PARADOXES paradoxes.
The first is that one of the most inspiring wine lists in Ireland resides in a small restaurant half hidden above a building society Greystones an unpretentious, jocular place where you can tuck into a 28 ounce T bone steak "for golfers only" with a "Seize Her Salad" and choose between "Clive McCabe's freshly milled Sumatra coffee" and "Quinnsworth's Yellow Pack tea".
The second is that, when you leaf through all 32 pages of this treasury and feel moved to order some delectable treat, the proprietor is likely to appear at your table and tell you to get lost. "Not, at all, don't buy that that's a waste of money," Pat Keown will say, jabbing his finger towards something humbler. "Try this instead. It's far better value." So ingrained has this ritual become that regular pilgrims to The Hungry Monk skip the business of wine list perusal altogether and simply ask Pat to choose.
"It's absolutely amazing he, picks something terrific every single time," a man with one of the most finely attuned palates in" Dublin told me the other day. Pat Keown (who, by the way, has a pudding bowl hairstyle and Friar Tuckish appetite) merely shrugs. "I'd far rather people would think we offered good value and come back than spend a fortune. I don't really care whether we sell the expensive wines. I can always drink them myself."
That would be some indulgence, for the bottles that have earned The Hungry Monk the 1996 Egon Ronay Wine Cellar of the Year award encompass riches on the sort of scale that went out of fashion with the Dissolution of the Monasteries. There are plenty of classed growths, working down from Mouton Rothschild 1975 at £200, and a full page of second wines from the best known Bordeaux chateaux. Four pages are devoted to the glories of the Rhone, including various vintages of Guigal's three stupendous single vineyard Cote Roues. Three pages go to the lesser known pleasures of the south of France splendid wines like Mas de Daumas Gassac and Domaine Tempier Bandol.
BY comparison Burgundy, though sprinkled with big names, may seem under represented, but it is deliberately so. "It's horrendously expensive," Pat Keown says bluntly, "and in my book it's not worth it. The vineyards are small but with the same high overheads as bigger operations. The fellow with half an acre still wants to go to Mass all togged out in a snazzy suede jacket. That's why he has to charge £40 a bottle for his wines."
It is this down to earth streak that makes The Hungry Monk's selection so refreshing. Yes it will quench the demands of the most extravagant connoisseur but among the 550 bottles on offer are scores to appeal to slimmer budgets and more popular tastes. There's a full page of house wines, many of them under £10 a bottle a choice of over 30 half bottles and a dizzying range of other inexpensive options from just about every wine producing region worth talking about, from Spain (a special strength) to South Africa, Lebanon to Mexico.
How did such an impressive collection `come' to pass easily enough, by the sound of or Pat Keown's Egon Ronay recognition coincides with retirement from the wine business after almost 30 years. His first job, when he left school, was as a merchandiser for Grants of Ireland, "putting bottles of Nicolas on the selves Dunnes Stores. Wine, evidently, was in the blood his father was managing director of, Grants his brother sales manager. There followed a period in Edward Dillon & Co, then involvement in the reincarnation of Fitzgerald & Co.
"Eight years ago I decided to take up the offer of a redundancy package," he explains. "I used to cook a bit at home and when friends told me I should get into the restaurant business it sounded like a good idea. After I had found these premises and opened, Fitzgeralds asked me to stay on, so I did both." A double life, detouring into the Dublin markets every morning on his way into the office, and working in The Hungry Monk with his wife and daughter evenings and weekends.
IN the restaurant he is in his element a champion of wine, food and wisecracks, performing, cabaret style, by candlelight. "I absolutely love the restaurant," he says. "It's pure show business, but on an intimate scale like throwing a party every night. But I felt if I kept doing both jobs I might be 90 before I'm 60. I've reached the stage where it's time for golf."
Pat Keown plays tapes of Gregorian chant in the lavatories by way of stark contrast to the jazz in the dining room, and positively encourages Sunday lunch to last until midnight. It's a knockout combination, all this levity and an ultra serious wine list. Oh, and the generously sized crystal glasses in all the right shapes are serious too.
The Hungry Monk, Greystones, Co Wicklow, tel 01-2875759. Sunday lunch, 12 midday-midnight, last orders 8pm, £12.95 open for dinner Wed-Sat, £17.95.
from the winning list, eight of fordable wines which can also be found in retail outlets.
Whites
. KWV Sauvignon Chardonnay 1994 (£9.95 on wine list widely available in wine shops, £5.99).
The Hungry Monk's most popular wine by far a pleasantly fruity, easy drinking white. "Even people who don't normally drink wine enjoy it," Pat Keown says.
. Hunter's Sauvignon Blaac 1995 (£15.50 on wine list available from Superquinn and other outlets, about £10.50).
New Zealand Sauvignon at its aromatic and elegant best a universally acclaimed award winner with intense gooseberry flavours and a crisp, lingering finish.
. Montagny 1er Cru Les Chagnots 1993 (£18.50 on wine list available from Redmonds, Wine Cellar Phibsborough, Greenacres Wexford and other outlets, about £10.99).
The delectable face of Chardonnay a delicious, restrained white Burgundy from top producer Antonin Rodet much more impressive value than many better known Burgundies.
. Hochheimer Konigin Victoria Berg Riesling Kabinett 1991 (£19.50 on wine list available from Mitchells, £10.40).
With top quality wines like this one Pat Keown hopes to lead more wine minded customers into Germany, the newest section on his list. It develops beautifully in the mouth, from honeyed richness into a long, dry finish. A glorious treat.
Reds
. L.A. Cello Petite Sirah 1988 (£12.75 on wine list available from Superquinn, some Cheers, Bird Flanagan, Edward Walsh, Mullingar, White Horse, Ballyshannon and other outlets, about £6.99).
"It's unusual to see a Mexican wine, but this one is lovely," says Pat. It's soft and rich, with brambly, chocolately sweetness kept in check by a twist of pepper. See Bottle of the Week.
. Raimat Cabernet Sauvignon 1989 (£15.50 on wine list available from McCabes, Vintry, Bennetts Howth and other outlets, £9.39- 9.99).
Some of the best value still comes from Spain, Pat Keown maintains. Here's a prime example a full flavoured, stylish Cabernet with that unmistakably Spanish dollop of vanilla.
. Cotes du Bhone Cuvee Mazurka 1988 (£16.50 on wine list available from Douglas Food Co., Redmonds, Deveneys, Terroirs, Country Choice, Nenagh and other outlets, about £11.50).
Robert Parker started Pat Keown's love affair with the Rhone and this gorgeously rich blockbuster helps to keep it going.
. Chateau du Paradis St Emilion Grand Cru 1989 (£19.50 on wine list available Carvills, Cheers/Foxhunter, Lynch's, Glanmire and other outlets, about £12).
Currently a blackboard special in The Hungry Monk, falling just within the crucial under £20 zone, a beautifully smooth, plummy St Emilion "soft as a baby's bottom", says Pat Keown, and just right for drinking now.