A wine bar with exciting food, great cocktails and cool tunes, Note is a fresh and inspiring addition to Dublin’s dining scene. A café by day and bistro by night, it’s the work of brothers Essa (ex-head chef at 777 and Amy Austin) and Ahmad Fakhry (an interior and furniture designer responsible for Note’s slick fit-out), and friend Andy Collins, owner of Indigo and Cloth, the hip lifestyle store and café in Temple Bar.
Collectively they’ve harnessed their style and vision to deliver an edgy new wine bar and bistro with international vibes. Wedged between Fenian Street and Denzille Lane, the building’s jet black exterior and white lightbox sign look like a statement of intent, its striking angular facade drawing the curious towards its cool interior.
Inside a long bar with large windows behind it overlooks a bright room that’s easily one of Dublin’s best looking. Think grey terrazzo flooring, rich walnut panelling, abstract art works and a mix of comfy grey banquettes, bespoke seats and bar stools. Grab a cocktail at the lemon steel-topped walnut bar, or tuck into an imaginative menu of snacks, small plates and sharing dishes at a table with Gil Scott Heron or Marvin Gaye’s vocals for company.
Esse’s cooking brings international flavours together on one expansive menu. Start with snacks, perhaps giant curls of crisp pork scratchings with chilli seasoning, great Roundwood sourdough with Glenilen butter, smoked almonds or piquant anchovy toast that’s a tempting balance of crunchy with creamy, salty butterniness. Try jamon croquettes alongside sensational stone bass ceviche with lime and jalapeño or excellent lobster au homard, handmade ravioli generously stuffed with fresh lobster, alongside pillow-soft gnocchi dressed with summer truffle. A main course of melting Iberico pork cheek with roasted onion and bitter endive or succulent lamb with aubergine and lush salsa verde will pair well with Note’s knock-out pommes mousseline.
A signature dessert of hazelnut ‘affogato’ with vanilla ice cream, toasted hazelnuts and homemade coffee liqueur is a simple but delicious ending to a meal here. Like their homemade limoncello, the excellent coffee liqueur highlights a commitment to great drinks and Note’s bar selection is just as eclectic and interesting as the cooking.
Championing smaller producers, the lengthy wine list is ever-evolving introducing drinkers to some really exciting vineyards. Expect organic and natural wines, grower champagnes and an ever-changing selection of wines by the glass alongside pouring magnums as specials daily. Beer and cider are all equally considered and there’s an expansive selection of cocktails that mixes classics alongside tweaked takes like the Note Old Fashioned made with bourbon, cacao, maple and walnut. In the Weeds, a gin and whiskey confection, includes an intriguing mix of nettles, elderflower, rhubarb, lemon and cranberry.
Service is relaxed and fun with well-briefed staff that are knowledgable, enthusiastic and engaged. Prices aren’t cheap, with few wine bargains, but there is a real quality on offer here. Collaborations with the likes of Allta, or wine merchants including Fiasco Wine and Veraison, are part of the model, and demonstrate Note’s hunger to innovate and delight. Quietly pushing the boundaries of a bistro and wine bar, this is the future of casual dining and we couldn’t be more excited.
