Restaurant review: Park yourself at Dublin's Amy Austin for a fine meal — sans wheels
The interior of Amy Austin restaurant
8/10
Some of my best meals in Dublin have been in car parks.
I don’t mean picnics in my car or tailgate parties, I mean actual or former car parks such as the wonder that was Allta’s Winter House pop-up on the roof of Trinity car park, or the original Luna in a converted basement section of Drury St car park.
Luna, now closed, was originally created by John Farrell (777, Butcher’s Block, Suertudo), who also carved a minuscule space for Amy Austin from that same carpark, this time at street level.
The room is tiny, with bare walls and seating in the centre, round the edge, and at the bar in front of the chefs in the tiny galley kitchen. Early on a November evening, the atmosphere was warm and buzzy. Upbeat Cuban music played and we were greeted warmly by front-of-house staff.
Amy Austin was the first of Farrell’s restaurants to earn a Michelin Bib in 2024 and the menu changes every three months.
In the kitchen is head chef Victor Lara from Mexico plus chefs from Italy and Spain, their origins reflected in the menu, which is mostly small plates for sharing.
First up, smoked Hungarian striploin (€12) finely chopped, topped with grated apple and in a sauce that combined an oyster emulsion and a lightly spicy Asian dressing.
Presented in three oyster shells, each of which yielded a teaspoon or two of this, it was original and tasty with palate-wakening umami, spice and salty notes, despite being rather overwrought.
Three-cheese foam (€12) came next, a bowl of cheese sauce with crusty bread for dipping.
Served cool and made with smoked Gubbeen, manchego, and raclette topped with crispy onions and croutons, and bonus bits in its depths.
The cool temperature was a surprise but this light cheesy dip worked well and we quickly found we were scraping the bowl with the last of the bread.
The dishes arrived swiftly and midway through the cheese bowl we turned to two bite-sized soda farl (€11) chunks, toasted and topped with liquid spicy egg yolk, baby courgette slices adding vegetal nuance.
The farls were fluffy but substantial and the spicy yolk added zing, but they also cost double the price I felt they warranted.
We skipped the cured fish courses, although we likely did miss out by not ordering the blue macha sea bass (€22) with purple potato; it really does look spectacular in all its iridescent blue hues.
Jerk marinade ‘comote’ (€16), aka sweet potato, was also rather diminutive but this time we didn’t mind as it was outstanding — the dish of the evening for me.
Allspice and chilli in the jerk marinade lifted the sweet orange pulp, cashew nuts added crunch, almond cream provided nutty richness, and a coriander oil added herbal freshness. Order two.
French quail (€25) was paired with butternut squash for a contrasting texture and with sticky caramelised figs for extra sweetness.
The quail was tender and the deglazing jus worked well, doubling down on the natural flavours of the quail.
Figs on the side were a highlight but I recommend not eating them whole as we did, rather portion them out with bites of quail.
Grilled pork chop (€28) sat on a lipsmacking honey, wholegrain mustard and whiskey sauce that added depth, sweetness, and savoury notes to the mostly succulent chop.
Slices of fresh plum (called prunes on the menu) added fruit notes and the dish worked, although personally I’d have liked the chop cooked for 60 seconds less so that it retained a trace of pink; this was my guest’s dish of the night and she was happy there was no pink.
The drinks list includes signature cocktails (€12-14), six wines on tap, and a list of bottle options.
Bottles start at €46 for Fantini Montpulciano d’Abruzzo, so the Nebbiolo “Amy’s Red” on tap for €38 was a no-brainer. It was fruity and fresh (once we had cooled it down in ice, that is), and it worked well with the food.
We had begun the meal with glasses of salty, pungent, and invigorating Barbadillo Manzanilla en Rama (€9), always a highlight of any wine list.
We finished with a shared peach sponge cake (€12) with dark and white chocolate ganache and sitting on a lightly sweet peach coulis.
A satisfying end to the meal but we both felt the sponge would have been improved by being served warm, as could some of the other dishes.
I suspect the tiny kitchen space was the reason for this — there just isn’t enough space to cook each dish to order.
Despite its quirks, Amy Austin is a lot of fun with charming staff and stimulating creative dishes, it deserves its accolades.
- Amy Austin
- Unit 1 Drury Street Car Park, Dublin 2
- Dinner for two with wine cost €181
- amyaustin.ie
