Restaurant Review: San Lorenzo’s, Dublin
We had driven down from County Meath to check out a few coffee places but, wouldn’t you know it, most of them didn’t open until around noon (sure, begobs, what do we know, anyway? We’re from the country, after all…).
Anyway, we started to feel a tad peckish, noticed people heading into San Lorenzo’s, walked across the road, opened the door, and were immediately treated to a heretofore-soundproofed blast of a full room in full brunch swing.
A request for a table for two was greeted with a pleasant laugh (as opposed to a lip-curl sneer that front-of-house people in busy restaurants can occasionally deliver), but with a bit of gentle pushing and shoving in the pleading-requests department — and, sure, haven’t we come all the way from the rear end of nowhere — we were asked to come back at 12.30.
Which we duly did, but as we were killing time in the Central Hotel’s blissfully empty Library Bar — just around the corner on Exchequer Street — we had to ask ourselves the following questions: did we really just now have to book — like, really book — a table for brunch? Yes. Were we very lucky to get that table? Yes. Is the recession well and truly over? Maybe. And are we all going slowly insane again? We’ll get back to you on that one.
San Lorenzo’s opened almost three years ago, so it has firmly bedded in by this stage, and has established its credentials as being one of the go-to restaurants in the capital.
In particular, it has been plugging (bragging about?) its weekend Brunch of Champions menu for some time as the high watermark of the form. Whatever about the food (and we’ll get to that shortly), the buzz about the place is justified — this being Sunday, there’s a family/genial atmosphere here, as we see a father just about managing to corral three kids under the age of 10.
There’s also a real sense of Sunday morning post-party relaxed reverie on display, as we overhear girlfriends comparing last night’s boyfriends. And it’s a casual date place, too, as a hipster dude (he can’t afford socks, poor thing) chats breezily with mates but awkwardly with his dining partner.
We get the message — San Lorenzo appears to be a place to suit most types, most styles. Niche it is most certainly not. What is it, then? Well, it’s noisy but not in an overbearing way. It’s narrow yet airy, so it isn’t claustrophobic. It’s industrial-lite (exposed extraction fans) and it’s sparsely decorated (there are no wall paintings or hangings of any kind, which is something its owners might need to rethink), and its kitchen is exposed (not only from the ground floor, but also from the gallery stand right outside the unisex toilets on the first floor). In other words, it’s as contemporary as they come.
The quality food reflects the restaurant’s name (San Lorenzo/Saint Lawrence is the patron saint of cooking) and its self-description as a ‘New York-style Italian restaurant’ rings true with brunch menu hints of parmesan and bruschetta.
We decide to go for what we consider really healthy options — char-grilled swordfish Caesar salad for me, and crab cakes for her.
Served up within 15 minutes, each dish is as fresh as the morning dew — the swordfish soft yet burnished, the baby gem and shaved parmesan adding crunch and texture. The crab cakes come with char-grilled asparagus, home fries and two poached eggs, and is that ideal mix of crispness and comfort you expect from such ingredients.
Each meal provided a foundation on which to celebrate the finding of a terrifically atmospheric place to chow down, and so — throwing caution to the wind if not the universe — we order drinks that look and taste suspiciously like a Martini Royale and a Spritz Mint Campari.
We toast our Best New Restaurant Friend, vowing to return for dinner one evening when the brunch menus have been put away, when children under-10 are tucked up in bed, and when the hipster has bought some socks.
Until then, San Lorenzo’s, we salute you, we really do.
South Great George’s Street,
Dublin;
tel: 01-4789383;
www.sanlorenzos.ie
Brunch for two, with drinks, came to €48.90, tip extra.
Open seven days — Monday, 5pm-9pm; Tuesday, 12.30-3pm; 5pm-9pm; Wednesday-Friday, 12.30-3pm; 5pm-late; Saturday, 11am-3pm; 5pm-late; Sunday, 11am-4pm; 5pm-9pm
Food: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 7/10
Drink: 7/10
Value: 9/10
