Restaurant review: Vietnom and 1661 are at the top of their game
Vietnom, The Glimmerman, 14 Stoneybatter, Dublin 7. @vietnomdublin
- Vietnom, The Glimmerman, 14 Stoneybatter, Dublin 7. @vietnomdublin
- Bar 1661, 1-5 Green St, Dublin. Bar1661.ie, @1661bar
Some people want to retire to the country but I think Stoneybatter might be a better option for me. I’d want a place with great bars, restaurants and food shops on my doorstep, plus a bakery and decent off-licences (i.e.: Drink Store and Lilith) — they are all there, and the city centre is only a 15-minute walk away.
Stoneybatter always seems to have a happy and happening atmosphere, but it wasn’t always like this: 30 years ago it was a poor inner-city neighbourhood with all the attendant problems — now it is perhaps the coolest place to live in Dublin City.
The Glimmer Man is just one of many great pubs, L Mulligan deserves a mention as does Walsh’s, Hynes and the Belfry which is the current one to watch I’m told. The Glimmer Man is like no other pub in Dublin and attracts both craft brew hipsters and the folks that just want their pint of plain and a ball of malt chaser — and they all stare in wonder at the wax dummies of Charlie and Maggie Thatcher in the bed suspended from the ceiling.
The Vietnom food truck opened in 2018 in the beer garden at the back. It is run by Milly Murphy and Alex Gurnee: you simply place your order and you are given a buzzer to alert you that your food is ready.
The menu changes weekly, it is organic where possible and with lots of vegan options. Bahn-Mi (€12) is the Vietnamese equivalent of a po’boy and was made with a perfect crunchy, waxy-sweet Le Levain baguette filled with pork shoulder enlivened with smoked paprika aïoli and Vietnamese Pickles. This was my just about perfect: the crunch of the bread matched by the textures and richness of the filling, and I loved the ‘Papas Locas’ on the side — crisps drizzled with spicy aïoli.
We ordered both Jasmine Rice Bowls (€10). I loved the Six Spice Organic Chicken with its miso caramel richness lifted by spicy masala cashews and given freshness with nuoc cham dressing (fish sauce and lime). My two guests preferred the honey-soy-soaked mushroom version but, in truth, both were excellent with the lightly sticky rice a perfect foil for the toppings. On the side some Firecracker Cauliflower Tostada (€10) had delightful heat and textures and the lime-ginger dressing on the Vietnamese Noodle Salad (€5) brought it into another realm. We washed it all down with pints of White Hag Juicy Pale Ale and Larkins Revolver Session Ale (the former worked best with the food).
Vietnom doesn’t have a dessert menu so a short walk from Stoneybatter towards Capel St brought us to Bar 1661. Poitín is the focus and even the name of the bar references the year that Poitín was made illegal (until 1997). I began, as you have to, with a Belfast Coffee (€9). 1661’s signature cocktail is made from Bán Poitín, Cold Brew Coffee, topped with cream and a shake of nutmeg. It looks like an Irish Coffee — but don’t let that fool you, this is way more interesting. The scent of coffee, nutmeg and alcohol hits the nose while the palate gets a hit of cream, poitín and coffee with the tang of poitín dominating the finish. As it progresses, the cream comes through more but never dominates the coffee and poitín: balanced, elegant, flavourful, sophisticated and satisfying — a true classic.
Of the other cocktails we tried my favourite was the Frary Avenue (€12.50) made with Micil Poitín Cacao Butter Rum and Sherry, the butter, rum and poitín all blending to create something entirely new with texture and complexity. The Green St with Coconut and Pineapple and the orange flavours in the New St North also deserve a mention.
Vietnom and 1661 are at the top of their game and you need to visit both — maybe in the one evening!
Two starters and three mains cost €47; craft beer pints at the bar cost the usual €6-7 and dessert cocktails in Bar 1661 cost from €9 to €12.50.
Booking not required in Vietnom but advisable for 1661 at busy times.
Thursday-Sat: 6-10pm
Sunday: 5-10pm
- Food: 9/10
- Drink: 8/10
- Ambience: 8/10
- Value: 9.5/10
What’s not to love: supremely tasty Vietnamese food (with fusion kicks) at the back of a Dublin pub with charming staff, and perfect cocktails a short walk away?
