Restaurant review: Ten years in, Bastible balances precision and pleasure
The interior of Bastible
The restaurant world is a fickle one, fashions change, chefs move on, and there is always, always somewhere new to go.
Even brilliant restaurants fail sometimes, so when I realised Bastible was 10 years old this past November I decided it was worth a revisit.
Bastible was deservedly awarded a Michelin star in 2022, but right back in the early days the food could dazzle; I can still remember the caramelised sweetbreads with roast onion from that first visit.
There was a touch of Nordic austerity to match the bare brick and plain wood interior back then, but there was also soul and a rigorous focus.
In 2019, when Cúán Greene was cooking, the food was still pared back but had a little more generosity and playfulness (the swede baked in ginger oil paired with pumpkin seed molé, for example).
I gave it a rave review on that visit. The current head chef is Killian Walsh, whose cooking perhaps falls somewhere between the two styles of my previous visits, but with added colour and a pleasing vibrancy, retaining, of course, the primary focus on Irish ingredients.
Despite the Nordic aesthetic, it was never a cold space, and following a recent revamp, the room has been further softened. There is still blonde wood, white tiles, and an open kitchen, but the room feels warm and welcoming.
I visited with one of my regular (and ultra perceptive) dining companions who deserves a name, let’s call her Cuke. First up was a tiny Irish flag in reverse (or perhaps it was the flag of Côte d’Ivoire).
A stamp-sized verdant (green) tarragon cracker topped with osietra caviar, some tangy (white) curds, and a pretty peppery (orange) nasturtium leaf on top. As Cuke put it, “a sour cream and onion crisp” with added briny freshness from the caviar.
Individual ale and treacle sourdough breads (cooked over the stove in a bastible) were served warm, with cultured yeasty butter on the side which added a ‘marmite’ note to complement the bread’s earthy fluffiness.
Briny razor clams from Rosslare, topped with an old-school foam, were enhanced with samphire, shiso and gooseberry flavours.
Punchy smoked haddock tartlet crowned with crisp potato shards and a dill accent was a bite to be swallowed whole but nonetheless satisfying.
A slice of pointed cabbage followed with more intense flavours, the brassica’s sweet-bitter green notes had darkly flavourful black garlic and pickled walnut accents with mushrooms and bacon jam on top.
A proudly wintery course with texture and umami complexity.
With umami and fermented flavours lingering on our palate, the next course doubled (or perhaps tripled) down.
Beautifully cooked Atlantic cod glistened seductively and flaked effortlessly, sitting on a rich mushroom sauce made from ceps and Mark’s mushrooms, grown 30m away by Bastible’s neighbour the Mushroom Butcher.
Cuke summed the sauce up nicely: “I’d like to drink a mug of this in front of a warm fire.”
We were around halfway through at this point and feeling minded, the courses nicely timed, our glasses regularly attended to by staff who were attentive without being intrusive and all were fully briefed on each dish.
Steamed Coolatin cheddar custard tasted lush and silky and then tender pink sika deer loin on a sweetly rich Madeira jus with beetroot and winter vegetables reminded us once again of the season.
On the side, a choucroute and Jerusalem artichoke purée worked less well; it tasted perfectly pleasant but we both felt a crispy potato dish might have worked better.
Bastible’s wine list starts at €50 for a rosé, quickly moving to €60 and higher. The list is thoughtfully chosen however, and packed with quality wine from the likes of Blank Bottle, Sylvain Pataille, Domaine Tempier, and Tondonia.
Some creative non-alcoholic drinks are also on offer. Our bottle of Luis Seabra Xisto Limitado from the Douro (€60) had weight and texture as well as tangy citrusy freshness and it matched most courses well.
Velvety chocolate cremeux had a pleasing balance of bitter cacao and sweet chocolatey notes with texture from chocolate pieces, a tuile for added crunch, and a lively coffee anglaise sauce.
A duo of sorbets (blackberry and fromage blanc) balanced the richness perfectly. A rosehip and hazelnut pastille sat on scented fig leaves and a final flourish came with a tiny buttery Bramley apple-filled puff pastry.
Bastible’s 10-course set menu costs €110 per person, which I admit doesn’t sound inexpensive but is actually around average for a tasting menu these days (it’s higher in London).
The courses flowed along effortlessly, there was precision and intelligence in virtually every bite, and flavours seemed to build on each other as the meal progressed.
Happy Birthday, Bastible! Here’s to the next 10.
- Bastible
- 111 South Circular Road, Dublin 8
- Dinner for two with a bottle of wine, €280
