noon until 8 p.m., Monday to Friday, and until six on Sundays. This is a smart way to keep costs down, but full marks to the owners for passing the benefit on to us punters. I suspect these guys are more far-sighted than the average Irish restaurant operator. They also credit their suppliers on the menu, a commendable practice which they may have picked up in California.
Now, to the nitty gritty. An amuse bouche of grilled calf's liver with caramelised onions, champ and a sage and bacon sauce was superb: pink liver, punchy flavours, melting texture. It's on the menu at a reasonable €12.50.
A big portion of risotto, rich with flavoursome crab and studded with not-entirely-necessary flecks of squid, was creamy, intense, rib-sticking and topped with some al dente asparagus tips. Shrimp and crab cake was a large affair with perhaps rather too much mashed spud; it would have been better if the proportions were inverted and the whole thing scaled down. Generosity seems to be a theme and, welcome as this is, it needs to be tempered by sense. Avocado salsa provided a sharp counterpoint and a peppery and spankingly fresh rocket salad was good, whatever the talking heads on Grumpy Old Men might say. (Actually, I thought most of their comments were spot-on, but I'm in the right age group).
Sirloin steak with bearnaise sauce and fries is the most expensive dish on the menu at €14.95, and it was very good indeed. The meat had decent flavour, but I wonder if rib-eye might not deliver a bit more. Trouble is, of course, that this cut has to be cooked rare. The Clarendon specifies on the menu that they will cook meat to order. The scale runs from rare ("very red, cool centre") to well done ("cooked through", which is the polite way of saying cremated). Fries were crisp and dry, bearnaise was freshly made and almost as good as my own version which is made in a leisurely fashion, not in a busy professional kitchen. Praise indeed.
At first sight, the medallions of monkfish looked as if they might have been seared to dryness, but they had simply been exposed to extreme heat just long enough to be sealed (have you ever tried this in a domestic pan?). The interior was as close as dammit to à point.
Artichokes, a slightly anonymous fennel butter and new season carrots provided the supporting act. And if anyone questions "new season" for carrots in October, I would point out that the best carrots are ready from now until November. You can have your own if you sow them in early July.
Portions are, as I say, generous. This was as far as we could go. With two soft drinks and a €7 glass of wine, the bill came to €56.
Clarendon Bar and Restaurant, Clarendon Street, Dublin 2 (01-6792909).
WINE CHOICE
This delightful short list is streets ahead of many much longer ones. And 24 of the 31 wines are available by the generous glass. Crisp, citrus-like Yalumba Y Riesling (€23.50/€5.65) is joined by the likes of the unusually white Domaine des Terres Dorées Beaujolais (€29.50/€7). Domaine Alary Cairanne is a gloriously spicy, old-fashioned Rhône red (€29.00/€6.75), while Evans & Tate Shiraz (€21/€5.25) is a sound Oz wine. There's Prosecco at €6 a glass, €35 a bottle, and Joseph Perrier Champagne at €10 a glass, €75 a bottle. Roederer Cristal 1997 is not yet ready at €250, but Château Talbot 1996 (€140) should be stretching its legs.