Restaurant review: Tábla is exactly what you want from a local restaurant
Tábla in Mount Merrion, Co. Dublin
A favourite complaint in the UK media is the decline in French cooking. They’ve been writing articles about it for years. I’ve read most of them and they are pure rage bait to me as they misunderstand the constant evolution of French cooking and ignore the trends, not to mention the huge influence of previous movements, like bistronomy in the 1990s.
Classical bistro cooking is one of France’s great gifts to the world: Soups, pâté, tarts, and one we often forget about, oeuf mayonnaise. I don’t mean the sulphurous, oily egg mayonnaise you might find in a plastic white bread sandwich at a petrol station. This is something entirely different and it can be sublime. Just as there is a hotly fought annual competition for the best baguette in Paris (the winner supplies the Elysée Palace for the year), there is also a world championships of oeuf mayonnaise and you will see signs in many a French bistro, detailing their placing in previous competitions.
Thoughts of oeufs mayonnaise and tarte tatin brought me to Tábla, a proudly French restaurant that has just opened in the space once occupied by Little Mike’s wine bar in the centre of a stretch of shops in suburban Mount Merrion, between Dundrum and Blackrock. This is the same stretch that hosted the often brilliant Michael’s restaurant for a few decades, now sadly closed.
Tábla is from chef Thomas Loisel and restaurant manager Tanguy Gros Daillon, two French lads that met in Piglet wine bar (another favourite spot of mine for fine French bistro dishes, as well as classic Italian pasta). Tábla is small and light-filled, with an open kitchen and a counter space filled with Tartine pastries and that day’s desserts. Seating is around the walls, with a quieter, partitioned room with a few tables, and some seats outside for sunny days.
Tábla is open for breakfast, pastries, and lunch from Monday to Friday, with an à la carte menu on Friday and Saturday evenings (côte de boeuf, steak frites, etc), and for Sunday lunch. Exactly what you would want from a neighbourhood restaurant.
On the busy Sunday afternoon we visited, all the generations were dining at Tábla. We opted for a seat at the window and, of course, the first thing we had to try was the oeufs mayonnaise (€5.50): It was as good as I had hoped. Three simple egg halves perfectly cooked with fresh mayonnaise piped on top and a light dusting of piment d’espelette.
The whites were soft and glistening with a creamy texture, the yolks bright orange with a rounded, crumbly savoury flavour, and the mayonnaise wobbly, with a glorious tang of olive oil, lemon, and vinegar. The green salad beneath was also perfectly dressed, a touch of sweetness balancing the acidity; this simple, wholesome dish was just a joy from first bite to last.
Country terrine (€15) was meaty and rich with pork, ceps, and chicken liver flavours. On the side, we had some crusty sourdough, and homemade pickles (carrots, mushrooms, cauliflower), which cut through the richness nicely.
Three roasted scallops (€17.50) sat in their shells on an earthy-rich sauce made from their corals. Toasted hazelnuts added some extra texture and flavours, while dill oil lent savoury notes and a Granny Smith apple gelée a touch of sweetness.
A generous portion of lightly pink roast beef (€31) came with a meaty gravy, properly punchy fresh horseradish sauce, plus peas and roasted carrots. Roast half-chicken (€26) was a similarly large portion, with a lightly pungent, sweeter sauce infused with smoked paprika and olive oil, and, best of all, the chicken flesh was tender and moist.
Thought has gone in to the drinks menu, with solid options for spritzes and amaro, fizz, skin contact, and regular wines. By-the-glass prices start at €8.50 and bottle prices at €34 for Languedoc Sauvignon Blanc or Merlot. The list is focused on European wines from France, Italy, and Spain, with some interesting options from Brunello to Negroamaro to Mercurey. Our bottle of black cherry and strawberry flavoured Beaujolais ‘Le Ronsay’, from Jean Paul Brun, at €50, was a proper treat.
Chocolate mousse (€9) tasted airy, luxurious, and rich, with a proper hit of dark chocolate bitterness; sea salt flakes sprinkled on top lifted the flavours nicely. A large slice of apple tarte tatin (€9) had all the classic caramel and sweet apple flavours you would hope for, but would have benefited from being warmed a little to lighten the pasty.
Tábla is exactly what you would want in a local restaurant, whether in the 11th arrondissement or in suburban Ireland — well-executed classic dishes, fine saucing, a good wine list, and not a little savoir-faire. Superbe.
- Lunch for two with a bottle of wine cost €164
- tábla.ie
