Dax may be in a basement, but it raises the ceiling on Dublin dining, writes TOM DOORLEY.
DAX IS DIFFERENT. How often does this happen? You arrive at a restaurant and decide to have a glass of dry, white wine while perusing the menu. And the proprietor suggests two alternatives, mentions the dominant grape variety, the region, the style and mentions in passing that he prefers to deal with small producers and small wine merchants.
Very rarely indeed. Usually, you will be handed a glass of industrial Sauvignon Blanc from Chile and a menu that owes more to the ingenuity of the food industry than the skill in the kitchen.
Yes, Dax is different. It’s in a basement, but it’s a cosy, pleasant basement where the tables are well spaced, the linen is white and crisp, the buzz of conversation is civilised and there is no Mantovani or whatever in the background. It’s a somewhat masculine environment without being blokey, and the food is pretty darn good. So much so, indeed, that it drew from us alternating periods of uncharacteristic admiring silence and sighs of pleasure. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. This doesn’t happen all that often.
But, having said that, there are foams. Foams, now that they are no longer the stuff of cutting-edge cuisine, are more or less compulsory. Chefs have also discovered that they give a faint whiff of molecular gastronomy while being dead easy to do (take some soy lecithin, a hand-held blender and off you go).
But the foams at Dax, while being unnecessary (have you ever had an essential foam?) are fine. The food, by and large, is so good that they don’t distract from it.
Raw tuna with soft quail eggs, pickled cucumber and light teriyaki dressing, was perfect in every respect: two generous slices of impeccably prepped tuna, the richness of which was offset by the sharp, crunchy cucumber and the sticky saltiness of the dressing.
Ballottine of slow roasted suckling pig stuffed with black pudding and apples with caramelised onion puree is more or less self-explanatory, but somehow the smooth black pudding enhanced the pigginess of the suckling pig and the onion puree delivered a lovely hint of sweetness.
Fillet of sea bass, potato gallette, plum tomato fondue, aubergine caviar and watercress foam was a great deal less fussy and more successful than it sounds. The puree of aubergine was smoky and silky. The tomato cut the richness of the fish, and the watercress foam introduced a fresh, peppery kind of note.
Rolled saddle of rabbit, potato gnocchi and salsify with Parmesan foam had two minor faults. Salsify is not one of the most exciting vegetables and it certainly doesn’t get any better if you candy it, as had been done here. And, yes you’ve guessed it, Parmesan doesn’t lend itself to foaming. I bet foams are few and far between in Parma, but I may be wrong.
But, so far, pretty exceptional food by Dublin standards. At the dessert stage, odd as it may seem, things got even better. Lime and honey souffle was the stuff of dreams. Ethereal, sweet but sharp at the same time and intensely limey. One of the best puds I’ve eaten in ages, to be honest.
And then a millefeuille, not of wafer-thin pastry, but even thinner and more gossamer-like sheets of crisp caramel sandwiched with cream and apple compote, impeccably and prettily presented.
This was a very, very impressive meal and it was accompanied by a sense that every detail at Dax is in more than capable hands. This restaurant doesn’t show off (okay, we’ll turn a blind eye to the foams), it just seems content to increase the sum of human happiness.
Tuesdays to Thursdays, there is a special €36 three-course menu from 6-7pm, and a two-course lunch for €24. This is further good news.
With several glasses of very sound wine, lots of mineral water, and coffee to follow, this outstanding dinner came to €140.
THE SMART MONEY
You can have two courses from the early bird menu for €30. With a glass of wine each, two people could eat very well indeed and get out for €80. It’s all too easy to spend that kind of money on complete rubbish – even these days.
WINE CHOICE
In a sense, Dax is all about Olivier Meissonave’s exceptional wine list. It’s culled from small producers and small distributors and every wine seems to have a story. Wines by the glass range from €6.75 for Trimbach’s Pinot Blanc to €9.75 for San Jacopo Chianti. Well-chosen bottles include Château Jolys Jurancon Sec (€29), Lombeline St Aubin 1er cru (€48), Domaine Cros Minervois (€33), Basa Rueda (€27) and the enormous Domaine de Saint Pierre Cornas ’03 (€38). There is currently 20 per cent off a wide range of serious wines including Vincent Girardin Meursault Vieilles Vignes (€95) and Château du Tertre Margaux 2000 (€130 before discount).
Read Megabites, Tom Doorley’s new blog on all things foodie, at irishtimes.com/blogs/megabites