2010-08-27 Apart from faultless service, a meal like this is the very pinnacle of gastronomy. Not only are the ingredients carefully sourced, they're also prepared with immense skill. It may not be the sort of dining experience that you'd want every week, but for a special occasion, for a treat, it's something that anyone with an interest in food should try at least once. More>>

2010-08-27 This week brought one of those surprises. It was a restaurant that wasn't easy to find, that's tiny inside, very plain almost to the point of discomfort, and which serves raw fish. You can see at once that it isn't going to appeal to everyone. You won't find a starter, main course and dessert on this menu. But if you're one of those people to whom surroundings matter less than what's on the plate, read on. More>>

2010-08-13 Restaurants, you may have noticed, generally have a short life -- five to eight years is the average.

There are a few reasons for this: if the restaurant is successful, the owners may decide to move to bigger premises; fashions change and restaurateurs often respond by revamping everything and changing the name; sometimes leases come up for renewal and the rent becomes too much; sometimes they run out of energy, and sometimes they simply fail to make money and close. More>>

2010-08-13 

For as long as I can remember, Kinsale has been known for its restaurants.

It's also true that as the rest of the country became increasingly interested in gastronomy over the past few decades, Kinsale's offerings started to look a little stale.

But, like any movement in fashion, things change constantly and, for the past few years, Kinsale has seemed to be back on song. More>>

2010-07-24 I was out to dinner with Marian Kenny, who had decided we should eat in Hartley's in Dun Laoghaire. However, they were booked to the gills and had no table for us, so we booked into Dali's of Blackrock, which I think shares proprietors with Hartley's. Even here we had to arrive at 7pm and be gone by 9pm, so, whatever about the recession, there are still restaurants doing the business. More>>

2010-07-24 This week I wanted to go westwards towards Kildare and I'd heard something about The Osprey, a hotel in Naas. I'd heard less about it than usual, so when I arrived there with my son Rocco I had only my first impressions to go on. More>>

2010-07-24 It seemed we'd stumbled into Pinot's just a couple of days after they'd opened, which is something I'd normally never do on purpose. I always like to leave a restaurant for a few a weeks until it's settled in before I review it, since I get better fed if I do. Still, we were inside and sat, so there was no turning back. I was looking at the menu and thinking to myself "that looks quite interesting" when I got a tap on the shoulder. I looked up and saw Thomas Haughton in his chef's whites standing beside me. More>>

2010-06-26 Friendly and very skilful service added hugely to the enjoyment of this meal. It's a cliché, but good service can mask a multitude of sins, just as bad service can ruin the best offerings of a kitchen. But when, like here, good food is combined with good service, you get the best of restaurant experiences. More>>

2010-06-26 I thought a meal out might cheer up my daughter with her beloved away, so I suggested we could meet in Howth. I'd heard Deep was good, so we agreed to meet there. More>>

2010-06-26 The answer can be found in The Exchequer Restaurant, which is in the long-established Central Hotel. It's a hotel I remember well from my youth, when my father had Dublin's first pizzeria in Wicklow Street called The Honey Bee, and The Central was just up the road in Exchequer Street. More>>

2010-03-24 The first dish was the rotolo, which you can think of as a swiss roll made of pasta. This rotolo is Roberto's grandmother's recipe, and rolled into the thin sheets of pasta are ricotta, sausage meat, mozzarella, spinach and herbs. It's then sliced, and the slice is served with a creamy tomato sauce finished with brandy. It was, without a doubt, probably the best pasta dish I've ever eaten. Frankly, it would be worth the drive to Wicklow for this dish alone. More>>

2010-01-21 Now, did you wonder what happened to Mint after it closed amid the melt-down earlier this year? Well, wonder no more: it's reopened as Dillinger's, and Temple Garner -- who was executive chef for Town, South and The Bridge Bar -- is cheffing and John Farrell from Il Primo is doing front of house. More>>

2010-01-03 Looking back over 2009, it's impossible not to recognise that it was a very hard year for the restaurant business. Turnover was down, costs went up and margins were cut to the bone. Yet, despite this, restaurants are still trading, people still have their jobs and there are still customers looking for good food. More>>

2009-12-16  This week I visited a restaurant in Naas and it was only as I sat at the table I realised that I'd been there before, not once, but twice. I'd gone to have dinner in Bistro Sola in Naas with fashion designer Lainey Keogh, More>>

2009-08-09 I have to say that the food placed before us was extremely good. I particularly liked the spicy noodles, the cuttlefish dish, the salt and chilli squid and the abalone, a Pacific shellfish that was meaty and interesting. But there was one dish that simply shone out over and above the others, the lobster. More>>

2009-08-09 A couple of weeks ago, I listed some of the great deals available to diners around the country. The deals seem to be getting better and better. This week, I got a call from my old friend and suggested we meet for a bite to eat in the new Roly's Bistro.; More>>

2009-08-01 If Town can weather its present difficulties, I suspect it will remain one of those restaurants that have the epithet 'institution' attached to it, since it's now so well known. Superb service made this evening pass by very happily. More>>

2009-08-01 I've been banging the drum for regionalism for some years now. It's a concept that's been well understood all over the Continent.

What it means in practice is that every region, and often even small towns, has their own speciality, based on the local produce of that region or town. It's a kind of gastronomic specialisation. More>>

2009-07-24 The green shoots of recovery seem as sparse at the moment as the green shoots in my garden. Currently, the majority of places open mid-week in the area I wanted seem confined to hotels and pubs, which aren't usually my first choice. Still, a little research pointed me to the Bridgewater Inn in Sallins, where it seemed the welcome was good and the food above average. More>>

2009-07-24 I mentioned a few weeks ago that my father had opened a pizzeria on Wicklow Street in the late 60s. How things have changed since then. Today, you can get a pizza in every fast-food outlet and at any supermarket chill counter. Hard to believe, but 40 years ago pizzas were virtually unknown in Ireland.

If your only experience of this classic Italian dish is here in Ireland, you could be forgiven for being unsure about what a pizza is supposed to be. Should it be deep pan? Thin and crisp? Covered with cheese? All kind of variants are out there, and they all call themselves pizzas. More>>