One Pico, Dublin…read more
There is something reassuring about a restaurant that knows what it is doing. At One Pico, that confidence is evident from the moment you sit down. The service is knowledgeable, friendly and genuinely personable without ever becoming intrusive. Wine recommendations were thoughtful and well paired, and the pacing of the meal felt assured.
The room itself is well designed in many respects. Tables are positioned at just the right distance from one another, creating a sense of intimacy without feeling cramped, and the dark grey velvet chairs are both elegant and surprisingly comfortable. That said, the décor feels ready for a refresh. The smoked-mirror columns are distractingly dated, while the artwork feels caught between eras -- a mix of modern prints and somewhat tired landscapes that doesn't quite match the sophistication of the food or service.
I found myself thinking of Le Continental in Quebec as an interesting point of reference. One Pico could embrace the same elegant moodiness while giving the room a more distinctly local identity -- perhaps through work by Irish artists. A colour wash in a moody navy, or even a shade drawn from the dark grey of the chairs, could transform the atmosphere. I would also paint the ceiling. Bringing the ceiling into the palette would make the room feel more enveloping and intimate, and would better reflect the calibre of the experience on the plate.
The Food
I had the pre-theatre menu, and it did not disappoint. I began with the blue cheese mousse, followed by hake, and finished with the passion fruit soufflé -- which is, without question, a must-order.
The starters, accompanied by brown bread, sourdough and salted fresh butter, were memorable. In fact, I found myself thinking about them several times in the days that followed. There was something wonderfully comfortable about the food, but it was never predictable. It reminded me of an old friend who had gone away for years and returned from Paris: familiar, but somehow more interesting for the time apart.
The blue cheese mousse was visually dynamic, with contrasting textures and unexpected bursts of flavour. It managed to take an ingredient that can easily overwhelm a dish and make it feel nuanced and elegant.
The hake was the standout savoury course. It was cooked to perfection, beautifully plated and genuinely surprising. This was the sort of dish that makes you close your eyes for a moment simply to take in the flavour. It had the layered complexity that great restaurant cooking should have -- light while still rich, with each element contributing without competing.
Which made the roasted potatoes all the more perplexing.
A side of potatoes should be a simple thing to get right, particularly in a kitchen capable of producing food of this calibre. Unfortunately, these were dry, tasteless and, ultimately, inedible. They were easily the most disappointing part of the meal and perhaps the most unexpected, precisely because everything else demonstrated such care and precision.
Thankfully, the passion fruit soufflé brought things back to the level I had come to expect. It was beautifully balanced: layered and complex, light while still rich, and not overly sweet. I finished every bite.
A salted caramel truffle arrived afterward. I have to admit that salted caramel has been done to death, and it is something I generally steer clear of. This one, however, was worth the calories. Once again, there were layers of flavour rather than simply sweetness compensating for a lack of complexity.
The Verdict
One Pico delivers a polished and memorable meal, with particularly strong cooking in its starters and seafood. The portions are just right, the menu is varied, and the wine pairing was handled with confidence. The hake and passion fruit soufflé alone are reason enough to make the visit memorable.
The restaurant's interior, however, is beginning to feel out of step with the quality of what is happening in the kitchen. A thoughtful refresh -- particularly of the artwork, smoked mirrors, colour palette and ceiling -- could elevate the entire experience without sacrificing the comfortable character that already works so well.
And perhaps leave the potatoes off the order.
Everything else suggests a kitchen operating at a remarkably high level. The food is thoughtful without being fussy, familiar without being dull, and sophisticated without losing its sense of pleasure. One Pico is the kind of restaurant that stays with you -- and, in the best cases, has you thinking about a dish several days later.
