The Kelly family transformed their elegant basement brasserie into a casual-smart hideaway where guests can choose between cocktails and sharing platters at the chi-chi bar, or accomplished cooking enjoyed in the spacious low-ceilinged restaurant or its heated, cushioned terrace.
Formerly Brasserie le Pont, this Dublin restaurants more recent incarnation has removed the formal linen table clothes but not the general comfort of the setting nor the smaller touches of luxury such as the linen napery, amuse bouche and petit fours with coffees. Well-known General Manager, the charismatic John Healy, and his smartly attired and professional staff guide guests through the modern European menu and well-balanced wine list with impressive knowledge and confidence, with the wine pairings being particularly well-considered.
The execution of the menu’s offering is impressive under head chef Deniss Laskeno and, although they don’t shout about it on the menu, the ingredients themselves are sourced with a close eye on quality and sustainability. The à la carte however is where the kitchen’s skill truly shines, with confident, even brave treatments of the likes of mackerel that´s torched and served with gremolata, pickled kohlrabi, mackerel foam and lemon gel.
Even those dishes that sound busy on the menu (pan-fried black sole on the bone with brandade croquette, sauteed girolles, razor clam and sauce vierge) display impressive balance on the plate, with a welcome emphasis on visual appeal and textural play that does not compromise on the delivery of flavour.
The combined result is a reliable spot for comfortable dining (even with the inevitable noise-factor that comes with removing linen clothes from the equation) for business or family get-togethers, and an attractive hideout for a languid lunch or evening supper of a more romantic nature.
