Restaurant review: Luna
SHOW this girl a good time! That was the rather pointed command I received upon her good self agreeing to accompany me on a restaurant visit.
So what to do?
Dublin is stuffed with choice these days, particularly with mid-range comfortable restaurants, fine dining spots and some quirky indefinable places, but I knew I was being asked to conjure up something new.
No starched tablecloths, but no cooking your own steak on a stone either — this was a job for Declan Maxwell.
Luna is the latest city centre venture from John Farrell and a new Farrell restaurant is always good news, but the headline was always going to be Master Maitre d’ Declan Maxwell stepping away from managing Chapter One to cover front of house.
Farrell has a keen feel for Dublin’s dining out needs — his Mexican bar/restaurant 777 is hopping most nights; his two Ranelagh restaurants Dillingers and Butcher Grill hold their own despite the choice in that suburb; and Super Miss Sue fills the city centre’s casual seafood gap.
These are good restaurants serving well- sourced, tasty food, I don’t see any of them as special occasion or first-date restaurants.
Nobody would take their expensive mistress to them (and if they did they would almost certainly get spotted by a neighbour).
Luna is different. Despite being in a basement beside Dublin’s least sexy car-park, this is a beautifully decorated retro room, with comfortable seats and booths, an open kitchen and Dublin’s most exotic (unisex) toilets. Mad Men has been cited by some as a reference point but Don Draper was a libertarian....
Mad Men has been cited by some as a reference point but Don Draper was a libertarian moving in a staid uptight world for much of that series. There is something much more louche about Luna.
Once you descend the stairs and pass through the curtains you won’t feel like Betty Draper or a secretary in an ad agency, you’ll feel like Lorraine Bracco’s character Karen did when Henry Hill escorted her into the plush vibrant Copacabana nightclub through the kitchen in Martin Scorcese’s Goodfellas.
Waiters wear immaculately-tailored Louis Copeland red dinner jackets; the lighting is muted and warm; the steel shines; the velvet begs to be touched; and best of all, to welcome you is the aforementioned Maxwell.
I can’t remember a visit to a restaurant where I felt as minded and cosseted as on my visit to Luna and that is Declan’s talent (and of course our wonderful waiter Stephen).
Our tasty bottle of Rosso Piceno Ciu Ciu Bacchus (Wines Direct) didn’t enter my hand, such was the efficiency with which it was poured (and crucially, not over-poured).
We began with Salumi, to which we added an extra slice of Lardo Toast — the nutty complex bread topped with melting Italian pork fat harmonised nicely with the almost dramatic delicacy of the meats — mortadella, culatello, smoked raw sirloin, and fennel salami.
A small cup of intensely flavoured sweetcorn soup followed as a bonus dish, followed in turn by roast cauliflower with cheese, hazelnuts and more lardo (yes, this was just gussied up cauliflower cheese and no, I don’t think I’ve tasted better).
Black Truffled Spaghetti (one portion to share) was my favourite dish on the night, densely fragrant with fresh truffles (no truffle oil obviously), rich and satisfying but maintaining a lightness of touch.
Cod was cooked very gently at low temperature and on the night it had a rather raw taste but on a subsequent visit the fillet was thinner and this gentle cooking method gave the fish a delicious silky texture.
I suspect the chef will disagree violently but the second version was the better dish.
Wild hare’s dark dense, but delicate flavours had further earthy touches such as celeriac and pumpkin, with some ravioli and foie gras for extra textures.
There is nothing as vulgar as a dessert menu in Luna, instead there is a heaving dessert trolly and a waiter dedicated to convincing you that you just have to eat more.
Fresh figs with honey, chocolate, and peanut tart looked and tasted excellent and we even managed to eat some.
We’re not here for a long time, just a good time and Luna fits the bill for the latter.
Dinner for two with one bottle of wine, two starters, a shared pasta course, two mains and two desserts - €176 (excluding tip).
Wednseday – Saturday, 5pm-11pm; Pre- Theatre 5pm-6.30pm
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An old-school New York Italian restaurant with .
