Recently, I made the gallant move from the South side of Dublin to it's hardy North. Apart from my view of the Aviva stadium being replaced by the more austere Croke Park, one thing I have noticed is the lack of quality local restaurants that the villages of the South have in abundance. You can imagine my excitement when I began hearing whispers of a great new bistro, located right there in Dublin 9.
Twenty2 has been trading since early March and, has, by all accounts, been unassumingly pleasing the locals with good hearty grub since day one. Upon arrival, a warm smile and a bustling Wednesday night crowd greeted us. Many were availing of the all night early bird menu, which offers a generous selection of starters and mains for €20. The menu is concise but appealing, calling out Irish suppliers and featuring old favorites like Pork Belly, Hake n' Steak.
To start, I ordered the ham hock with crispy hen's egg, which arrived on a creamy bed of Parsnip veloutée. Full of flavor, with a pleasant combination of textures, it was demolished very quickly. The calamari and prawns were also big hits at the table. The latter would make another appearance as a main course addition, drowned in a mouthwatering cream sauce.
Thoroughly taken with the food at this stage, we were then recommended an excellent bottle of Vina Garria Tempranillo. Not dissimilar to a Rioja, it served as the perfect accompaniment to the giant portions that were to come. With a particular fondness for hake, I couldn't resist the lure of, what sounded like, a lovely plate of food with crushed baby potatoes and a vegetable linguini. Very á la mode. The fish was flaky and cooked well and the caper & red onion vinaigrette added a nice sharp bite to the dish. I struggled to finish the entire plate but had made peace with the fact I would be sacrificing dessert on this occasion.
My friends ordered the pork belly (again, huge) and the sea bass. We all agreed that the food was a cut above what you would expect from what seemed like a quaint neighborhood bistro. The second coming of the restaurant scene in Dublin has found the majority of mid range establishments clambering for attention with early bird offers, but, in terms of value for your hard earned euro, Twenty2 really delivers.
Our bill, in total, came to €35 a head, with wine and drinks. As we chatted with the waitress about the restaurants maiden months, I noted a distinct sense of ambition. Clearly determined not to fall down where many local restaurants have before - serving run of the mill food to satisfy a small pool of regulars - this is an eatery that does not intend to rest on its laurels.
So far, so good then. read more