I'm slowly exhausting all of the options local to me in Rathfarnham and Terenure... and most of Rathgar too - except this little well kept secret. On Rathgar Avenue, just off the Harold's Cross Road, it's a spot I had never actually seen before so I wasn't sure what to expect of it. I was pleasantly surprised. Their website states the restaurant "embodies the conviviality of old New York" and I completely agree. The exterior is like so many neighbourhood restaurants you see on the tree lined streets in NYC, if you've ever stumbled across the Elephant & Castle in Manhattan you will know what I mean. Inside you get the same feel, tiled walls, dark wood, a casual and comfortable vibe... with a bit of class too. I especially liked the light seating area at the back.
We stuck to the midweek Wine & Dine deal of €20 for 2 courses or €25 for 3. A decent selection of starters with 2 veggie options, some fish and meat choices. Similarly with mains, a choice of burgers, fish and meat options and a veggie pasta dish. It's always nice to actually have a choice of non meat dishes instead of having the only one available!
As it happens we both went for the vegetarian options to start, the B & B Super Salad of spinach, pomegranate, feta & quinoa and the Soup of the Day which was Broccoli.
That salad - absolutely fab! It was bursting with flavour from the pomegranate seeds and feta...If every salad were as tasty and good for you I would have no problem eating them all day every day :-)
The generous serving of soup was delicious and served with crusty fresh bread. (Apologies for the messy pic, we sploshed it around a bit before I got a snap of it looking all neat and pretty!)
For mains there was the much anticipated Mexican Bean Veggie Burger and the Indian Pale Ale Battered Fish & Chips. Again, very generous portions especially for an Early Bird - and neither main disappointed. Being someone who barely ever leaves food on her plate (awful habit I know!) I had to leave half my chips just so I could polish off every bite of the burger, smothered in guac.... amazing! Packed full of beans and veg and with some seeds thrown in for good measure, it was definitely the best (and biggest) veggie burger I've had.
There was absolutely no room for dessert - but the Honeycomb & Toblerone Cheesecake has my name all over it for my next visit! I did fit in a lovely cappuccino before rolling out of the place though :-)
This is a seriously great value for money deal - fantastic food, and lots of it, in really nice surrounds. Thursday is clearly the night to visit, when groups of 4 get a free bottle of vino...and I've heard only amazing reviews on their chicken wings - treat yo'self! :-) read more