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Niall Davidson's return to Dublin was met with utter excitement in 2019 after he opened the doors to Allta Wine Bar. Having blazed a trail in London, notching up time at Chiltern Firehouse, St. John and Nuala, he brought his flavour-packed, pared-back style of cooking to Dublin. Ready to make his mark, and joined by Hugh Higgins and Kevin Burke in the kitchen, the combination of great Irish food, simple decor, an imaginative wine list and cool music proved an instant hit.
COVID-19 might have stopped Allta in their tracks, but the team kept busy with a pop-up bakery and the excellent AlltaBox, a foolproof dinner kit that came with its own cool Spotify playlist. And before summer was out, the city centre restaurant had moved, lock, stock and barrel to Co Meath. Here, on the banks of the River Slane at Slane Castle, Niall pulled off an audacious act, creating Allta Summer House, a chic, dreamlike pop-up beneath stretched canvas where wonderful food shared the menu with a novel setting and fun atmosphere.
Running until early Autumn, the dreamy sell-out Summer House was only ever set to be seasonal. And so, like a magical shape-shifter, Allta transformed yet again, with a new move and refined concept. Appearing on the top floor of Trinity Street car park, just off Dame Street, Allta Winter House is Davidson’s finest incarnation yet. Take the lift to level 5 and step out into another world. First you’ll be greeted by a host who will check your vaccination status before walking you through Glovebox, a bar and cultural space-cum-gallery in the raw concrete interior where you can enjoy pre- or post-open dinner drinks. The car park markings and arrows are still visible on the ground and with a DJ booth and frosted toilet cubicle, the cement setting borders on the surreal.
Follow the fragrant scents up the ramp to level 6 where you’ll find a cosy space beneath stretched canvas that belies the open rooftop car park this once was. Cool tunes, a buzzing kitchen and cheery staff set the scene. The long open kitchen looks onto a large open space where tables of four or six are well spaced out. Despite being surrounded by concrete and canvas, Allta Winter House is exceptionally comfy, with each table warmed by an overhead heater surrounded by dramatic floral installations. The plywood and scaffold seating is softened with sheepskin throws and everything looks and feels delightful and other-worldly.
Niall is still joined in the kitchen by Hugh Higgins (with Kevin Burke returning to his new Library St in the original Allta spac), as the dynamic pair continue the spirit of Summer House, serving a 12-course menu that’s cooked over fire. The set menu costs €95, with a vegetarian version available, and tables can be booked as 4- or 6-seaters only. Dishes are simply plated on beautiful Fermoyle pottery, smartly chosen for its glazes and organic colour palette that serves to enhance the great produce.
The menu will change frequently, although Allta tends to work with many of the same quality Irish producers. Snacks might include a smoky aubergine broth infused with sea purslane followed by a pillowy Cromane oyster from Kerry with sea buckthorn, and then crunchy buckwheat cracker with crab meat and sea urchin foam that tastes like a day by the sea. Plump scallops in a citrus butter with with kohlrabi and seaherb salad, miso and gooseberry beurre blanc and hazelnuts, followed by Jerusalem artichokes smothered in gooey Cais na Tíre cheese, are a celebration of earthy flavours before the main event.
Prepare to be delighted by original dishes like a whole seatrout charred and grilled on the barbecue before being finished in the wood oven served with a goat's milk whey and perry cider sauce on a platter with mussels, sea herbs, dill and chive. Alongside this, the meat main might be Tamworth pork belly, from Rock Farm in Slane, with a dense sauce of fermented pumpkin and perfect pork crackling. Sides of romanesco and cavolo nero in chilli on romesco sauce, Ballymakenny Pink Fir potatoes in bay leaf butter and lightly dressed McNally Farm leaves finish out an incredible celebration of Irish food.
And, just as you’d hope, desserts are as thoughtful and clever as all that’s come before. Smoked apple ice cream with spiced cider jelly from The Cider Mill in Slane, and apple ice wine makes a fresh foil to the most decadent doughnuts imaginable, brittle crème brûlée filled choux with brittle burn sugar icing. Allta Winter House’s drinks list is accessible, with concise tasting notes and a broad selection of styles and drinks, though it verges on the expensive side. Pre-paid at €95 a head, wine pairings are also available.
Concepts this good don’t happen overnight and every detail of Allta Winter House has been carefully considered. Choosing an enthusiastic team who take pride in their work has paid off too and it’s clear that each of the warm and knowledgeable staff is invested in the Allta ethos. Davidson’s innovation and imagination have created something extraordinary, with a talented and hard working team delivering some of the most exciting and memorable dining experience in Dublin right now.
