A low key family celebration brought myself and four fellow family members to this newish Ranelagh establishment. A far cry from its predecessor, the Michelin stared (and priced) Mint, Dillinger's has a laidback, casual feel and recession friendly prices to go with.
Having checked out the menu online before we went, it looked exciting with strong New York/French Bistro influences. Arriving there, it was a bit of a let down though with some of the features missing-clearly the website’s menu is out of date. The menu was heavy on rehashed versions of dishes we have been offered for years in eateries like Tribeca (its close neighbour) and other similar establishments in the Grafton Street/Temple Bar areas of town. I was so uninspired by the menu that I went straight a main course, ordering the pork belly salad with chilli fried French beans, sesame and soy. Three starters were ordered: the Manhattan clam chowder with smoked haddock; the whipped goats cheese salad with roast squash, beetroot, honey truffle dressing and the calamari with spicy tomato salsa, garlic mayo and lemon wedges. The respective recipients were all pleased with their choices, with little complaint. The declaration on the chowder was that it had too many vegetables and potato and not enough liquid. This made it too heavy and filling for a starter course. However the broth that was there was delicious (I had a taste and can testify) and all slurped up. One word of advice though-those who like their chowders thick and creamy will be disappointed. The goats’ cheese salad was also oversized for a starter portion. Served with two thick wedges of ciabatta, the beautiful light but sharp cheese would have been better complimented by some crunchy crostini. The calamari, ordered by one who does not usually touch anything that swims was thoroughly enjoyed. This may have been helped by the fact that it was cooked perfectly in a delicate but crisp batter and came topped with plenty of garlic mayonnaise-a particular favourite of the fish phobic. Again, the plate could have been shared between two or three anticipating a main course.
For mains other than my pork, we had one 'Nachos Grande', one 12 oz Hereford striploin with garlic and herb butter served with duck fat roast potatoes, one sweet and sour sticky chicken with butternut squash and one salmon fillet and Dublin Bay prawn paella special. Mine was very tasty. The pork was fatty and moist but salty, brown and crisp on top. It was slightly overdone but not so that it took away from the dish as a whole. The pork was served warm over roast French beans and butternut squash. The sesame and soy dressing were unidentifiable but the 'chilli fried' aspect of the description made a more featured appearance than expected with actual chilli mince in the dish. It was all very good, but to nit pick the vegetables could have spent less time in the oven and been a bit more alive. The nachos were pretty non descript, but then when have we seen nachos any other way but with the usual combination of guacamole, sour cream, tomato salsa and grated cheese? I await the innovative kitchen that does something to spruce up this same-old, same-old tired dish. The steak looked and was pronounced delicious, perfectly cooked and seared on the outside, nice and pink on the inside. The potatoes could not be faulted, and were imaginatively served alongside in a little dish with blobs of sundried tomato paste. The chicken was plentiful and a real winner. A simple dish that could be easily imitated but that is not to take away from its success. The paella was enjoyed but could not be finished after the chowder starter. A strange concept to the purist, putting salmon with paella which would usually be associated with meat and shellfish but it seemed to work.
However the real winner of the meal was the side of French fries our youngest diner ordered. Brought to the table straight from the chip pan they were hot, and in a deep heated bowl remained so for quite some time. They, of the rustic kind (skin still visible), were medium cut, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I am not the biggest chip connoisseur but cannot rate them highly enough. Even when they went cold, eventually, they were still great.
The dessert menu was pretty dull but then again maybe I am being over critical. The aim here is to keep the punters happy with tried and tested favourites. And to get a simple classic wrong in a restaurant is a big no no, so it does perhaps raise the bar. As an experimental home cook however, I like to see some creativity and experience new texture and flavour combinations when I eat out. Anyway this did not put me off enough to refuse dessert (sure I had to try for reporting purposes...). I had been looking forward to the key lime pie as it’s not a dessert we see often this side of the Atlantic, but alas it was not on offer. I went for the New York style baked cheesecake which was as expected, perfectly done-creamy in the centre and slightly more done around the edges. Plenty of real vanilla, freshly scraped from the pod sang through making for a sweet and mellow satisfying dessert. It was topped with a few bits of dark bitter chocolate which gave it a slight, but appreciated twist. Two crème brulees were also had. Crème brulee is crème brulee and the perfect sweet finish to any meal when done correctly. Here it was served with a scoop of berry sorbet. The fish phobic is also has a berry paranoia so that caused some distress but the whole dessert was not rejected altogether, which is usually the case, so that must be a good sign.
A phrase coined from many a school report, Dillinger’s ‘could try harder’. I don’t think it quite reaches its potential but it does have some great things going for it and deserves a chance. Go for the classics, burger, steak etc and don’t miss those French fries. Share starters and don’t miss dessert if you like a good classic.
http://www.dillingers.ie/
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