Sometimes I think that the real heroes of the restaurant business are not the starred-chefs and the high-profile operators, but are instead the quiet, dependable cooks who run quiet, dependable places which rarely get mentioned in the newspapers, but which cultivate and please a local crowd.
Rodney's, in Cabinteely village, south of Dublin, is one of those places; indeed it is effectively an archetype of the genre. A couple of people had mentioned it to me, one talking approvingly about the lambs' kidneys in a mustard sauce, another correspondent praising the "extremely friendly service".
It's not the sort of restaurant, given our fashion-fixated age, which is going to win stars and attract headlines. It isn't at the cutting edge of anything. It doesn't make much of a song and dance about what it does. It just gets on with the business of being a neighbourhood restaurant.
And it does that pretty well, I think. I had a quiet Wednesday night dinner with a friend, and though her food was better than mine, and even though the service hiccuped a bit in its consistency as the evening wore on, it was a pleasant, relaxing end to the busy day.
You step straight into the room through a tiny entrance hall, just around the corner from the main strip of the village. The room is somewhat dated in appearance, with French pastoral prints on the walls, and the menu design and content harks back in time - lots of choices, including a dozen starters, with old warhorses such as the Lamb Kidneys in a Meaux Mustard Sauce, Fillet of Beef with Caramelised Red Onions and Rack of Lamb with Roasted Garlic all on offer.
Our waitress recited even more daily specials, and brought excellent breads - treacle, apricot and Indian spice, the apricot being particularly noteworthy.
From the dozen starters we chose a fine Rosti Fishcake with Chilli, Ginger and Coriander and a Pear Jam, and the venerable kidneys. The fish cake was effectively a potato and fish sandwich, with the fish in the centre of perfectly executed rostis, and the accompanying pear jam was a very clever flavour foil for the fish. This was simple and refreshing, an excellent starter.
My lambs' kidneys were cooked properly, but while this offered a good version of an old favourite, it is easy to see why a dish like this has fallen out of favour. Quite simply, it offers no more than a monotone of flavour, and after a few forkfuls you find yourself tiring of the meld of offal, mustard and cream, and wanting the sort of sharp, enervating flavours which the rosti fishcake offered.
My main course was the intriguing Boned Roast Crispy Duck, with a Leek and Potato Puree, Pear Confit and a Port and Orange Jus, effectively a smartened up version of Duck a l'Orange. A dish such as this stands or falls on a simple culinary act: has the fat under the skin of the duck been properly rendered off?
This had not been, so the crispy skin was onto a loser straightaway, as there was still fat between it and the flesh. The puree had simply spun some shredded leek into some potato, and the pear was still hard.
Altogether better was Thai-style Cod Wrapped in Filo, two large tranches of fish which weren't especially Thai-influenced, but were fresh and properly cooked. Vegetables were cubed garlic potatoes, red cabbage and a fine turnip puree, suitable enough for anyone ordering beef or lamb, perhaps, but hardly a match for the flavourings of either the cod or the duck.
DESSERTS, like the soup and the extra dishes, are chalked on the blackboard, and we chose a Baileys Mousse with Hazelnut Shortbread and a Baked Lemon Tart. The tart was sharp and well-executed, the mousse a good partner to the shortbread.
As the room filled up during the evening, it became clear that Rodney's is very much home-from-home for its customers, all of whom exhibited the relaxed style of regulars who come back here knowing that they will get what they like. The true value of a bistro such as this is that it offers the familiar in a familiar surrounding.
As the numbers increased, however, the service went somewhat to sleep for a period. I mention this purely because a 10 per cent service charge is automatically added to one's bill, and then space is left for you to add a gratuity on top of the service. Personally, I don't believe there should ever be a service charge, save for large groups or parties of people who put a restaurant under extra strain, and a table for two on a Wednesday night shouldn't have to pay for service on top of the charge for the food.
But, these cavils aside, Rodney's Bistro showed, with my companion's food more than my own, that they can do things well and, even with the shortcomings, we enjoyed the evening. Prices are fair, with starters around a fiver, and main courses between £13 and £14.
Rodney's Bistro, Cabinteely Village, Co Dublin, tel: 01 2851664 Open Tues-Sat from 7 p.m. Major cards