Klaw is something of a passion project for owner Niall Sabongi, a committed seafood fan who doesn’t believe that great shellfish should be confined to a formal white linen setting.
The original of what soon became a stable of three city centre seafood restaurants (see also Klaw Poké and Klaw Seafod Café) Klaw is supplied by Sabongi's own wholsale company, Sustainable Seafood Ireland, and offers “crabshack dining” in a space that is anything but formal. The ever-open front doors make it feel more like street-side dining (rugs are provided to keep knees warm) and there is just a handful of high tables and a narrow counter squeezed into the corridor-like interior. But don’t let that put you off popping your head in, even if the place is rammed full as it often is – this is the kind of place that doesn’t take bookings unless you’re happy to pop your name on a list and retreat to a neighbouring bar to suck on a pint while you wait. And being slap-bang in the middle of Temple Bar means that there are several neighbours to choose from.
Alternatively, pull up a pew and while away the wait by reading messages from happy punters strung up on a string along the wood-panelled walls. These read like an analogue version of Snapchat or TripAdvisor, with messages like “The staff are soooo friendly; definitely coming back” or “Get the oysters torched, OMG!”
It won’t take long before the torched oysters in question make an appearance: these have become an essential order in this hugely popular little shellfish joint. Choose from ‘killers’ (Kilpatrick style with bacon) or ‘rockers’ (Rockefeller style with spinach) and order at least one for the spectacle of watching your waiter blow-torch the life out of these dressed oysters.
A less dramatic option is to order them un-torched and simply dressed with Nam Jim or Bloody Mary. Or purists may prefer to indulge in their oyster served ‘naked’ with just lemon or Tabasco, given that there’s such a great choice available typically including several from the Atlantic coast (the Flaggy Shore in the Burren, Dooncastle in Connemara, Kelly’s of Kilcolgan (in Galway Bay) as well as some from Waterford representing the south-east coast (Hartys of Dungarvan).
Whichever way you go, they’re something of a must – especially if you happen by during their daily #ShuckNSuck happy hour (5pm–6pm) when all oysters are just €1 a pop.
But as the name suggests, this shack is as much about the crustaceans as the molluscs, and Klaw also does crab, lobster and crayfish very well indeed.
A large blackboard menu includes lots of regulars (a mean lobster roll that is served in a soft brioche-style roll with crisps on the side and a chunky length of cucumber) and a few specials, which might include a Velvet Crab hot pot (around €15) or Giant Gambas with sticky Thai sauce (around €16). There’s often interesting imported shellfish that you don’t often come across in Ireland such as Snow Crab Cluster, while local crab can be ordered whole, on toast, as a surf-n-turf style KBLT or to add into the mac’n’cheese that is one of the very few non-protein options on the menu.
There’s a strong North American influence with San Fran-flavoured treats like Cioppino (an Italian-American fish stew) or Canadian-inspired Caesar Marys (featuring the rather wonderful invention of clamato juice – yep, that’s clams and tomatoes). The menu is full of fun little twists (yuzu in the aoili with the Lambay Island Crab Claws, for example, or brandy to spike the ‘marie-rose’ sauce with the half pint of Atlantic Prawns). But the presentation is as simple and fuss-free as you would expect in shack-style dining and the tables are adorned with the bare essentials only: Tabasco, house-made shallot vinaigrette and Old Bay seasoning (a classic Maryland spice and herb seasoning for lobster and shrimps).
If you’ve still room at the end, dessert is similarly American-influence and booze-spiked (think Whoopie Pie or Brandy Splashed Creme Brûlée), and there’s a nice choice of fish-friendly wines by glass as well as Guinness, of course.
All in all, this is a real treat for seafood lovers who want all the freshness and flavour and none of the usual faff. Staff are consistently well-versed on their offer and seem genuinely proud of what they do and keen to share their passion – a sentiment that would appear to trickle down from the top. As the website states, “We try to do things the right way not because it’s trendy and cool… but because we want to.” It’s a rare pleasure when a dining experience tallies up with its marketing pitch. More of this please Dublin.
Also at: The Seafood Café by Niall Sabongi, Temple Bar (01 515 3717) and The Salty Buoy food truck (www.saltybuoy.ie)
