Restaurateur siblings Marc and Conor Bereen of Charlotte Quay and the former Coppinger Row have brought another crowd-pleasing operation to Dublin. This time they’re in the suburban village of Rathgar, where the newly opened Orwell Road continues their theme of restaurants taking their name from their address.
A small room with seagreen walls, pastel tabletops, rattan seats, green counter tiles, round edges and leafy house plants, Orwell Road oozes cool 70s vibes. Tunes are soulful and well chosen too, although the music may be drowned out as the room fills.
Chef Daniel Hannigan can be spied in the kitchen cooking up his exciting, imaginative food. With an impressive CV that includes fine dining restaurants L’Ecrivain and Thornton’s, and modern favourites like Richmond and Mister S, it’s here that he came to prominence for his big, gutsy flavours.
Start with snacks to experience the talent on display, perhaps delicate mackerel tart with chilli ponzu or rich Andarl pork croquettes with tart pickled apple. Starters might include dry-aged beef shortrib with wild garlic emulsion and an excellent beef fat brioche or fresh tortellini filled with Cáis na Tíre, a hard sheep’s cheese made in Tipperary, served in burnt onion broth.
Mains might include dry-aged halibut with smoked mussels and caviar or tender lamb rump served with new season asparagus, lamb belly and a fresh take on the Caesar salad. Side dishes are well considered and different, from excellent Ballymakenny spuds with wild garlic mayo to whole roasted courgette, sliced in half with preserved lemon and chilli.
A choice of two desserts and a cheese plate might include a delicious vanilla parfait with Ryan’s rhubarb compote and a creamy rhubarb sorbet with meringue shards. Menu provenance is good, with quality producers including McLoughlin’s beef, Andarl pork, Wicklow Bán and Cais na Tíre cheese, Drummond House asparagus and Ballymakenny potatoes, though it would be great to see all producers name-checked, especially as such care has been taken to source well.
Cheery, welcoming staff suit the mood perfectly with dishes well paced. With sparkling water refills, keen pricing and a compact but exceptionally well selected wine list with plenty by the glass, there is much to like. Early teething problems are easily ironed out: tea and the yet-to-arrive spirit licence limit libations while several dishes needing minor tweaks to bring them up to the high standard of the real star dishes at this welcome new neighbourhood spot.
