The dream team of chef Killian Durkin and his front-of-house partner Jess d'Arcy had already won legions of fans for their Howth-based offering at Mamo restaurant and Margadh deli, before they brought their talent and flair to a unique southside location near the Merrion Gates.
As with their other sister establishment, the docklands Barrow Market, a weekly changing menu offers a range of Margadh at Home meals that can be pre-ordered for click and collect, or simply bought off the shelf – think confidently executed, boldly flavoured Coq Au Vin, perhaps with Margadh chicken liver parfait to start, and Margadh dark chocolate and blackberry mousse to finish – while a deli counter offers fresh lunchtime salads and cold or toasted sandwiches to go. Smart choices include a toastie of honey and fennel roast pork shoulder with Hegarty’s cheddar, tomato and fennel relish. Excellent coffee from Imbibe Kaleidoscope is well handled with barista-standard choices, while a wine room overseen by wine director James Brooke (ex-Guilbauds) features a fine selection of 50–60 largely organic, biodynamic and minimal intervention wines.
Later in the week (Thursday to Sunday), the offer extends to an extremely well-considered wine bar menu with charming table service lead by industry veteran Kate Ruddy. Having opened gently with a casual outdoor terrace (open 7 days), the indoor offer is an evolving affair which will include a cosy wine bar upstairs for the full menu, plus 8-10 seats in the wine room offering corkage on all wines plus a small list by the glass. As the general manager at this ambitious grocer-cum-wine bar, Kate brings all the necessary sass and charm to make this a local gem of an eatery in an area rather lacking in options. Though billed as tapas-style, two or three of these shared plates make for a generous lunch for two, perhaps with a dessert to push the boat out. This is restaurant-quality food, based on well-sourced ingredients and plated with confidence, flair and considerable attention to detail.
Options might include a hearty ‘country style house terrine’ of duck and pork wrapped in pancetta and embedded with whole pistachio plus carrot, celeriac and baby leek, served with pickled raisins and shimeji mushrooms, good mustard and toasted sourdough. Tuna tostada is a generous serving of quality fresh tuna, sesame-rolled and pan-seared, served on crispy tostadas with guacamole and topped with chipotle mayo and crispy shallots. Dessert might be poached strawberries with a poised tonka bean mousse, elderflower balsamic and roast buckwheat for texture.
Add to all of this a carefully curated selection of treats for your fridge, larder or cellar, from Irish cheese to top-drawer olive oils and this is one great addition to the Dublin food scene, whether for table service or take-home food or wine.
