Restaurant review: The open fire cooking at Mister S is better than ever
Visiting Mister S on a recent Tuesday, the restaurant was fully booked
As long as we have been human, or nearly human, we have cooked over fire. Homo Erectus was barbecuing around 780,000 years ago and as our ancestors sat around the fire gnawing on bones, they told stories; this led to language and civilisation itself. This is my theory anyway.
Cooking over fire is the most elemental form of cooking and if we had weather like they do in Africa, the southern US, Australia or Brazil, then we would do it far more. Thank goodness then for the likes of Mister S and Elbow Lane in Cork who do it for us.
Mister S is around five years old now and the kitchen, which overlooks the long, casual dining room from a raised stage, has evolved — a talented Brazilian chef is in charge of the open fire custom-built stove right now and the cooking is better than ever.
Visiting on a recent Tuesday, the restaurant was fully booked with a joyous, almost raucous atmosphere. We began with their signature burnt-end rendang spring rolls (€12) made with the crispy ends from the slow-cooked shortrib. The ends had been slow-cooked into a Malaysian-style rendang curry and then encased in a crispy spring roll shell. The contrast between the tender meat and crisp shell was pleasing, but I particularly liked the intense lemongrass and spice notes that cut through the richness of the meat.
Marinated slices of fresh tuna (€13.50) had been coated in an umami-rich Asian XO sauce that also had citrus notes for contrast. We piled the slices onto crunchy, freshly made tostados and rather wolfed them down. Ancho chicken (€13), meanwhile, had a firm exterior from the grill but retained all their moisture and a light earthy sweet flavour from the ancho chilli. The chicken skewer was topped with a classic salsa of tomatoes, onions, and chives sitting on a large dollop of sour cream, the flavours all melding nicely.
Smoked shortribs (€20.50) with chimichurri had been slow-cooked in the smoker overnight. The smoke and marinade had penetrated deep into the meat, giving it a smoky, rich, intensely meaty flavour and a melting texture. Grilled sticky pork chop (€19.50) was even more successful, beautifully tender with a rich sweet-savoury sauce.
We ordered two sides: ‘Fried potatoes’ (€6) that more closely resembled traditional roast potatoes — golden and properly crispy outside and fluffy inside; and grilled courgettes (€6.50), the only dish we were unsure of due to heavy use of mint and acidity in the salsa that rather overwhelmed the courgettes. Having said that, a clean bowl was returned empty.
Mister S’s wine list is a good size and well chosen, with solid options by the glass ranging from €8 for a Sicilian Catarratto-Inzolia to €22 for a glass of Roisin Curley Beaune Blanc, or €16 for a glass of Roda Rioja Reserva. Other quality producers I spotted on the list included Fritz Haag, Domaine Tempier, and Rafael Palacios.
I chose ‘Viña Alberdi’ Reserva from the famed Rioja producer La Rioja Alta. This was packed with rich, dark red, and black fruits with a smoky edge, so it worked wonderfully with the barbecue flavours. It also has a touch of liquorice and spice that knitted in nicely with the beef.
For dessert, a tonka bean crème caramel (€8) involved a properly creamy fluffy custard pudding, but what made this stand out was the fascinating perfumed vanilla-chocolate aromas from the beans (tonka beans are often used in perfumes). A cashew nut crumb had been added for extra texture while the sauce beneath the pudding had a gorgeous amaretto-like bitterness that cut through the sweetness of the custard. I’ve had tonka beans before but usually as an aroma accent, never with such bitter intensity in a sauce. I loved it.
A second dessert of charred pineapple with coconut ice cream and a dark rum syrup (€9) was arguably even better, a sort of deconstructed piña
colada. The pineapple chunks tasted of the grill but were still juicy inside, while the creamy ice cream added complexity and a generous rum syrup lent sweetness and richness to the dish. We fought with our spoons to scoop out all the syrup from the bottom of the bowl.
Mister S was a joy, and every plate went back scraped clean. The cooking is elemental and considered, but it also more than this, it is a showcase for human civilisation.
Food: 9/10
Drink: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Value: 9/10
Dinner for two with three starters, two mains, two desserts and a bottle of wine cost a very fair €163
- Tel: 01 683 5555, misters.ie
- Tues-Thur: 5-11pm
- Fri: 12am-11pm
- Sat: 1-11pm
