Cookes (Med-Cal) – Dublin, Ireland (8/10)
Jun 3rd, 2008 by admin
A participant at forthcoming foodie event Taste of Dublin, Cookes is regarded as one of the top restaurants in town. So I was rather pleased when it was selected by our counterparts at IFCO for a work-related dinner.
Located in the heart of Dublin, Cookes has a reputation for fresh seafood. Although its website describes the cuisine as Mediterranean-Californian, or Med-Cal, a somewhat dubious description in my opinion, the food turned out to be excellent.
Despite the tempting seafood and fish dishes on the menu, I’m afraid to say I leapt at the chance to indulge in some meat. Living in a vegetarian household, I’m a true carnivore when I eat out.
What I ordered:
Four of us chose the Chargrilled Prime Rib-Eye Steak (1 kilo, 2 persons, Euro 56.00) – with rocket salad, roast cherry tomatoes, aged balsamic sauce, mashed potato and frizzled leeks. I loved this, although there was no way that we had a kilo of beef in front of us, even including the bone.
Other mains were the Dried Aged Fillet of Beef (8 oz, Euro 32.00) – with aged balsamic sauce, fondant potato and horseradish cream, and the Fettucine Pescatora (Euro 19.50) – with clams, prawns, fresh fish, sauteed with garlic, roasted sea salt, lemon, white wine and tomato. Both were delicious, my companions assured me. The latter was an attempt by one of us at least to try the seafood for which Cookes is famous!
Starters (yes, it’s all back to front today) included the antipasto plate, crab cakes and wild mushroom risotto with porcini mushroom, asparagus tips and Parmesan. Best of all though was the generous selection of Cookes’ own artisan bread served on a wooden board – absolutely divine. The only disappointment was the crab cakes, according to my boss.
I was actually too full for dessert, but for the purposes of reviewing Cookes, I had no choice but to soldier on. The compote of rhubarb with vanilla anglaise and macadamia nut crust (Euro 8.50) – tasty, comforting neither too rich or heavy – and the honey chocolate cake (Euro 8.50) were duly chosen.
Incidentally, the red Castello Monaci Liante 2006 was so popular, bottles of the stuff were consumed.
The verdict?
Cookes is modern and spacious, attracting a well-to-do crowd. The staff are polite and attentive, and the food by and large impressive. It’s a excellent place for dinner, and conveniently located. Best of all was the company though, so IFCO colleagues, if you’re reading this, thank you for a delicious dinner and wonderful company! We’ll be back…
10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average
All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide
Contact Details:
Cookes
14 South William Street
Dublin 2
Ireland
Tel: +353 1 679 0536
www.cookesrestaurant.com
