GREENE’S opening gambit is an exterior most restaurants would kill for: off a busy city street, through an old stone archway to a secluded natural waterfall.
Floodlit by night, it is a supremely romantic dining setting; on rare clement evenings, it does the best continental impersonation in the city. But over the years, my once-regular visits all but ceased as the food failed to reach anything approaching similar standards. Recently, one of this country’s finer chefs suggested I give it another shot. He is a big fan of current chef, Frederic Desormeaux.
If anyone deserves a spot of floodlit romancing, it’s the Dearly Beloved (DB), so lobbing infants with mother-in-law, we hightail it out of Dodge. It’s far too cold for al fresco but we do have a window seat by the waterfall.
My starter is The Three Little Pigs: Ballotine of Ham Hock, Broad Beans and Serrano Ham, Slow Roasted Pork Belly, Pear and Black Pudding Parfait, Pea and Gubeen Smoked Bacon Cream. Make that Three Little Pigs and the enormous fourth preparing to mill into the porcine troika — could I really tackle all this?
First, a nibble of the Ballotine — moist, succulent, the beans, bright green with a hint of crunch. Then, a sliver of Parfait rendering teeth near-redundant, proceeding, as it did, to melt in the mouth. But on first spoonful of the ‘soup’, the shutters came down — thumb in mouth, I called for my comfort blankie. An unctuous pea puree retaining a smidgeon of ‘bite’, flavours perfectly balanced, despite the strutting smoked bacon, this was the proverbial "’atin’ and drinkin’". A few more tantalising slivers of ballotine and parfait and I called for the doggy bag. This type of thing calls for a fine bottle, a crisp salad, a good book and a couple of uninterrupted hours of solitude, not a romantic night out. The following evening, I would be dining solo. Some starter for one starter.
DB was very much enjoying her Ardsallagh Goats Cheese Fritter Roast Beetroot Puree, Chicory, Chestnut Praline, Cider & Vinegar Dressing. Professionalism dictated I sample — very lovely but I was too intoxicated in Hog Heaven to dwell on it.
DB’s Panfried Seabass with Fried Potatoes, Tiger Prawns Timbale and Pesto Beurre Blanc was very much to her taste. Meanwhile, I was teetering on the edge of an enormous bowl of Toulouse Sausage, Confit Duck Cassoulet with Wild Garlic Mushrooms and Parsley Crust, a traditional classic from South West France, wholesome, rich and a perfect antidote to January.
DB’s Guinness and Brown Bread Parfait, Pistachio Crème Anglaise & Grated Belgian Chocolate retained a surprisingly forceful ‘bread’ element, sweetness coming courtesy of the chocolate and an exquisitely poised Crème Anglaise, the pistachio, a hint rather than a hammerblow.
Quite stuffed, I had no mind for the Shortbread Biscuits but found room for every last mouthful of a silken, light-rich Cappucino Crème Brulee.
A much too cold glass of a 2009 Argentinian Torrontes, Crios de Susana Balbo, came from a too-long opened bottle but a freshly opened French Corbieres, 2009 Chateau de Vaugelas, was a distinct improvement: full-bodied, fruity yet with a slight but delightful fizzle on the tongue.
Frenchman Desormeaux has worked at the very highest level but having fetched up in Ireland almost 12 years ago, he has succumbed to the superb local Irish produce, especially seafood. His new brasserie-style (and cheaper) menu, coming soon, cements further this Franco-Hibernian alliance.
The one disappointment was the décor: too bright; overly-cluttered walls crying out for a lick of paint; and randomly-sited tables (including a hellish location right next to the service station) crying out for a little regimen.
Come on, Greenes, the location is stunning, the food is absolutely stellar — haul out the colour swatches, dim the lights and give us a dining room to match.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Saturday, January 28, 2012
